1942 Map of Lowell

About this map

The Willamette River and its forks define this mid-century landscape where timber and transport intersected in Lane County. Surveyed in the early 1930s, the map reveals a network of rural schools like Edithvale Sch and Enterprise Sch, serving scattered settlements before the expansion of modern highways. The Southern Pacific railroad follows the river through Pengra and Lowell, while the Oregon and Southeastern line penetrates deeper into the foothills toward Dorena. High-elevation landmarks such as the Bohemia Post Office and various fire lookout towers, including Eagles Rest Lookout and Swastika Mtn Lookout, indicate the region's historical reliance on forestry management and early mining districts within the Umpqua National Forest and Willamette National Forest. This era predates the major reservoirs that would later transform these river valleys, showing the original riverine settlements and early homesteads like the Smithson Homestead.