1942 Map of Corvallis

About this map

Oregon State College anchors the eastern edge of this landscape, where the campus and the growing city of Corvallis meet the agricultural and timbered foothills of the Coast Range. In the early 1940s, the region was defined by a dense network of rural school districts and small logging outposts, including Simpsons Camp and the timberlands of the Siletz National Forest. The Marys River and its tributaries, such as Muddy Creek and Oak Creek, dictate the valley's drainage and historical settlement patterns, with the town of Philomath serving as a central hub for the surrounding countryside. Moving north into Polk and Benton Counties, the terrain transitions into the steep slopes of Forest Peak and Smith Hill. This survey captures the transition of the Willamette Valley’s western edge before post-war expansion, preserving the locations of numerous vanished rural institutions like the Valley View Sch and Ward Sch.