Suver, Oregon facts for kids
Suver is a small, unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It's located about 10 miles north of Corvallis and 8 miles south of Monmouth. You can find it about a mile east of Oregon Route 99W.
Contents
The Story of Suver
How Suver Got Its Name
The community of Suver is named after Joseph Wellington Suver. He was an early settler who arrived in the area in 1845. Joseph Suver was born in 1814 in Virginia. He claimed land here under the Donation Land Claim Act, which helped people settle in Oregon.
The Railroad Arrives
In 1880, the Oregon and California Railroad started building tracks through this area. Joseph Suver saw an opportunity and bought the land where Suver now stands. He bought it from his brother-in-law, George W. Pyburn. The town of Suver was officially planned out, or "platted," in 1881.
The railroad station built here was called Suvers. It was also sometimes known as Soap Creek. This railroad line later became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Life in Early Suver
The Suver post office opened in 1881, with Sam Cohen as the first postmaster. It served the community until 1935. By the mid-1890s, Suver was a busy little town. It had many important buildings:
- A general store
- A sawmill for cutting wood
- Two warehouses for storage
- A grain elevator for storing crops
- A dance hall for social events
- A train depot
- A blacksmith shop for metalwork
- A shoe repair shop
- Several homes
A school for the children of Suver was built in 1895. By 1915, the community also had a church, and its population was about 25 people.
Suver's Changes Over Time
For many years, Suver was an important center for farmers. They used it to ship their goods by train and gather as a community. However, things began to change in the mid-1920s.
When Oregon Route 99W was completed, people started using trucks and cars more. This meant less shipping by train, and the town of Suver began to decline. Many of its businesses closed.
The original town became known as "Old Suver." This is different from "New Suver" or Suver Junction. Suver Junction is about a mile west, where Suver Road meets Oregon Route 99W.
Interestingly, the store building at Suver Junction was actually moved from Old Suver in 1935! This store was built in 1905 and was owned by Fred Strum. During World War II, it was the closest private store to thousands of soldiers stationed at Camp Adair.
As of 1990, Suver still had a grain elevator and a volunteer fire station. Today, the grain elevator is still there, but the fire station has closed.
