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Harney County, OR
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 Established:
Feb. 25, 1889
Population: 7,300 (2003)
Elev. at Burns: 4,148'
Area: 10,228 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 27.5°, July 69.4°
Assessed Value: $340,709,269
Real Market Value: $708,907,244
Annual Precipitation: 10.13"
Economy: Forest products, manufacturing, livestock and
agriculture.
Incorporated Cities: Burns | Hines
Points of Interest: Steens Mountain, Malheur Cave, Malheur
Wildlife Refuge, Alvord Desert and Lake, Squaw Butte
Experimental Station, “P” Ranch Round Barn, Frenchglen.
General Information: In 1826, Peter Skene Ogden became the first
white man to explore this area when he led a fur brigade for the
Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1889, Harney, the largest county in
Oregon, was carved out of Grant County and named for Harney
Lake. The lake, in turn, was named for Maj. Gen. William S.
Harney, commander of the Department of Oregon, U.S. Army, from
1858–59. Harney was instrumental in opening areas of eastern
Oregon for settlement.
A fierce political battle, with armed night riders who spirited
county records from Harney to Burns, ended with Burns as the
county seat in 1890. The courthouse was constructed five years
later. Burns’ first newspaper was established in 1884 and its
first church in 1887.
Harney County shares the largest Ponderosa pine forest in the
nation with Grant County and has more than 100,000 head of beef
cattle on its vast ranges. Its abundance of game, numerous
campsites and excellent fishing have stimulated fast-growing
recreational activities.
County Officials: Commissioners—Jack Drinkwater (R) 2007, Judge
Steven E. Grasty (NP) 2011, Dan Nichols (R) 2009; Dist. Atty.
Timothy Colahan (NP) 2009; Assess. Ted Tiller (NP) 2007; Clerk
Maria Iturriaga (NP) 2009; Justice of the Peace Dewey Newton
(NP) 2007; Sheriff Dave Glerup (NP) 2009; Surv. Chris T. Palmer
(NP) 2009; Treas. Ellen “Nellie” Franklin (NP) 2007. |
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County History |
Harney County was created from the southern two-thirds of
Grant County on February 25, 1889. It is located in the high
desert country in the southeast portion of the state and is the
largest county in Oregon comprising 10,228 square miles.
Counties with contiguous borders include Malheur to the east;
Lake, Deschutes, and Crook to the west; Grant to the north; and
the State of Nevada to the south. The county was named after the
lake that lies within its territory, which was named in honor of
General William S. Harney, commander of the Department of Oregon
of the U.S. Army in 1858-1859.
The county's principal city and its administrative seat, Burns,
was officially established in 1884 and incorporated upon the
county's creation in 1889. It was named for the Scottish poet
Robert Burns by an early settler and County Commissioner George
McGowan. The original county courthouse was constructed in 1890
as the Smith and Young building. The building was purchased by
citizens of Burns and donated to the county as an inducement to
voters during the struggle that took place between Burns and
Harney over the designation of the county seat. The current
courthouse was constructed in 1942.
Established by state legislation, elected officials have
included a judge, county commissioners, clerk, auditor,
recorder, sheriff, treasurer, assessor, surveyor, coroner, and
school superintendent.
Three industries, cattle raising, sheep raising, and timber,
have traditionally provided the county's economic base. The
railroad, which extended into the area in 1883, served as a
catalyst to the cattle industry but later contributed to its
decline by bringing farmers and sheep men to the area thus
creating increased competition for productive land. Harvesting
and breeding of wild horses was lucrative for a period. Tourism
based on sports and recreation is on the rise.
Harney County's population is primarily concentrated in a small
urbanized sector of Burns-Hines with the remainder mostly in the
Harney Basin. The county's population was recorded as 2,559
during the 1890 census and rose steadily until the decade of
1930-40, and then resumed an upward curve until the 1980s. The
county experienced a net out migration of nearly fifteen percent
in the 1980s primarily due to the closure of the lumber mill in
Burns. The 2000 population of 7,609 represented a 7.78% increase
over 1990.
Although Harney County lands were open to homesteading from 1862
to 1934, the federal Bureau of Land Management still owns more
than three million acres. Facilitated on the national level by
the Carey Act of 1894, arid land in Harney County was donated to
the state for irrigation and settlement, but all water
development efforts failed. Eventually all land claims under the
reclamation legislation were abandoned or nullified. Malheur
Wildlife Refuge was established in 1908 and expanded in 1936.
The refuge now includes 159,872 acres. Not the least significant
of federal government lands associated with Harney County is the
Malheur River Indian Reservation.
In addition to Malheur and Harney Lakes, other geographic
landmarks of the county include the 10,000-ft high Steens
Mountain known for its lava formations. Borax has been mined in
the Steens area, and uranium has been found on its south side. |
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