Otis, Oregon

Otis, Oregon
Unincorporated community
Otis Junction, Oregon
Otis Junction, Oregon
Otis is located in Oregon
Otis
Otis
Otis is located in the United States
Otis
Otis
Coordinates: 45°01′28″N 123°56′43″W / 45.02444°N 123.94528°W / 45.02444; -123.94528
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLincoln County
Named forOtis Thompson
Elevation
46 ft (14 m)
ZIP code
97368

Otis is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States, a half mile north of Otis Junction on Oregon Route 18. It is near the Salmon River.

Otis post office was established in 1900 and was named after Otis Thompson, nephew of Archibald S. Thompson, the postmaster.[1]

U.S. Route 101 used to pass through Otis until a curvy and hilly section of road was rerouted in the 1960s.[2] Otis Junction is at the intersection of the former terminus of Oregon Route 18 and the former alignment of U.S. 101.

The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology has an Otis mailing address but is located nearer to the coast on Cascade Head.[3] The Otis ZIP code, 97368, also covers the community of Rose Lodge.[4] Today Otis and Otis Junction are considered synonymous.[citation needed]

Otis made the national headlines in 1999 and again in 2004, when it was announced that the town was for sale for $3 million.[5][6] The news stories describe the Otis Café and other amenities that are at Otis Junction; it is unclear if the 193 acres (0.78 km2) that were for sale included the land in Otis proper. Owner Vivian Lematta's grandfather bought the land from descendants of the Siletz Indians for $800 in 1910.[5] Lematta left Otis in 1957.[6] Included in the sale were the gas station and mini grocery store, a Pronto Pup corn dog stand, two houses, an empty 25-stall horse barn, a helicopter storage shed, a garage, a Grange hall, the Otis post office, the Otis Café, an auto-repair garage and 190 acres (0.77 km2) of farmland.[5] Part of the land was used for raising cattle and part was undergoing timber conservation.[5]

  1. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 733. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. ^ Associated Press (January 29, 1960). "Forest Funds Allocated for Road Jobs". The Register-Guard. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  3. ^ "Directions". Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  4. ^ "zipmap.net". Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d Associated Press (August 31, 1999). "For sale: Otis, Oregon". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Associated Press (August 16, 2004). "For sale (again): Otis, Ore. Price: $3 million". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 20, 2009.