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Umatilla County, OR
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 Established:
Sept. 27, 1862
Population: 71,100 (2003)
Elev. at Pendleton: 1,068'
Area: 3,231 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 31.9°, July 73.6°
Assessed Value: $3,519,742,905
Real Market Value: $4,305,267,692
Annual Precipitation: 12.97"
Economy: Agriculture, food processing, forest products, tourism,
manufacturing, recreation, aggregate production and power
generation.
Incorporated Cities: Adams | Athena | Echo | Helix | Hermiston |
Milton-Freewater | Pendleton | Pilot Rock | Stanfield | Ukiah |
Umatilla | Weston
Points of Interest: Pendleton Round-Up, Pendleton Woolen Mills,
Old Town Pendleton, County Historical Society, Pendleton
Underground, McNary Dam and Recreation Area, Echo Museum and
Historic Area, Hat Rock, Battle Mountain and Emigrant Springs
State Parks, Weston Historic District, Frazier Farmstead Museum
in Milton-Freewater, N. Fork Umatilla Wilderness Area,
Tollgate-Spout Springs Recreation Area, Courthouse Clock Tower,
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s
Wildhorse Casino and Tamastslikt Cultural Center.
General Information: Umatilla County traces its creation in 1862
to the regional gold rushes, which spawned the riverport of
Umatilla City and brought stockraisers to the lush grasslands.
Although Lewis and Clark and the Oregon Trail pioneers passed
through Umatilla County, it did not bloom until the arrival of
the railroad in 1881 and the development of dryland wheat
farming.
Water in the form of irrigation has been key to economic
diversification and growth, most recently in the Hermiston area,
where the desert now yields lush watermelons and other products.
Tourism is also increasingly important to Umatilla County where
“Let-er-Buck” is heard by Pendleton Round-Up crowds.
County Officials: Commissioners—Dennis D. Doherty (NP) 2009,
William S. Hansell (NP) 2007, Emile M. Holeman (NP) 2007; Dist.
Atty. Christopher Brower (NP) 2009; Assess. Paul Chalmers;
Sheriff John Trumbo (NP) 2009; Surv. Dave Krumbein; Financial
Mgr. Robert Pahl; Co. Admin. Jim Barrow. |
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County History |
Umatilla County was created on September 27, 1862, out of
a portion of Wasco County. Umatilla is an Indian term meaning
"rippling water" or "water rippling over sand" and has provided
the name both for the county and its major river. Adjustments
were made to the county's boundaries following the creation of
Grant, Morrow, Union, and Wallowa Counties. The county contains
3,231 square miles and is bounded by the Columbia River on the
north, Morrow County on the west, Grant County on the south, and
Union and Wallowa Counties on the east.
The legislative act that created Umatilla County designated
Marshall Station as the temporary county seat. Umatilla City was
chosen the county seat in an 1865 election. Population shifted
to the north and east parts of the county due to the opening of
the Pendleton area to wheat production. A subsequent election in
1868 resulted in the selection of Pendleton as the new county
seat, supplanting both Marshall Station and Umatilla City.
The first courthouse was completed in 1866 in Umatilla City. The
next courthouse, and the first built in Pendleton, was a wooden,
two-story structure completed in 1869. In 1889 a three-story
brick courthouse and jail was erected. A fourth courthouse was
built on the site of the old courthouse in 1956 and is still in
use today.
The government of Umatilla County consisted originally of a
county judge, two county commissioners, clerk, and sheriff. The
offices of treasurer, assessor, coroner, and superintendent of
schools were added a short time after formation of the county.
The county judge position was abolished and a third commissioner
was added in 1975.
The first census of the Umatilla County in 1870 counted 2,916
inhabitants. The population has increased steadily with a 2000
census figure of 70,548 representing an increase of 19.07% over
1990.
The Umatilla Indian Reservation was established by the Treaty of
Walla Walla in 1855. It became an 800 square mile home for the
Umatillas, Walla Wallas, and Cayuse tribes and is located
immediately southeast of Pendleton. The Umatilla Confederated
Tribes have 1,400 enrolled members.
Lewis and Clark and pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail passed
through the area. The gold rush of 1862 brought miners and stock
raisers to the mountains and grasslands of Umatilla County. The
county expanded after the coming of the railroad in 1881 and the
area was open to the development of dry land wheat farming. The
fertile land of Umatilla County gives a strongly agricultural
base to the county's economy. Fruit, grain, timber, cattle, and
sheep are important agricultural products. Recreation, primarily
in the Blue Mountains, and tourism, most notably for the annual
Pendleton Round-Up rodeo, are also important to the local
economy. |
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