Buena Vista, Oregon

{{Short description| Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States}}

Buena Vista {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|juː|n|ə|_|ˈ|v|ɪ|s|t|ə}} is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States.{{cite gnis |id=1162861 |name=Buena Vista}} It is located on the Willamette River, and is the western landing for the Buena Vista Ferry. It is approximately {{convert|7|mi}} south-southeast of Independence.

History

File:Buena Vista Park.JPG

Buena Vista was named in about 1850 by Reason B. Hall, who settled on a Donation Land Claim there in 1847.{{cite book |last= McArthur |first= Lewis A. |author-link= Lewis A. McArthur |author2=Lewis L. McArthur |author2-link=Lewis L. McArthur |title= Oregon Geographic Names |orig-year= 1928 |edition= 7th |year= 2003 |publisher= Oregon Historical Society Press |location= Portland, Oregon |isbn= 0-87595-277-1 |pages= 121, 438}} Some of Hall's relatives had participated in the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War. About the same time he named the community, Hall also started Halls Ferry across the Willamette. The ferry later became known as the Buena Vista Ferry, which is still in operation today. Later one of Hall's sons, B.F. Hall, operated another Halls Ferry north of Independence.

Buena Vista was once the home of the Oregon Pottery Company, which shipped its wares all over Oregon via the Willamette River. One of the earliest settlements in Oregon, it once had a much greater population because of the pottery industry, as well as being an important hops-growing area. Buena Vista had saloons, a hotel,{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/centennialhisto02gastgoog |quote= Buena Vista Oregon. |title= The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912 |publisher= S.J. Clarke publishing Company |last= Gaston |first= Joseph |year= 1912 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/centennialhisto02gastgoog/page/n545 541]}} a school, a church, an I.O.O.F. hall and a store. The town later went into decline, especially because the railroad bypassed Buena Vista and instead was routed through Independence. Today, most of the principal buildings are gone and the community is considered a ghost town by authors of ghost town guidebooks,{{cite book |title= Willamette Landings: Ghost Towns of the River |chapter= The Red Kilns of Buena Vista |last= Corning |first= Howard McKinley |orig-year= 1947 |year= 1973 |edition= 2nd |publisher= Oregon Historical Society |location= Portland, Oregon |page= 138 |isbn= 0-87595-042-6}} although local residents tend to disagree. Buena Vista formerly had a post office by the same name,{{cite gnis |id=1164979 |name=Buena Vista Post Office (historical)}} which existed from 1866 to 1935. At the top of a steep hill to the north of town the Buena Vista cemetery includes graves dating back to the 1800s.

The Buena Vista Store burned to the ground around 1970 and the I.O.O.F hall burned to the ground in the mid-1990s. The Buena Vista Methodist Church was moved from its original location on a hill to the west of town into the center of town and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1968, and was eventually razed and replaced by a new building. The Buena Vista Park, which is a Polk County park, was built around 1970 and includes a boat launch ramp; the purpose was to prevent locals from using the ferry landing as a boat launch. The Buena Vista schoolhouse was a large two-room building that in 1972 was renovated and became the home of Johnny Craviotto, founder of the Craviotto drums company.

Buena Vista means "good view" or "beautiful view" in Spanish, and is pronounced "byoona vista" locally; many residents refer to the town as just "byoonee".

References

External links

{{cite web |url=http://photos.salemhistory.net/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=none&CISOBOX1=ferry&CISOFIELD1=subjec&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=Buena%20Vista%20&CISOFIELD2=subjec&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=descri&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=audiena&CISOROOT=all |title=Historic photos of Buena Vista}} from Salem Public Library
{{cite web |url=http://www2.wi.net/~census/lesson5.html |title=Polk County Place Names |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306020024/http://www2.wi.net/~census/lesson5.html |archive-date=2008-03-06 }}
{{cite web |url=http://ncbible.org/nwh/OrPolk2.html#buena |title=Pioneer History: Polk County, Oregon}} from Churches of Christ & Christian Churches in the Pacific Northwest

{{Coord|44|46|10|N|123|09|02|W|type:city_region:US-OR|display=title}}

Category:Ghost towns in Oregon

Category:Unincorporated communities in Polk County, Oregon

Category:Populated places established in 1847

Category:1866 establishments in Oregon

Category:Populated places established in 1866

Category:Populated places on the Willamette River

Category:Unincorporated communities in Oregon

Category:1847 establishments in Oregon Country