Lancaster is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in Lane County

Lane County, Oregon

-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States. It is located about two miles south of Harrisburg

Harrisburg, Oregon

Harrisburg is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,795 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

 and two miles north of Junction City

Junction City, Oregon

Junction City is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,392 at the 2010 census.- History :In the 1870s, Junction City was named by railroad magnate Ben Holladay, who decided this would be where the rail line on the east side of the Willamette Valley would meet the rail...

, on Oregon Route 99E near the Willamette River

Willamette River

The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...

.

History

The first post office in the area was named Freedom, established in 1858. The name was changed to Lancaster in 1866 and to Junction City in 1872. It is likely the office was moved south two miles after the last renaming.

About 1852 or 1853, a man named Woody started a "house of entertainment" (aka a roadhouse

Roadhouse (facility)

A roadhouse is a commercial establishment typically built on a major road or highway, to service passing travellers. Its meaning varies slightly by country.-USA:...

) at this locale, which he named "Woodyville". It was also known as Woody's Landing. The property was bought by Johnson Mulkey, who built a sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

 at the site and changed the name to Lancaster. The sawmill was still operating in 1861 and likely longer. Two stores operated at the site, which was chosen for its proximity to the southernmost navigable point on the river and a prosperous agricultural district, with hopes of the place becoming a viable town. The Great Flood of 1862

Great Flood of 1862

The Great Flood of 1862 or Noachian Deluge was the largest flood in the recorded history of Oregon, Nevada and California, occurring from December 1861 to January 1862. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains that began in Oregon in November 1861 and continued into January 1862...

 changed the course of the river, leaving the town too far from the main channel, however, and the Oregon and California Railroad

Oregon and California Railroad

The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the Railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad soon changed to Oregon & California Rail Road Company...

bypassed Lancaster, so Junction City became the more important community.