Agness, Oregon

Agness is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is near the confluence of two Wild and Scenic rivers—the Lower Rogue and the Illinois. Agness post office was established October 16, 1897.[2] It was named after Agnes, the daughter of the first postmaster, and subsequently misspelled.[2] The Agness area is popular for fishing and hiking. Agness is in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest and was threatened by the Biscuit Fire in 2002.

Agness, Oregon
Unincorporated community
A footbridge at Agness over the Rogue River, circa 1927
A footbridge at Agness over the Rogue River, circa 1927
Agness is located in Oregon
Agness
Agness
Location within the state of Oregon
Agness is located in the United States
Agness
Agness
Agness (the United States)
Coordinates: 42°33′23″N 124°04′08″W
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyCurry
Elevation
[1]
207 ft (63 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
97406
Area codes541, 458
GNIS feature ID1137035[1]

Agness is served by one of only two rural mail boat routes still operating in the U.S.[3] The other is along the Snake River in eastern Oregon.[4] The mail boat runs on the Rogue River between Gold Beach and Agness.

Rogue River Ranch, east of Agness, is on the National Register of Historic Places,[5] and it and Lucas Lodge in Agness are in the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office historic sites database.[6] The Agness-Illahe Museum is open from May through September.[7]

Much of Agness's economy is based on tourism, with several lodges, hotels, restaurants, and camping sites scattered throughout the community. Many cater to the large jet boats from Jerry's Rogue Jets which carry up to 50 passengers from Gold Beach to various locations in the Rogue Valley.[8] Such stops include the historic Lucas Lodge, Singing Springs Resort, Cougar Lane Restaurant, and Agness RV Park.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Agness has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[9]

Climate data for Agness, Oregon
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 67
(19)		 76
(24)		 86
(30)		 94
(34)		 99
(37)		 111
(44)		 112
(44)		 109
(43)		 111
(44)		 99
(37)		 75
(24)		 67
(19)		 112
(44)
Average high °F (°C) 50.1
(10.1)		 54.3
(12.4)		 59.2
(15.1)		 64.3
(17.9)		 71.3
(21.8)		 78.2
(25.7)		 86.3
(30.2)		 87.2
(30.7)		 82.5
(28.1)		 69.4
(20.8)		 54.5
(12.5)		 48.4
(9.1)		 67.1
(19.5)
Average low °F (°C) 36.3
(2.4)		 36.6
(2.6)		 38.3
(3.5)		 39.9
(4.4)		 44.5
(6.9)		 49.2
(9.6)		 52.9
(11.6)		 52.3
(11.3)		 47.7
(8.7)		 42.8
(6.0)		 39.3
(4.1)		 35.4
(1.9)		 42.3
(5.7)
Record low °F (°C) 14
(−10)		 13
(−11)		 20
(−7)		 28
(−2)		 29
(−2)		 34
(1)		 37
(3)		 32
(0)		 31
(−1)		 23
(−5)		 17
(−8)		 6
(−14)		 6
(−14)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 12.94
(329)		 11.32
(288)		 10.06
(256)		 5.53
(140)		 3.34
(85)		 1.31
(33)		 0.30
(7.6)		 0.80
(20)		 2.19
(56)		 5.14
(131)		 12.51
(318)		 13.21
(336)		 78.65
(1,998)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.8
(2.0)		 1.1
(2.8)		 0.5
(1.3)		 0.1
(0.25)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.1
(0.25)		 0.8
(2.0)		 3.4
(8.6)
Source: [10][11]

Education

Agness is within the Central Curry School District, which operates two schools: Riley Creek Elementary School and Gold Beach High School. The entire county is in the Southwestern Oregon Community College district.[12]

Agness formerly had a kindergarten–sixth grade (K–6) "one-room school", which actually consists of two rooms.[13] It was kept open by the Central Curry district because of its "geographical remoteness": approximately 30 miles (48 km) from Gold Beach up a "winding and sometimes dangerous" road.[14] In 1969 the school had six students.[15] The road (County Road 595/USFS Arterial Route 33) is a continuation of Bear Camp Road, which has been the site of several incidents that have resulted in the deaths of travelers.

From circa 1947, and into 1997, Agnes School's enrollment was around six. In 1997 the community promoted a bill in the Oregon Legislature, House Bill 2340 which would make it so small schools like Agness would not be affected by school mergers required by the state.[16] In 2003 the school had a teacher and one aide, along with four students. Secondary students attended schools in Gold Beach, including Riley Creek School (for middle school),[17] and Gold Beach High (the only high school in the district.[17]

The Agness Community Library is in the former school building.[18][19]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Agness, Oregon
  2. McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 10. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. Donnelly, Robert (2003). "Residents of Agness in front of Post Office". The Oregon History Project. Oregon Historical Society. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  4. "On Snake River, residents get mail by rapid delivery". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. December 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  5. "Oregon Historic Sites Database: Rogue River Ranch". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  6. "Oregon Historic Sites Database: Lucas Lodge". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  7. "Curry Historical Society: Agness–Illahe Museum". Curry County Historical Society. 2004. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  8. "Jerry's Rogue Jets". Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  9. Climate Summary for Agness, Oregon
  10. "Zipcode 97406". www.plantmaps.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  11. "Climate Agness, Oregon". best-places.net. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  12. "Oregon Community Colleges and Community College Districts" (PDF). Oregon Department of Community Colleges & Workforce Development. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  13. "This is OEA: Helaine Truthstone". Oregon Education Association. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  14. "Our District". Central Curry School District. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  15. "Desert School Enrolls 2". Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. January 1, 1969. p. 5 of Section 1. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.
  16. Rosenburg, Sandy (May 6, 1997). "Agness kids start small". The World. Vol. 118. Coos Bay, Oregon. pp. 1, 8. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com.
  17. Richter, Patti (May 31, 2003). "One-room school an oasis for teacher, students". The World. Coos Bay, Oregon. pp. A1, A7. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com.
  18. "Contact". Agness Community Library. Retrieved March 16, 2023. Physical Address: 03925 Cougar Lane Agness, OR. 97406 - The address matches that of the school.
  19. "1998 - 99 Oregon School Directory Public School Districts and Schools by County" (PDF). Oregon Department of Education. p. 23 (PDF p. 11/55). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2000. Retrieved March 16, 2023. Agness Elem 03925 Cougar Lane [...] Agness 97406-0032 - The address matches that of the library.
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