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Gilliam County, OR
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 Established:
Feb. 25, 1885
Population: 1,900 (2003)
Elev. at Condon: 2,844'
Area: 1,223 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 31.9°, July 71.3°
Assessed Value: $230,373,337
Real Market Value: $375,376,543
Annual Precipitation: 11.39"
Economy: Agriculture, recreation and environmental services.
Incorporated Cities: Arlington | Condon | Lonerock
Points of Interest: Old Oregon Trail, Arlington Bay and Marina,
Lonerock area, Condon historic district, Indian pictographs.
General Information: Gilliam County was established in 1885 from
a portion of Wasco County and was named after Col. Cornelius
Gilliam, a veteran of the Cayuse Indian War. The first county
seat was at Alkali, now Arlington. At the general election of
1890, voters chose to move the county seat to Condon, known to
early settlers as “Summit Springs.” A brick courthouse was built
in Condon in 1903 but was destroyed by fire in 1954. The present
courthouse, built on the same site, was constructed in 1955.
Gilliam County is in the heart of the Columbia Plateau wheat
area. The economy is based mainly on agriculture, with an
average farm size of about 4,200 acres. Wheat, barley and beef
cattle are the principal crops. The largest individual employers
in the county are two subsidiaries of Waste Management Inc.,
Chemical Waste Management of the Northwest and Oregon Waste
Systems, Inc., two regional state-of-the-art waste disposal
landfills.
With elevations of over 3,000 feet near Condon in the south of
the county and 285 feet at Arlington, 38 miles north, the county
offers a variety of climates and atmosphere. Hunting, fishing
and tourism are secondary industries. Two major rivers, the John
Day and Columbia, traverse the area east-to-west, as well as
Interstate 84. Highway 19 connects the county’s major cities
north-to-south and serves as gateway to the John Day Valley.
County Officials: Commissioners—Frank Bettencourt (R) 2009,
Dennis Gronquist (D) 2007, Judge Laura M. Pryor, chair (D) 2007;
Dist. Atty. Marion Weatherford (NP) 2007; Assess. Patricia Shaw
(NP) 2009; Clerk Rena Kennedy (NP) 2007; Justice of the Peace
Cris Patnode (NP) 2009; Sheriff Gary Bettencourt (NP) 2007; Surv.
Robert Bagett (NP) 2007; Treas. Alcenia Byrd (NP) 2007. |
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County History |
The Legislative Assembly created Gilliam County on
February 25, 1885, from the eastern third of Wasco County
because residents thought they were too far from the county seat
in The Dalles. In 1899 a portion of southern Gilliam County was
used to form Wheeler County. Gilliam County is bordered today by
the Columbia River to the north, Wasco and Sherman Counties to
the west, Morrow and Grant Counties to the east, and Crook
County to the south. Gilliam County's area is now 1,223 square
miles. It was named after Colonel Cornelius Gilliam who died
accidentally while commanding the Oregon volunteers during the
Cayuse War of 1847.
When the Legislative Assembly created Gilliam County, Alkali
(now Arlington) was selected as the temporary county seat. The
question of a permanent county seat was placed on general
election ballots in 1886, 1888, and again in 1890 when Condon
became the permanent seat of government in Gilliam County.
Condon was originally known as Summit Springs which in 1884 took
the name of a young lawyer from Alkali, Harvey C. Condon, nephew
of the state geologist and university professor Thomas Condon.
Once the question of the location of the county seat was
settled, voters in Gilliam County proved reluctant to provide a
courthouse in Condon. After the county seat moved to Condon in
1890, county government operated out of a two-room house until
1903 when the county court appropriated money to construct a
courthouse. This building was destroyed by a fire in 1954
resulting in heavy losses to the contents of the building
including a large number of county records. The next year, the
county replaced the burned structure with the present courthouse
built on the same site.
Gilliam County continues to have a county court form of
government. Elected officials now include two county
commissioners, a county judge, district attorney, assessor,
clerk, sheriff, surveyor, and treasurer.
The county's population had dropped from a high of 3,960
residents in 1920 to 1,750 in 1992. However, the 2000 population
of 1915 represented a 11.53% increase from 1990.
For many years, Indians had traversed the county on well-worn
trails to reach fishing, hunting, foraging, and trading areas.
Many of these trails are still visible in the rangeland. The
first non-native people in the area were Americans following the
Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley. In the late 19th century,
new settlers arrived from the midwestern and eastern United
States and Europe. Many settlers were part of the larger reverse
migration of people who had originally settled in the Willamette
Valley.
Gilliam County is in the heart of the Columbia Basin wheat area.
Its economy is based primarily on agriculture centering on
wheat, barley, and beef cattle. Apples and other irrigated crops
are becoming an increasingly important part of the economy of
the north end of the county. After agriculture and livestock,
other principal industries of Gilliam County include tourism,
hunting, and fishing. |
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