Scio, OR

Scio is a Linn County city on Oregon 226, east of Jefferson and south of Stayton, near where the north and south forks of the Santiam River come together. The 2020 census counted 956 residents. The town was incorporated in 1866, after an early flour mill helped give the settlement its start. Scio sits in the middle of Linn County's covered-bridge country, which is why the local driving loop feels like part of the town's identity. Five covered bridges are part of the Scio tour, including Weddle, Shimanek, Gilkey, and Hannah bridges.

The 1922 ZCBJ Hall, built by the area's Czech and Slovak community beside Thomas Creek, is still used for community events; the Oregon Museum adds another small window into local memory. That is a lot of history for a place this small. Scio's local scoop is a Santiam foothill town where a flour-mill beginning, a row of covered bridges, and one old lodge hall give the roads plenty to talk about.