Wilbur is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. Wilbur is located along Interstate 5 and Oregon Route 99 north of Winchester.[2] It was originally named Bunton's Gap, but the town was renamed Wilbur after James H. Wilbur. Wilbur started a school on his own land in Bunton's Gap in 1854; in 1857, under the name Umpqua, the college was chartered by the Oregon Territorial Legislature and also affiliated with the Methodist Church. A new two-story school was built, and Wilbur deeded his land to the academy's trustees.[3]
For many years, Umpqua Academy was the only higher education institution between Salem and Sacramento.
The academy closed in 1900.[3] A group for former students and faculty, Umpqua Academy Association, existed from the 1870s until 1930. The Association's papers are held at the University of Oregon.[4]
Wilbur today includes a church, a store, a post office within the store, and a graveyard.
References
- ^ "Wilbur ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Wilbur". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "Oregon Historical Quarterly, volume 19".
- ^ "Umpqua Academy Association Records". University of Oregon Libraries. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
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