Putnam
Ghost town · Polk County, Oregon

Putnam is a ghost town in Polk County, Oregon. It is one of 15 former communities in Polk County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 5th among the 34 Oregon counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Putnam as a historical populated place on the Airlie North topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 44.7846° N, 123.2845° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Airlie North |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 212 ft |
| Nearest living town | Monmouth, OR |
| Distance to it | 5.4 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1163476 |
| Coordinates | 44.78456, -123.28454 |
What's there now
Putnam is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Monmouth, OR (population 11,176), about 5.4 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 212 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Lewisvilleghost town · Polk County · 3 mi
- Fernsghost town · Polk County · 6.4 mi
- Buena Vistaghost town · Polk County · 6.7 mi
- Cochraneghost town · Polk County · 7.3 mi
- Careyghost town · Polk County · 8.1 mi
- Ritner Creek Bridgecovered bridge · Polk County · 8.7 mi
- Bowersvilleghost town · Polk County · 9.2 mi
- Callowayghost town · Benton County · 9.3 mi
- Pumping Station Bridgecovered bridge · Polk County · 10.3 mi
- Ellendaleghost town · Polk County · 10.6 mi
- Dencerghost town · Marion County · 11.6 mi
- Santiam Cityghost town · Marion County · 12.7 mi
Questions
Where is Putnam?
Putnam is in Polk County, Oregon, at 44.7846, -123.2845.
How many ghost towns are in Polk County?
Polk County, Oregon has 15 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.