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Oregon Counties

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Oregon Counties

There are 36 counties in the state of Oregon. The Oregon Constitution does not explicitly provide for county seats.

Wheeler County, Oregon

Wheeler County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Fossil
Year Organized: 1899
Square Miles: 1,715

Court House:

701 Adams Street
County Courthouse
Fossil, OR 97830-0447

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The county was named for Henry Wheeler, who operated the first stage line through the county.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Wheeler County was established on February 17, 1899. Formed from parts of Grant, Gilliam, and Crook Counties, there have been no boundary changes since its creation. The county shares boundaries with Gilliam and Morrow Counties to the north, Wasco and Jefferson to the west, Crook to the south, and Grant to the east. The county was named for Henry Wheeler, who operated the first stage line through the county. The area of the county is 1,713 square miles.

The county seat is located in the city of Fossil. The town's name was derived from the first postmaster's discovery of fossil remains on his land in 1876. Fossil was designated the temporary county seat when the county was created. In 1900 there was an election to determine the permanent county seat. Spray, Twickenham and Fossil were the aspirants with Fossil winning the election. The current courthouse was built in 1902.

Wheeler County's government consists of a county court made up of a county judge and two commissioners. The county judge retains judicial authority for probate and juvenile proceedings. Other county officers include assessor, district attorney, justices of the peace, clerk, sheriff-emergency services director, treasurer, and surveyor.

Wheeler County's 2000 population was 1547. This represented an increase of 10.82% over 1990. Still, it is considerably lower than the peak population of 3,313 occurring in 1950.

The terrain of the county varies widely from sagebrush, juniper, and rim rock to thick stands of pine and fir. Portions of two national forests lie within its boundaries with forest lands covering nearly one third of the county. The area is known as an outstanding depository of prehistoric fossils. Principal industries are agriculture, livestock, and lumber.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Fossil (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Mitchell	city	Incorporated Area
- Spray	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."