The "West Side" Oregon Central Railroad had completed a 46-mile (74 km) line from Portland to St. Joseph, north of McMinnville, in 1872.

[1] The Western Oregon Railroad was incorporated on January 27, 1879, to extend the line further south.

The line opened between St. Joseph and Corvallis on September 1, 1879.

Both companies were backed by the owners of the Oregon and California Railroad.

[2] The Oregon and California remained part of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company system until 1927 when it was formally merged.