ORoads: Oregon Route 201

"Beginning at junction with U. S. 30S in Nyssa and following secondary # 450 to Jordan Calley; thence south to McDermitt, Nevada."

~ OSHD, Designated Route Numbers, 1934

"Over the Nyssa-Adrian Highway from its junction with the Old Oregon Trail, US20, in Nyssa southerly via Adrian to its junction with the Homedale Spur Highway; thence easterly over the Homedale Spur Highway to the Idaho State Line."

~ OSHD Traffic Engineering Division, Description of US and Ore. Numbered Highway Routes, April 1, 1943

"Over the Olds Ferry-Ontario Highway from its junction with the Weiser Spur, US30N, southerly to a junction with the Old Oregon Trail, US30, north of Ontario; thence southerly over the Old Oregon Trail (common with US30 from the junction north of Ontario to Ontario Spur in Ontario), via Cairo Junction (common with US20 and US26 from Cairo Junction to Nyssa) to its junction with the Nyssa-Adrian Highway via Adrian to the Idaho State line west of Homedale, Idaho."

~ OSHD Traffic Engineering Division, Description of US and Ore. Numbered Highway Routes, December 1958

"Over the Olds Ferry-Ontario Highway from its junction with the Old Oregon Trail Highway (approximately six miles south of Huntington) proceeding thence southeasterly to its junction with the Central Oregon Highway at Cairo Junction (common with US30 Business from Old Oregon Trail Highway to the Ontario Spur); thence southerly over the Central Oregon Highway (common with US20 & US26) to its junction with the Succor Creek Highway via Adrian to the Idaho State Line."

~ ODOT, Description of US and Ore. Routes, c. 1980

"Over the Olds Ferry-Ontario Highway from its junction with the Old Oregon Trail Highway (approximately eight miles south of Huntington) proceeding thence southeasterly to its junction with the Central Oregon Highway at Cairo Junction (common with US30 Business from Old Oregon Trail Highway to the Ontario Spur); thence southerly over the Central Oregon Highway (common with US20 & US26) to its junction with the Succor Creek Highway at Nyssa; thence southerly over the Succor Creek Highway via Adrian to the Idaho State Line."

~ ODOT, Description of US and Ore. Routes, January 1988

OR-201 was created at the inception of Oregon's secondary route numbering system in 1935, and it was a doozy, running almost 200 miles from Nyssa to the Nevada state line at McDermitt, a town which straddles the state line. The cities it passed through included Adrian, Jordan Valley, and Rome, turning at present-day Burns Junction (OR-78 didn't exist that far south back then) before heading south and connecting to Nevada State Route 8, which continued to US-40 at Winnemucca. In 1940, US-95 was extended southward, including through Oregon and Nevada, supplanting OR-201 from Jordan Valley to McDermitt. The remainder of OR-201, for some reason, was dropped as a state route from 1940 until 1948 at the latest, when it reappeared on maps between Nyssa and the Idaho border near Homedale, a shadow of its former self at 22.22 miles in length. However, that didn't mean that it would stop there, as evidenced by these route extensions and changes:

• When US-26 was routed into Oregon in 1952 supplanting US-28, a portion of old US-28 from Cairo Jct. to Ontario became a northward extension of OR-201.
• In 1956, when US-30 was moved onto a new freeway from near Farewell Bend State Park to Ontario in preparation of I-80N, OR-201 was extended north along US-30's old alignment from Ontario to the junction of US-30N near Annex.
• US-30N was dropped in 1980, and OR-201 was extended over its westernmost portion to its current northern terminus (the remainder of US-30N became US-95 Spur).
• Finally, in 2003, the Tony Yturri Memorial Beltline opened to the west of Ontario, and OR-201 was moved onto this new alignment, shortening the highway a smidge to 60.53 miles.

Even with all of these extensions over the years, OR-201's current length is only about a third of its original definition. However, there may be hope in the future for a southern OR-201 extension. OR-201's southern portion runs over the Succor Creek Highway #450. This highway continues as a located line (or an unbuilt proposed highway designation) 32 miles south, roughly along Succor Creek Rd. to its junction with US-95 north of Jordan Valley. (Don't believe me? Check out this straight-line chart from 2002.) The Succor Creek Rd. that exists now is a windy dirt road that really only serves local interests, so who knows when it may be built (I think an e-mail to ODOT is in order). Given that modern Succor Creek Rd. used to carry OR-201, there's a possibility that this highway, if built, would once again carry OR-201. The Homedale Spur of the Succor Creek Highway, which currently carries OR-201, may get a new route number, of which I would suggest OR-450, after the highway number of the Succor Creek Hwy, or OR-455, after that section's original highway designation as the Homedale Spur Highway #455 from 1933 to 1943. (Similarly, the Succor Creek Highway's other spur, the Parma Spur, was christened as OR-452 in 2003 as an homage to the spur's past existence as the Adrian-Parma Highway #452 from 1931 to 1971.)

1941  •  1948  •  1956  •  1958  •  2000  •  2011

In 1941, the OR-201 alignment that existed between Nyssa and the Nevada border was partially obliterated by US-95. The rest was demoted to having no formal designation (at least on maps). (©1941 Gousha) OR-201 is returned to a 22-mile portion of state highway between the Idaho border near Homedale and Nyssa by 1948. Its southern terminus will be the only thing constant from this point on. (©1948 Gousha) When US-26 was extended into Oregon through Nyssa, and not Ontario, a portion of old US-28 between Cairo Jct. and Ontario became OR-201, in addition to being cosigned with US-20 and US-26 between Nyssa and Cairo Jct. (©1956 Gousha) On December 17, 1956, US-30 was moved onto a direct future-freeway alignment between Farewell Bend State Park and Ontario, extending OR-201 further northward to US-30N just south of Annex. It was cosigned with US-30 in Ontario until the freeway was completed within the city. (©1958 Gousha) US-30N was decommissioned in 1980, once again extending OR-201's northern terminus to near Farewell Bend State Park. However, this 2000 AAA map still shows US-30N (it wasn't on the 2005 edition). Note that OR-201 still goes into downtown Ontario. (©2000 AAA) A 2011 showing the current alignment of OR-201, including the Tony Yturri Memorial Beltline which opened in 2003. (2011 State of Oregon)

MAPS I NEED: If anyone has a map section of eastern Oregon showing OR-201's original (1935) alignment, please contact me. You will be properly credited and much appreciated.

It is important to note that all map segments are copyrighted by their respective owners, and that these map segments are used for educational and historical purposes only.

Coming soon