Oxbow, Oregon

Oxbow
unincorporated community
The Oxbow Dam
The Oxbow Dam
Oxbow is located in Oregon
Oxbow
Oxbow
Location within the state of Oregon
Coordinates: 44°58′30″N 116°51′47″W / 44.9748786°N 116.8629359°W / 44.9748786; -116.8629359
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyBaker
Elevation
1,982 ft (604 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain; de facto)
UTC-8 Pacific (de jure)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
97840
Area codes541 and 458
GNIS feature ID1167700[1]

Oxbow is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon, United States.[1] Oxbow is along Oregon Route 86 next to the Snake River near the Oxbow Dam on the Oregon-Idaho border, about 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Halfway.[2] Oxbow is just south of the site of the former mining town of Copperfield.[2] Oxbow has a post office with a ZIP code 97840.[3]

There was once a station named Oxbow on a portion of the Oregon Short Line Railroad now inundated by Oxbow Reservoir.[4][5] It was named for The Oxbow, a U-shaped bend in the Snake River named for the agricultural implement.[4][6] The present-day community of Oxbow was established in the early 1960s near the former site of Copperfield during the building of the Oxbow Dam by the Idaho Power Company.[4] Oxbow post office was established on May 1, 1965, after moving the office from Homestead six miles to the north.[4] At one time, Oxbow had a school.[7]

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Oxbow has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "Oxbow". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. May 22, 1986. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. pp. 79, 88. ISBN 0-89933-347-8.
  3. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 230, 476, 735. ISBN 978-0875952772.
  5. ^ "Oxbow (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. April 1, 1993. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "The Oxbow". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  7. ^ "Oxbow School (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  8. ^ Climate Summary for Oxbow, Oregon


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