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Adobe Camp
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Alberson Once a post office located on the eastern side of Harney County. Established in 1907 with Wm. Alberson its first postmaster. It closed, after 9 postmasters held the job, in 1930.
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Allison
Creek |
Alvord Lake An alkali lake near the south end of Steens Mountain. Named for Brig-General Benjamin Alvord of the US. Army. A post office named “Alvord” operated August 1874 to April 1881 with J.G. Abbott the first postmaster.
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Andrews Named for Peter Andrews who settled in the Wildhorse Valley about 1880. A post office was established on his property in 1890 with Andrews its first postmaster. |
Baca Lake Small overflow lake near Donner und Blitzen River, south of Malheur Lake.
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Barton Lake Named for early settler William Barton. Located about 10 miles south of Malheur Lake.
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Beatys Butte Prominent butte in the southwest part of the county. Named during C.S. Drew’s Owyhee Reconnaissance with the 1st Oregon Cavalry in 1864 in memory of Sgt. A.M. Beaty. |
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Beckley Named for Charles D. Beckley who started a general store in the Catlow Valley. A post office was established there in April 1912, but was closed in 1926.
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Berdugo A post office located in the Calow Valley near the Roaring Springs Ranch. IT was named for Joaquin “Chino” Berdugo, on of Peter French’s vaqueros. It was established in 1915 with Rita M. Kiphart the first and only postmaster. It was closed in 1927 with its papers transferred to Blitzen. |
Bear Valley A post office was established here with David Blanton appointed postmaster.
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Blitzen A post office located about ten miles south of Narrows. Named for the Donner und Blitzen River. Another post office with the same name was opened in 1916, about 35 miles south of the original location, south of Frenchglenn. It closed in 1943.
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Borax Lake Lies just south of Alvord Lake. It is known as the only habitat of the Borax Lake chub or Gila Boraxobius. A borax refining company operated there from 1898 to 1907. At one time it was known as “Hot Lake” as its temperature ranges from 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. |
Buchanan Located about 20 miles east of Burns and named for the Buchanan family who lived there. The post office was established May 1, 1911 with Hattie E. Buchanan the first postmaster. It was closed June 30, 1919. |
Burns Named for Robert Burns by George McGowan, a pioneer who admired the poet, in 1884. Egan post office was established in 1882, named for Chief Egan, a prominent leader of the Paiutes. It was renamed “Burns” in 1884. |
Camp C.F. Smith Established in 1866 by troops relocated from Camp Alvord (Malheur County). Located just above Whitehorse Creek. It was abandoned in 1869.
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Camp Currey Established in 1865 at Indian Springs and abandoned in the spring of 1866. |
Camp Harney Established in August 1867, it was first called Camp Steele. It was changed to Camp Harney the next month. It is not clear if it changed from “Camp” to “Fort” right away. It was located near the mouth of Rattlesnake Creek, just two miles from the community named “Harney.” A post office was established at Camp Harney in 18874 with William T. Stevens the first postmaster. It was changed to Harney in 1885 with Robert J. Ives the postmaster. It may have been moved the community of Harney about that time. |
Camp Wright Established in 1865. It was used by Capt. L.L. Williams and H Company for the First Oregon Volunteer Infantry. Located on the Silvies River, close to Wright Point. It was only used for a few months and named for Brig.-General George Wright.
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Catlow Named for John Catlow, originally from Yorkshire. He was involved in mining and stock raising throughout the West. He had extensive holdings in Harney County.
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Chapman Slough Part of the Silvies River. Named for William Chapman, a pioneer in the area.
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Chickahominy Creek Flows into Silver Creek north of Riley. Possibly named in 1878 by units of the 1st U.S. Calvary Regiment, Col. Reuben F. Bernard. Stationed there during the Bannock War. Possibly the name comes from the Chickahominy River in Virginia, where Bernard fought at a couple of battles. |
Circle Bar A railroad station named for the Circle Bar Ranch, about nine miles southeast of Crane.
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Comegys Lake Named for Lloyd and Elmer Comegys who were homesteaders near the lake, near the north end of Steens Mountain.
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Coon Town A tiny community on the homestead of Sylvester “Coon” Smith. The name is derived from his nickname as he liked to tell raccoon stories. |
Crane Located near Crane Creek and Crane Creek Gap and may have been named for those geographic features. The post office was established in 1895 with Henry C. Turner the first postmaster. It was closed in 1903 but reopened in 1924. Once a bustling community, the loss of the railroad and fires that destroyed many businesses pushed the community into a decline. |
Crowcamp Creek Located on the west slope of Crowcamp Mountain. A spring is located nearby. It was used as a campsite by Company G, 1st Oregon Cavalry in 1864.
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Cucamonga Creek Located on the northwest slopes of Steens Mountain and enters Kiger Creek. Mrs. Dolly Kiger named it for Cucamonga Creek in California.
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Denio Named for Aaron Denio who settled there in 1885. A post office was established in 1888. It was located near the Nevada border. After WWII, it moved across the border to Nevada. |
Devine
Canyon |
Diamond |
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Donnelly Butte Located about 30 miles northwest of Burns. Named to honor Edgar W. Donnelly, USFS district ranger. It had been formerly called “Black Butte.” |
Donner und
Blitzen River Named during the Snake War of 1864 by Col. George B. Currey who crossed it during a thunder storm. The name is German for thunder and lightning. |
Drewsey A post office was established there. It was a stopping place for travelers for many years until US Hwy 20 bypassed the small community. It was once part of the Malheur Indian Reservation, 1883-84.
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Drinkwater Pass Named for the Drinkwater family who lived nearby. IT is located east of Drewsey on US Hwy 20.
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Egli Ridge Located east of the north end of Wagontire Mountain. Amel Egli was an early settler in the area. The Wagontire post office was first named “Egli.” |
Embree Slough Named for “Doc” Embree, whose land the slough follows. |
Evergreen A post office was established here in 1882. Miss Mary E. Bedell was the first postmaster. It closed in 1887 and its business turned over to the Riley post office. When the post office was established, it was actually located in Grant County as Harney County had not been created as yet. |
Fields Named for Charles Fields who homesteaded there. The post office was established in 1913, after he had sold out his “station” to John Smyth in 1911. Smith named the post office to honor Fields. |
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Foley Slough Part of the Silvies River, east of Burns. It was named for J.C. Foley, and early pioneer.
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Fort Harney Established in August 1867, it was first called Camp Steele. It was changed to Camp Harney the next month. It is not clear if it changed from “Camp” to “Fort” right away. It was located near the mouth of Rattlesnake Creek, just two miles from the community named “Harney.” A post office was established at Camp Harney in 18874 with William T. Stevens the first postmaster. It was changed to Harney in 1885 with Robert J. Ives the postmaster. It may have been moved the community of Harney about that time. |
Frenchglenn The name comes from the combined names of Dr. Hugh James Glenn and Peter French. Dr. Glenn had French purchase a lot of land for him. French became a partner with Dr. Glenn. The community was established about 1924 to accommodate travelers. A post office was established at Frenchglenn in 1926, by change of name from Somerange with Robert Bradeen postmaster. It was closed in 1941 but reopened in 1947. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Sites and is operated by the State of Oregon Parks.
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Happy Valley This was the site of George C. Smyth’s ranch. Supposedly it was named “Happy Valley” by George McCoy.
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Harney and Harney City Located where Rattlesnake Creek entered Harney Valley about two miles south of Camp Harney. It is situated between Burns and Buchanan on Hwy 20. (See Camp Harney and Fort Harney notes.) |
Hardin and Riley The post office there had first been named “Hardin” located about 75 miles from what is now Riley and named for Colonel. Hardin, of Riley and Hardin. When the facility was closed, it was located to Riley and named for Amos Riley. The office closed in 1919 but reopened in 1949 when the Suntex office closed. |
Harney County The county is the largest county in Oregon. It has a land area of 10,141 square miles. It was created February 25, 1889 and was named for William Selby Harney who commanded the Department of Oregon of the United States Army in 1858 and then recalled in 1859. When Harney County was carved out of Grant County, Harney and Burns "battled" for recognition as the county seat. An election was held, and while Burns won out, the documents had to be moved from Harney by armed residents to Burns.
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Harney Lake It was first written about by Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1826. It was named for Brig.-General William Selby Harney
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Harney Valley It was named for Brig.-General William Selby Harney. The valley has an average elevation of about 4100 feet.
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Herrick It started out as a mill town. Fred Herrick, who founded Fred Herrick Lumber Company. The resulting community was called “Herrick.” He sold out to Edward Hines of Chicago in 1928 and the community was renamed “Hines.” |
Hiddensprings This was a post office established in 1916 with Mary E. O’Malley as the postmaster. The order was rescinded though. It was located near Clover Swale about 20 miles south of Harney Lake. |
Hines Hines is a more “recent” community. It started out as a mill town. Fred Herrick, who founded Fred Herrick Lumber Company. He sold out to Edward Hines of Chicago in 1928 and the community was renamed “Hines.” A post office was established in 1931. |
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Home
Creek
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Howard Valley Located south of the Grant County line. General O.O. Howard camped for two days in the valley in 1878. The USFS built a ranger station at the mouth of the valley, naming it Allison Station.
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Idol Idol City This was a post office that was established in 1892 with Joseph Morris the only postmaster. It was closed to Harney in 1893. It was also called Idol City.
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Iron
Mountain Located about ten miles west of Harney Lake. Named thus because of the hard metallic appearance of the rock. It has also been known as “Pleasanton Butte” after a officer in the regular army, Alfred Pleasanton.
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Kennedy A post office that was west of Harney Lake, several miles northeast of the OO ranchhouse. It operated from 1906 until 1908 with Julius E. Chandler postmaster. |
Kiger Creek Named for the Kiger family who settled near Malheur lake.
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King Mountain Named for E.H. King who had a sawmill near there about 1880. Located about 20 miles north of Harney, near the head of Trout Creek. |
Krumbo
Creek Flows from Krumbo Mountain, at the foot of Steens Mountain. It was named for a pioneer settler who lived nearby. |
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Mu A post office established in 1889 and closed in 1890. Elizabeth Newman was the postmaster. Its business was transferred to Harney. |
Latigo
Creek Flows from the slopes of Snow Mountain and flows into Whiskey Creek. It flows between Grand and Harney counties. |
Lawen A small community east of Burns. The post office was established in 1891.
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Layton
Point Located on the east side of Harney Valley.
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Meadow Located at the headwaters of Burnt Cabin Creek. It was named for Mike A. Lehman who worked for the US Forest Service.
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Loma A post office located about 8 miles north of Narrows, known as Sunset Valley. It was established in 1911 with Nathaniel Henney as postmaster. It was closed to Burns in 1912.
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Lonesomehurst A post office established in 1917 and closed a year later. Henry K. Hardisty was the postmaster. It was located in the Hardisty home on Trout Creek.
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Mahon
Creek Flows west from Stinkingwater Mountains. It was named for James F. Mahon who settled there in 1870.
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Lake A small lake in Alvord Valley. Named for Phillip Mann, a rancher. |
McCoy
Creek Located in the Steens Mountain, it was named for Mace McCoy, a local pioneer. |
Miranda
Creek Flows into Wildhorse Creek. It was named for Manda Miranda, a Mexican from California who first settled near Diamond. |
The
Narrows A descriptive name, commonly referred to as “The Narrows.” Charles A. Haines started a community there about 1892. A post office named Springer was established nearby in 1889, with Lewis B. Spring postmaster. The name was changed to Narrows in 1892. It was closed in 1936. |
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Princeton and Princeton A post office was established here about 1910 with David Williams as postmaster.. IT was named for Princeton, Massachusetts by C.B. Smith who settled on a homestead there. A change in the highway redirected traffic and the present community is called “New Princeton.”
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Oakerman
Ranch Named for J. Fred Oakerman, who owned a ranch just north of US Hwy 20.
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Oakley A post office in Crane Creek Gap. It was established in 1889 with Philander H. Gray as postmaster. It was closed in 1895.
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Oard
Flat Named for The Oard family who came to the Harney Valley during the late 1860’s. It is located seven miles north of Buchanan.
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Canyon A canyon in the southwest corner of the county, near Lake County.
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Oroville A post office established in 1911 with Bryon T. Tiscal the first postmaster. Edwin J. Catlow was later appointed postmaster. The post office closed in 1914. It was located at the Melvin Doan ranch near Pueblo Mountain
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P
Ranch Located in the valley of the Donner und Blitzen River south of Burns. Peter French owned the large ranch.
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Placidia
Butte Located about ten miles west of Riley. Possibly named for Placedor Bravo who was a Mexican horse trader living in the area.
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Creek Located just east of Burns. It was given that name because cattle eating wild parsnips near there were poisoned.
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Prater
Creek Named for Thomas Prather, who settled in the area in 1872. The creek is about six miles east of Burns.
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Princeton and New Princeton A post office was established here about 1910 with David Williams as postmaster.. IT was named for Princeton, Massachusetts by C.B. Smith who settled on a homestead there. A change in the highway redirected traffic and the present community is called “New Princeton.” |
Pueblo
Mountain Located south of the Steens Mountain. It was named this by Major M.D. Harmon of Carson City in the 1860’s. It was a mining area. |
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| Redess Located between Burns and Crane on the Union Pacific Railroad. The name is derived from the “Red s” brand for the Pacific Live Stock Company.
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Rest This post office was established in 1890 with Samuel F. Hutton the only postmaster. It was closed to Riley in 1891. Hutton was a pioneer and had lived in the vicinity of Wagontire Mountain. The name came because people had to come so far for their mail, and they needed to rest before they returned home.
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Riddle
Creek Riddle Mountain Named for Stilley Riddle, who was a Harney County pioneer.
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Riley and Hardin Named for Amos Riley who was a stockman living in the area. It was a post office established there about 1885. It had first been named “Hardin” located about 75 miles away and named for Colonel Hardin, of Riley and Hardin. When the facility was closed, it was located to Riley and named for Mr. Riley. The office closed in 1919 but reopened in 1949 when the Suntex office closed. |
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Springs Located at the foot of the Steens Mountain at Roaring Springs Ranch. This is a descriptive name.
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Rodeo This was a railroad station. It was a cattle shipping point located southeast of Burns.
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Saddlebutte Saddle Butte A post office was established there in 1915 with T.C. Albritton the first postmaster. It was located near the northeast shore of Malheur Lake, near Saddle Butte which was named for its shape. The office was closed in 1920 and the business turned over to Crane. |
Sage
Hen Creek The name was given to the creek for the prominence of this bird in the valley. |
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| Sageview This post office was located west of Catlow and operated from 1916 until 1918.
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Serrano
Point Located between Alvord Desert and Alvord Lake. It is a Spanish word for mountaineer.
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Shirk The post office was named for the Shirk family who settled in the Catlow Valley. The post office was opened in 1890 with Leonore Mott the first postmaster. Frances M. Shirk was appointed postmaster in 1892. It was closed to Diamond in 1902. The post office was reestablished in Lake County when members of the family moved their ranch operations there. |
Silver
Creek Located in the northwest part of the county, it flows southeast to Harney Lake.
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River Named for Antoine Sylvaille, a trapper who was sent here by Peter Skene Ogden in 1826. The post office was established near the stream in 1892 with Adeleaide Cross the first postmaster. It was closed in 1906. |
Smith This was a post office near Smyth Creek. It was established in 1895 with Ida C. Smith the first postmaster. The office was closed in 1913. |
Smyth
Creek Named for George C. Smyth and family. He arrived here in 1872 with his four sons.
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Sodhouse Located west of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. The house was built of sod. There was a small community there, called Sodhouse. |
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Creek The creek obtained its named for the soldiers who camped there in the 1860’s. It is just west of Harney.
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Somerange The name is derived of “summer range”, a term used for the summer feeding grounds used by the cattle. It was a post office established in 1923 with Robert W. Bradeen the first postmaster. He closed the office and it was moved to Frenchglenn in 1926 and renamed. |
Standcliff
Creek Named for George M. Stanclift who homesteaded along the creek in Anderson Valley.
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Steens
Mountain Named for Major Enoch Steen, U.S. Army who headed up a joint expedition in to the mountains in 1860.
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Stinkingwater Creek |
Stonehouse
Creek |
Suntex The post office was established in 1916 and closed in 1949. The postal authorities assigned the name. W.F. Sturges was the first postmaster there.
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Sweetser Located southeast of Crane. It is not certain if it was a real community or a proposed Oregon Pacific Railroad station. It may have been named for Frank Sweetser. |
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| Tencent
Lake A small lake in the north end of Alvord Valley. The name is descriptive of its size and round shape. |
Thelake The post office operated from 1914 until 1919 with Rose G. Balcomb the only postmaster. It was located near the Mann Lake Ranch, about ten miles south of the Alberson post office. |
Threemile
Creek Flows westward from Steens Mount to the Catlow Valley. It is located three miles south of the Home Creek Ranch and Home creek…hence its name. |
Tiara Mrs. Minerva Benson was the only postmaster for this post office established in 1916. It closed about eight months later. It was located near the north end of Catlow Valley. |
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| Van The post office was established in 1891 and was named for Van Middlesworth, a pioneer. It closed in 1953.
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Venator Named for Alphene Venator (pronounced Venatta_ who settled in the Harney Valley as a youth in 1872. The post office was established in 1895 with Mrs Louella Venator the first postmaster. It was later moved a couple of miles north to a station on the Union Pacific Railroad. It closed in 1959. |
Venator
Canyon Named for Jezreal Venator a pioneer who settled in Albany before moving to the Harney County area. He bought property on Crane Creek, which is not in Lake County. He died of thirst when his horse got away from him near the canyon named for him. |
Virginia
Valley Named by two women who came from Germany and first settled in Virginia. August Haarstrich and Nena Haarstrich filed for homesteads south of Hat Butte in 1907. |
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| Voltage A post office located south of Malheur Lake, close to the Sodhouse. It opened in 1908 with Walter C. Botsford the first postmaster. Botsford named it for the possibilities of electricity generation he thought possible from the Donner und Blitzen River. The office was closed in 1933. |
Wagontire |
Walls
Lake A small lake south of Haney Lake. It was named for Tom Walls, a pioneer.
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Warner
Valley Named for Brevet Captain William Horace Warner who was killed by Indians in 1849 in northern California. The area includes Harney and Lake counties. |
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| Waverly Located about seven miles southeast of Crane. It was a freight stop on the road to the railhead at Riverside. David A. Brakeman had a store there and was the first postmaster when the facility was opened in 1908. It was closed in 1916. |
White
Horse The post office was located in what was then Baker County. It was established in 1867 with W.A. Mix the postmaster. It was closed several months later. It was located near Camp C.F. Smith on Whitehorse Creek. |
Whitehorse
Ranch An historic landmark of southeast Oregon. John S. Devine and partner Todhunter were known for their quality animals.
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Whorehouse
Meadow Named for the female “entrepreneurs” from Vale who set up business in the meadow a mile east of Fish Lake.
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| Windy Windy Point Located in Harney Valley, east of Malheur Lake. A post office was established there in 1908 with August Harrstuck listed as postmaster. However, it was probably Augusts Harrstrich (see Virginia Valley). The orders were rescinded a few months later, possibly because an office had been established at nearby Waverly. |
Wright's
Point A geographic formation north of Malher Lake. It was named for Camp Wright, established in October 1865 by Captain L.L. Williams and named for Brig.-General George Wright. You can't miss this feature as it heads across the Harney Valley like a locomotive. This gigantic volcanic formation runs across State Highway 205. The highway was built up and over the formation.
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Oregon
Geographic Names was the primary source for the Harney County
Names. Written by Lewis L. McArthur, it continues to be published
by the Oregon Historical Society Press and is available in book stores.
Links to information will be added as they become available.
If you have information to add to any of these Place Names, please contact me! Check back as photographs and other information is added to this site!
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