While not every town in Yamhill County sits on it - it's hard for anyone who lives here to avoid it.
Highway 99W is the main artery of YamCo. It's the road I drive to the grocery store, the road I walked Sunday morning when I stumbled onto a structure fire, the road that connects this whole county together whether people think about it or not.
It's also the road that names this - The 99.
So of course I had to do a little digging into the history of the highway, and figured I'd share it here in case anyone else was unaware of it. And please know, this isn't a comprehensive history so don't hold my feet to the fire - though I've been close to one recently.
The original Highway 99 ran along the east side of the Willamette River, but communities on the west side - our side - weren't having it. They wanted their own route.
Around 1930 the highway split at Junction City. The western branch became US Highway 99W - running through Corvallis, up through Yamhill County and all the way to Portland. It was part of the old Pacific Highway - once the main artery of the entire West Coast. After I-5 came about in 1961, the federal designation was retired a decade later and it became Oregon Route 99W.
And did you know… the stretch running through Newberg carries an extra layer of history - it's officially called the Herbert Hoover Highway. Hoover moved to Newberg at age 11 in 1885 after being orphaned, living with his uncle and attending Friends Pacific Academy (what is now George Fox University). He went on to become the 31st president of the United States. His boyhood home still stands on South River Street as the Hoover-Minthorn House Museum.
When I was brainstorming names for this venture, I had a handful of names I thought could work - but when The 99 struck, I knew it was it. In one way or another, it connects all of us in Yamhill County - and that's what I want to do with The 99.
Quick history like this will be a regular feature in The 99 newsletter, which debuts Tuesday, June 2. If you want Yamhill County history, local life, events, sports and more delivered to your inbox every week, sign up below.
