Oregon Route 361
state highway in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States
Oregon Route 361 (OR 361) is an Oregon state highway running from US 26 and US 97 in Madras to US 97 near Culver. OR 361 is known as the Culver Highway No. 361 (see Oregon highways and routes). It is 11.62 miles (18.70 km) long and runs north–south as a half loop from US 97, entirely within Jefferson County.
OR 361 was established in 2002 as part of Oregon's project to assign route numbers to highways that previously were not assigned, and, as of July 2021, was unsigned.
Route description
OR 361 begins at an intersection with US 26 and US 97 in Madras and heads south through Metolius and Culver. Approximately 2+1⁄2 miles south of Culver, OR 361 ends at an intersection with US 97.
History
OR 361 was assigned to the Culver Highway in 2002.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Jefferson County.
References
Oregon Department of Transportation, Descriptions of US and Oregon Routes, https://web.archive.org/web/20051102084300/http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/TRAFFIC/TEOS_Publications/PDF/Descriptions_of_US_and_Oregon_Routes.pdf, page 30.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Oregon Route 361” is state highway in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Oregon, Route and state, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “state highway in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 9, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2494271. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2002 and 2021.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Oregon Route 361”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Oregon Route 361 primary sources, Oregon Route 361 archive and Oregon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Oregon Route 361”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Oregon Route 361” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.