Lime, Oregon

Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Unincorporated community in Oregon, United States
44°24′24″N 117°18′41″W / 44.40667°N 117.31139°W / 44.40667; -117.31139CountryUnited StatesStateOregonCountyBakerElevation
2,234 ft (681 m)Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)Area code(s)458 and 541GNIS feature ID1167713[1]

Lime is an unincorporated community and ghost town in the northwest United States, located in Baker County, Oregon.[1] Five miles (8 km) north of Huntington on Interstate 84 (& U.S. Route 30), it is near the confluence of Marble Creek and the Burnt River on the Union Pacific Railroad. The historic Oregon Trail passes through Lime.[2]

History

The Lime post office was established 125 years ago in 1899.[3] The deposits of limestone in the area were manufactured into lime that supplied a large area of Eastern Oregon and western Idaho.[3][4] The Acme Cement Plaster Company built a plant at Lime in 1916 to produce plaster.[3] The Sun Portland Cement Company bought the plant in 1921 and built another facility for producing Portland cement.[3] In 1926, the company merged with Oregon Portland Cement Company from Portland; by the 1960s, the Lime facility produced 1,200,000 barrels a year.[3] In 1940, the community at its peak had a population of 18.[5] The town began to decline when the post office closed in 1964.

As the nearby limestone deposits were depleted, limestone was brought from the Nelson area near Durkee.[3] A new plant was built at Nelson in 1979 and the facility at Lime was closed in 1980.[3] Oregon Portland Cement Company merged with the Ash Grove Cement Company in 1983.[3][6]

In 1999, Baker County took possession of the site of the closed factory for back taxes. In 2018, the plant was scheduled for demolition; crews arrived that April to begin the work.[7]

See also

  • flagOregon portal

References

  1. ^ a b "Lime". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Friedman, Ralph (2002) [1993]. The Other Side of Oregon (2nd ed.). Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 46. ISBN 0-87004-352-8.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 578. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  4. ^ Bailey, Barbara Ruth (1982). Main Street: Northeastern Oregon. Oregon Historical Society. p. 32. ISBN 0-87595-073-6.
  5. ^ Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Oregon (1940). Oregon: End of the Trail. American Guide Series. Portland, Oregon: Binfords & Mort. p. 251. OCLC 4874569.
  6. ^ Merriman, Ed (November 27, 2009). "Durkee Doldrums: Locals Fear Ash Grove Layoffs Will Doom Businesses". Baker City Herald. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  7. ^ Collins, Chris. "Tumbling Down Contractor expects to finish demolition project by the first of June". Baker City Herald. Retrieved August 1, 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lime, Oregon.
  • Images of abandoned cement plant at Lime from Flickr
  • Cockle, Richard (April 22, 2012). "Grand Idea to Turn Eastern Oregon Eyesore into Utopia Sparks Skepticism But Also Sliver of Hope". The Oregonian.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Municipalities and communities of Baker County, Oregon, United States
County seat: Baker City
Cities
Baker County map
Unincorporated
communitiesGhost townsFootnotes
  • ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
  • Oregon portal
  • United States portal


Stub icon

This Baker County, Oregon state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e