OR-99
(Winston to Green; Hwy #35 MP 76.22-73.37, 2.85 miles)
"Over the Coos Bay-Roseburg Highway from its junction with the Oregon Coast Highway, US101, north of Coquille, easterly via Coquille, Myrtle Point, Camas Valley, and Winston to its junction with the Pacific Highway, I-5, south of Roseburg (common with OR99 east of Winston)."
~ ODOT, Descriptions of US and Oregon Routes, March 2007
OR-42 was created at the inception of the Oregon route numbering system in 1932, running 58 miles from US-101 in Coquille to US-99 in Winston, just south of Roseburg. This road was (and still is) known as the Coos Bay-Roseburg Highway, though it didn't actually go between those two cities. The highway connected Roseburg to the Oregon Coast as it wended its way through the Coast Range, passing through small towns like Remote.
The route would stay this way until 1956, when US-99 began its upgrade to Interstate standards to accomodate I-5. For some unknown reason, OR-42 was extended southerly over at least 21 miles of US-99 between Winston and Canyonville, then southeasterly over all of OR-227 between Canyonville and Trail, ending at a junction with OR-62 close to Crater Lake in the Cascades. A 1956 Oregon state map confirms this, and this change was kept through 1961. OR-42 was even kept with US-99 when it was moved onto what is now I-5 in 1958, though for some reason it was moved back onto old US-99 by 1961. By 1963, OR-227 had returned to the Canyonville-Trail section, US-99 had returned to the section between Green and Round Prairie, and OR-42's eastern terminus was moved to Green, 3 miles northeast of Winston, at I-5, with only a short duplex with US-99 between Winston and Green. This duplex remains today with OR-99.
Meanwhile, on its western end, US-101 was built on a closer alignment to the coast between Coos Bay and Bandon by 1961, extending OR-42 10 miles along the northern half of former US-101 and creating OR-42S along the southern 16 miles of the bypassed section. With this extension, OR-42 was at the peak of its length across Oregon at almost 143 miles, though it only lasted a year or two.
In 1948, OR-42 ran from US-101 in Coquille to US-99 in Winston. Most of this routing has stayed the same since its creation in 1932. (©1948 Gousha)
OR-42 is extended southeasterly by 1956, all the way to the junction of OR-62 in Trail. It is cosigned with US-99 between Winston and Canyonville. (©1956 Gousha)
US-99 is moved onto the new section of highway between Green and Round Prairie in 1958, taking OR-42 with it. It is still signed all the way to Trail. Also notice a newer US-101 being built between Coos Bay and Bandon. (©1958 Gousha)
By 1961, OR-42 was placed back on the old US-99 between Winston and Round Prairie along the Dillard Highway #235, while US-99 remained on the new freeway. US-99 and OR-42 are still cosigned between Round Prairie and Canyonville. (©1961 Gousha)
By 1963, OR-42's termini have moved to where they are today. It was extended 10 miles west to Coos Bay, but shortened 83 miles on its eastern end. (©1963 Gousha)
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
