Rice Hill, Oregon

Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Unincorporated community in Oregon, United States

43°32′19″N 123°17′24″W / 43.53861°N 123.29000°W / 43.53861; -123.29000CountryUnited StatesStateOregonCountyDouglasElevation

456 ft (139 m)Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)ZIP code

97462

Area code(s)458 and 541GNIS feature ID1158447^[1]

Rice Hill is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States.^[2] It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Oakland on Interstate 5.^[3] Rice Hill has complete tourist facilities, including a truck stop, motels, and restaurants.^[4]^[5] It has long been a popular spot to stop for ice cream.^[6]^[7]

History

Rice Hill was named either for Isadore F. Rice, who settled in the area in the 1850s, or for William S. Rice, who had a Donation Land Claim at the north end of Rice Valley at about the same time.^[8] Rice Hill post office was established in 1892, and soon renamed Ricehill.^[8] The office closed in 1908.^[8] The steep grade of Rice Hill was an obstacle for pioneer travelers and it also created problems for the construction of the railroad.^[9]

Geography

Rice Hill is a summit that divides the watersheds of Elk Creek and the Umpqua River.^[8] A two-mile long valley stretches south from the community of Rice Hill.^[10] Southern Pacific Railroad (today Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad) has a station on its Siskiyou Line at the summit named Rice Hill.^[8] The community has an elevation of 710 feet (220 m). It rises 325 feet (99 m) in 3 miles (4.8 km).^[8]^[11]

References

^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "Rice Hill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
^ Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-89933-347-2.
^ Friedman, Ralph (1990). In Search of Western Oregon (2nd ed.). Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 537. ISBN 0-87004-332-3.
^ "Truck Stops on Major Routes". Oregon Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
^ Richard, Terry (June 20, 2009). "Next time I'll go for six scoops of Umpqua ice cream's Oregon's 150; here's to statehood". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
^ Thompson, John (June 7, 1983). "Oregon's Biggest Dipper". The Register-Guard. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 808. ISBN 978-0875952772.
^ 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. 318. OCLC 4874569.
^ "Rice Valley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
^ Munford, Kenneth (1978). "The Oregon and California Railroad". Horner Museum Tour Guide Series. Benton County Museum. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2011.