The Lost Towns of Lenox, Phillips, and West Union

The forgotten settlements along the road to Cornelius Pass plus Five Oaks

WashCo history is littered with abandoned communities and derelict train depots. I've covered plenty of forgotten towns before. Today, I visit a cluster of pioneer-era towns in the foothills between Hillsboro and Cornelius Pass.

I've drawn this as a loop that starts and ends at the Rock Creek Trail underpass. All the roads in today's ride are popular among cyclists, but I'm usually only passing through. This area is a good launching point to more exciting destinations. I'll call out variants and spurs along the way.

From the underpass, head west through the suburban streets until reaching Cornelius Pass Road, then turn north to the first destination.

West Union

When I think of downtown West Union, I think of "The Meating Place"

Of all the sites I visit today, this is the one I don't consider lost or forgotten. It remains on contemporary WashCo maps with an obvious epicenter at the intersection of Corn Pass and West Union Roads.

The community dates back to 1851, making it a fairly early town, before statehood. I've always wondered what made it West Union. The Oregon Geographic Names Database quotes the 1843 Baptist Church charter as the origin of the name: it was the Union of the West.

I have a small concern about that origin: a few documents I've seen from the mid-1800s refer to the town as simply "Union" (sans-West). It wasn't uncommon for a community name to be in flux or inconsistent in those days (I had a lot of trouble determining if Blanchet and Verboort were the same settlement). Since there's another Union in Oregon, it's safe to assume that the West in West Union became obligatory when the post office opened in 1874.

The Baptist church still stands today (it's the header image for the article) a little west of the main West Union. The congregation was the lynchpin that held the town together and rendered it distinct from nearby Helvetia and Phillips, who's residents were primarily German Reformed.

Today, the area around West Union is an eclectic mix of commercial and industrial. We tend to think of the county as a tech hub but, WU has some other culinary gems like Beaverton Foods (my favorite mustard)

...and Reser's Fine Foods (my preferred tortilla).

Sorry, neither factory offers an outlet store so best head to WinCo or Costco for your potato salad fix.

ALT ROUTE: If you're interested in very light gravel and are OK skipping Phillips and Five Oaks, head north on Dick Road until it joins Phillips Rd. The road is a gentle downhill followed by a light climb, sometimes with washboarding and can be a good demonstration of what gravel riding feels like for complete novices.

The main route heads southwest to our next destination.

Five Oaks

Five Oaks is a historically significant park (really more of a traffic circle) surrounded by business parks and hotels. There are, in fact, five oaks (count em in the photo) but only one is original.

The placard says that this area has been a gathering spot since at least the pioneer days. I don't doubt it's true but I have yet to see contemporaneous accounts of any festivals, hootenannies, or political rallies here any earlier than the 1960's. Compared to some of the photographs I've seen from the grange halls and schoolhouses, any historical records of five oaks seems scant.

The Five Oaks retain cultural significance throughout the county. New subdivisions and school districts (even those far from the historic site) get the name slapped on. The actual location is nice and probably makes for a great place to relax for most of the businesses but isn't a great destination in and of itself on either a car or bike.

I'll bike to mainbrew for when I need cocktail mixology supplies. ABV has a diverse tap list but don't drink and bike (that's a DUI in Oregon plus supremely uncomfortable).

From Five Oaks, head west to Helvetia Road, north to the first intersection (West Union) then left to the next forgotton town

Lenox

There used to be a town here. Really. Sort of. When it comes to the pioneer era, I have difficulty determining just how people arranged themselves into communities.

The Schoch Dairy Farm is the former location of the Lenox Post Office from 1895-1903. It was named in honor of David T. Lenox (a familiar name, many things are named after him), a pioneer on the first wagon train. Peter Jossy (another familiar name, many of Jossy's descendants still live here) was the post master.

According to postal documents, the office served 350 people. Does that make a town? I don't know. At the time, Banks had fewer than 100 people and North Plains didn't exist at all. I haven't seen records of a general store, schoolhouse, grange, or church, the hallmarks of small communities so the population may have been agrarian and diffuse.

A few years ago, I went on a fondue kick. I found it very easy to swing by Schoch farm stand for their Bergkäese whenever I was riding by for my cheese fix. It fits nice into a trunk bag. Stop by for farm or eggs. Road bike purists: beware that the entrance is gravel.

Beside the dairy, Lenox is farm country in all directions. From here, you can continue west to North Plains or head north to Helvetia. For another experiment in light gravel riding, I'd recommend heading west briefly, then turning north on Groveland to Diedroff past some hazelnut orchards and back to Phillips Road.

Phillips

Phillips Road takes you to Phillips. The problem: Phillips no longer exists. The road itself is straight, topography be damned. Expect a hilly ride on a bike. Adventurous climbers may want to take the spur at Valle Vista and test their mettle on the famed Dick Kicker.

At the end of Phillips Road is not a town but a bar. Today, it's the McMenamins Rock Creek Tavern, but it was once the historical site of the Phillips Post Office.

Unlike Lenox, there's plenty of historical records attesting to a Phillips townsite. It was named after Phillip Penzoldt and once shared a pastor with Helvetia. Both towns had their own churches but the Phillips church was destroyed in a fire. The Helvetia church still maintains the Phillips cemetery.

I still have a few unanswered questions about Phillips:

What happened? Phillips is hardly the first forgotten town. When the immediate neighbors of Helvetia and Cedar Mill are still thriving, why did Phillips fade into obscurity?
Was there a separate historic community of Rock Creek? Rock Creek the body of water flows within a few hundred feet of the Tavern. Some historic documents refer to a community of Rock Creek. There was a schoolhouse. Some later documents say Phillips and Rock Creek are the same village. I've seen a few others (like a pioneer registrar) that indicate they were two separate but very close communities. If that's the case, where were they each located? When were they consolidated?

Whenever I'm in this area, it's because I'm about to ride up to Skyline Road. Old Cornelius Pass Rd is the gentlest ascent to Skyline but still quite a climb. DO NOT TAKE [New] Cornelius Pass Rd ON A BICYCLE. It's foolish (not illegal). Old CP wends through farmlands and around the creek with far less traffic. Be warned: Skyline is over the border in Multnomah County (boo! hiss!)

This is also a good way to reach Germantown Road for a forested route to Portland. Again, take OLD Germantown on a bicycle for a more pleasant trip. Never cross the doubleline on the descent to the St. Johns Bridge and expect to be stuck in traffic (yes, even on a bicycle) during rush hour.

The main route stays in WashCo and heads south on 185th. The road is hilly and the traffic can be heavy but the bike lane is continuous. Residential roads take you back to the start.

In summary, this can be an easy-going stroll through little-known WashCo history, a dabble in gravel, or the start of some ambitious road climbs.

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