Lost Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary)

For other places with the same name, see Lost Creek.

Lost Creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the Cascade Range foothills between Dorena Lake and Lookout Point Lake and flows generally north to meet the river downstream of Lowell. Along the way, it passes by the rural community of Dexter, then under Oregon Route 58, and through part of Elijah Bristow State Park. Named tributaries of Lost Creek from source to mouth are Guiley, Gossage, Carr, Middle, Anthony, and Wagner creeks.^[4]

Lost Creek
Parvin Bridge spans Lost Creek south of Dexter
Location of the mouth of Lost Creek in Oregon
Etymology	Probably for its relative seclusion[1]
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Lane
Physical characteristics
Source	Cascade Range foothills
• location	near Mount June, between Dorena Lake and Lookout Point Lake
• coordinates	43°48′16″N 122°42′24″W
• elevation	3,235 ft (986 m)[2]
Mouth	Middle Fork Willamette River
• location	downstream of Lowell
• coordinates	43°56′57″N 122°51′03″W[3]
• elevation	604 ft (184 m)[3]

Name

Oregon Geographic Names (OGN) says the north–south valley through which the creek flows was known as Lost Valley during the days of early settlement. Illustrated History of Lane County says Elijah Bristow named the valley, according to OGN, which says the name probably stemmed from the valley's seclusion.^[1]

Covered bridge

The Parvin Bridge, a covered bridge, spans the creek south of Dexter. The 75-foot (23 m), single-lane structure carries Parvin Road over the water.^[5] Built in 1921, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.^[6]

See also

• List of rivers of Oregon

References

1. McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 592. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
2. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
3. "Lost Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
4. "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 31, 2016 – via Acme Mapper. The map includes mile markers along the Middle Fork Willamette River.
5. "Lost Creek (Parvin) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. December 19, 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
6. "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 20. Retrieved April 1, 2016.