Myrtle Creek, Oregon

Myrtle Creek is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 3,439 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.HistoryMyrtle Creek was named for the groves of Oregon myrtle (also known as California laurel), growing nearby. A Myrtle Creek post office was established in 1854 with Lazarus Wright as postmaster. In 1862, Wright sold the land for a town site to John Hall, who laid out Myrtle Creek in 1865.The city has two covered bridges. The first, Neal Lane Bridge, carries Neal Lane Road over South Myrtle Creek on the southeastern outskirts of the city. It was built in 1939. At 42ft long, it is one of the shortest covered bridges in Oregon and the only one with a kingpost truss. In 1990, the City of Myrtle Creek acquired timbers from the former Horse Creek Bridge in Lane County and used them to build another covered bridge over Myrtle Creek. The bridge connects a parking area to the city's Mill Site Park.GeographyMyrtle Creek lies along Interstate 5 south of Roseburg and slightly north of Tri City and Canyonville in southern Douglas County. Two streams, North Myrtle Creek and South Myrtle Creek, merge at the city to form Myrtle Creek, a short tributary of the South Umpqua River.