Minerva, Oregon

Minerva, Oregon
Unincorporated community
A ranch in Minerva
A ranch in Minerva
Minerva is located in Oregon
Minerva
Minerva
Minerva is located in the United States
Minerva
Minerva
Coordinates: 44°4′15″N 123°57′33″W / 44.07083°N 123.95917°W / 44.07083; -123.95917
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLane
Elevation
33 ft (10 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
97439
Area code(s)458 and 541
GNIS feature ID1146323

Minerva is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States.[1] It is located about 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Florence near the North Fork Siuslaw River within the Siuslaw National Forest.[2]

When local settlers petitioned the post office department for a new office in the 1890s, the name "Bays Landing" was suggested to honor local resident James E. Bay.[3] The department suggested a one-word name would be more convenient, so the office was named Minerva after Mr. Bay's wife.[3] L. C. Ackerley wrote the petition and the post office was first located in the Ackerley home.[3][4] The post office closed in about 1940.[4]

At one time Minerva had a store with a gas pump, a United Evangelical Church, a grange hall, and public school, but none of these remain at the site today.[5] The school at Minerva served students in grades 1 through 8, and older students attended boarding school in Florence.[4] When a road was constructed to Florence students of all ages attended school there and the Minerva school was closed.[4]

  1. ^ "Minerva". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  2. ^ Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. p. 38. ISBN 0-89933-347-8.
  3. ^ a b c McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 649. ISBN 978-0875952772.
  4. ^ a b c d "North Fork of the Siuslaw River Watershed Analysis" (PDF). Siuslaw National Forest: United States Forest Service. December 16, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  5. ^ Friedman, Ralph (1990). In Search of Western Oregon (2nd ed.). Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 71. ISBN 0-87004-332-3.