Oregon State...
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Oregon Counties
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Malheur County, Oregon
Malheur County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat:
Year Organized:
Square Miles:
MSA: |
Court House: 251 B St West
Vale, OR 97918
Clerk: (541) 473-5151
Courts: (541) 473-5171
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Named: The county was named after the Malheur River that flowed
through the area. Peter Skene Ogden, a Hudson's Bay Company trader, referred to
this river in his journal as "Riviere au Malheur" which translates as
"unfortunate river."
State & County QuickFacts:
History
Malheur County was created February
17, 1887 from the southern portion of Baker County. The county was named after
the Malheur River that flowed through the area. Peter Skene Ogden, a Hudson's
Bay Company trader, referred to this river in his journal as "Riviere au
Malheur" which translates as "unfortunate river." It was given this name because
during an expedition into the Snake River country in 1825-1826, property and
furs hidden in the area were discovered and stolen.
Malheur County is located in the southeast corner of Oregon. It is bordered by
Baker County on the north, the State of Idaho on the east, the State of Nevada
on the south, and Harney and Grant Counties on the west. Malheur County is the
second largest county in the state with 9,874 square miles.
The county seat is Vale. The first county courthouse was built in 1887 at a cost
of $1,400. The second courthouse was built in 1902 after several years of
rivalry between localities contending for the honor of being named the county
seat. A third courthouse was built in 1958.
Malheur County held its first general election in 1888 to elect a judge,
sheriff, clerk, two commissioners, treasurer, assessor, superintendent of
schools, and coroner.
Malheur County was first settled by miners and stockmen in the early 1860s. The
discovery of gold in 1863 created an interest in this area which resulted in the
establishment of settlements and stock ranches. Basques settled in the region in
the 1890s and were mainly engaged in sheep raising. The principal industries of
Malheur County are agriculture, livestock, food processing, and tourism. The
Western Treasure Valley located in the northeast corner of the county is the
center of diversified and intensified farming.
The population of Malheur County steadily increased from 1890 through 1980. From
1980 to the 1990 there was a 36% decline partially due to weak agricultural
seasons between 1982 and 1986. However, the 2000 population reached 31,615,
which represented an increase of 21.42% from 1990. Over half of the county's
population is within the cities of Ontario, Vale, and Nyssa in the Western
Treasure Valley. A large number of the county's rural residents live in
unincorporated areas on farms and ranches in the same valley.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities:
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we’ve given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the “characteristic features of
our country!”
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn’t the only reason to explore counties’ role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today’s counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990’s political slogan “Think globally, act locally.” |
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Penn Foster High School
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