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Welcome to Malheur County Oregon

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Trails To The Past (TTTP) focuses on the history of people who came to America later these sturdy people came by wagon trains to settle the west.

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History suggests around 1832 French-Canadian trappers came here searching for good fur trapping possibilities

While camped on the river they were attacked by Indians who killed some of them and took their animals and supplies. They named the river "Sad River", in French sounding like Mal Heur.

Malheur County  is  located in the southeast corner of Oregon. The county was named for the Malheur River which flows through it. The population of Malheur County in 2000 was  31,615. Ontario  is the largest city and the county seat is Vale.

The first europeans to arrive by the Oregon Trail route were known as the Whitman party. In 1835 they founded a mission for the Indians north of here in what is now Baker County.

Their trail into Oregon Territory generally follows where highway 30 exists now.

In 1863 gold was discovered here and that brought in lots of people who started ranches, farms and towns.

Around 1890 Basques from Spain settled here and most of them were wandering sheep ranchers.

Later on cattle were added and large cattle ranches sprang up, and a railroad was built to accomodate the growth of industry.

 

History

Malheur County was created February 17, 1887, from the southern portion of Baker County. It was first settled by miners and stockmen in the early 1860s. The discovery of gold in 1863 attracted development, including settlements and ranches. Basques from Spain settled in the region in the 1890s and were mainly engaged in sheep raising.

Geography

The county has a total area of 9,930 square miles, 9,887 square miles of it is land and 43 square miles of it is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Harney County - (west)

  • Grant County - (northwest)

  • Baker County - (north)

  • Washington County, Idaho - (northeast)

  • Payette County, Idaho - (east)

  • Canyon County, Idaho - (east)

  • Owyhee County, Idaho - (east)

  • Humboldt County, Nevada - (south)

National protected areas

  • Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge (part)

  • Malheur National Forest (part)

  • Whitman National Forest (part)

See also: Bully Creek Reservoir

Highways traversing the county include I-84, US 20, US 26, US 30, US 95, OR 78.

Economy

The county is 94% rangeland, with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) controlling 72% of the land. Irrigated fields in the county's northeast corner, known as Western Treasure Valley, are the center of intensive and diversified farming. Malheur County's economy also depends on tourism.

Because of its economic relationship with Idaho, most of Malheur county is in the Mountain  time zone, making it the only county in Oregon that does not completely follow Pacific Time. The largely unpopulated southern quarter of the county, near McDermitt, observes Pacific Time. 

The county's two largest employers are the Snake River Correctional Institution and Ore-Ida, a potato processor owned by H.J. Heinz.

Malheur County is the poorest county in Oregon. As of 2008, 21% of its residents live in poverty.

Politics

Like all counties in eastern Oregon, the majority of registered voters who are part of a political party are Republicans. In the 2008 election, 69.10% of Malheur County voters voted for Republican John McCain, while 28.47% voted for Democrat Barack Obama, and 2.42% of voters supported a third party candidate.

These numbers show a small shift towards the Democratic candidate when compared to the 2004 election in which 74.9% of Malheur Country voters voted for George Bush and 23.8% voted for John Kerry,  and 1.3% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate. Oregon's 2nd congressional district for over 27 years has been represented by Republicans, Greg Walden being the current representative.

Communities

Incorporated cities

  • Adrian

  • Jordan Valley

  • Nyssa

  • Ontario

  • Vale

Unincorporated communities

  • Arock

  • Brogan

  • Burns Junction

  • Danner (a ghost town)

  • Harper

  • Juntura

  • McDermitt, Nevada-Oregon

  • Rome

  • Riverside

  • Westside

Indian Wars around this area.

Bannock Indians with other tribes left their reservations to raid farms for food.