Valsetz, Oregon facts for kids
Valsetz was once a small town in Oregon, United States. It was located in Polk County, west of Falls City. Valsetz was special because it was a "company town" built around the timber industry. Today, the town no longer exists.
History of Valsetz
Valsetz began in 1919. It was started by the William W. Mitchell Company. The town's name, Valsetz, is a mix of "Valley" and "Siletz." This name came from the Valley and Siletz Railroad, which ended there. Another source says the Cobbs & Mitchell company founded the town during World War I. A post office opened in Valsetz in 1920.
In 1947, the Cobbs & Mitchell company sold Valsetz. Herbert Templeton bought it and ran the Valsetz Lumber Company. Then, in 1959, he sold the sawmill and forests to the Boise Cascade Corporation.
By the 1970s, most of the very old, large trees (called old growth timber) in the area were gone. Because of this, the railroad tracks were removed.
In 1983, Boise Cascade announced that Valsetz would close. At that time, about 300 people lived there. In 1984, the town was taken down. Most buildings and even the streets were removed. This was because the company owned everything. The post office closed that same year. The land where Valsetz once stood became part of the Valsetz Tree Farm.
Valsetz Lake was an artificial lake near the town. It was made by building a dam on the South Fork Siletz River. This lake was drained in 1988.
Valsetz's Legacy
Even though Valsetz is gone, its former residents still remember it. They gather for a reunion every year in Falls City. There is also a special memorial in Falls City to remember Valsetz.
The town was known for its huge amounts of rainfall. It also had its own newspaper, the Valsetz Star. A 9-year-old girl named Dorothy Anne Hobson started this paper in the 1930s. At one point, over a thousand people lived in Valsetz. It had its own elementary and high school. The school's basketball teams were even champions!
Near where Valsetz used to be is the "Valley of the Giants." This is a special area of 51 acres (about 21 hectares). It is protected by the Bureau of Land Management. This valley has very old and large Douglas-fir and Western Hemlock trees. It was set aside for protection in 1976.
The Valsetz Dining Hall is at Western Oregon University (WOU). This university is in Monmouth, east of Valsetz. The dining hall was built in 1970. In 1991, it was renamed to honor the former community of Valsetz. From 1926 to 1931, WOU (then called the Oregon Normal School) sent student teachers to Valsetz. These students taught at the Valsetz elementary school for six weeks at a time.
Climate in Valsetz
The Valsetz area has warm, dry summers. The average monthly temperatures do not go above 71.6 °F (22 °C). This type of weather is called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. It is often shown as "Csb" on climate maps.
Education in Valsetz
Valsetz had its own school, called Valsetz School. It taught students from first grade all the way to twelfth grade. In 1969, the high school had only 31 students. This made it one of the smallest high school programs in Oregon. The last high school graduation was on May 25, 1984. Senator Mark Hatfield even spoke at this special event.
