 Lake
County was established on October 24, 1874.
It was created from the southern part of Wasco County and the eastern
part of Jackson County. It was named because of the numerous large
lakes that are entirely or partly within its borders.
Lake
County is situated in south central Oregon. The western boundary
was changed with the creation of Klamath County in 1882. It regained
some area when the southwestern part of Grant County was annexed
in 1885. It currently has 8,275 square miles. Lake County is bounded
on the north by Deschutes County, on the east by Harney County,
on the south by the State of California, and on the west by Klamath
County.
When
the Legislative Assembly created Lake County, it temporarily located
the county seat at Linkville until the voters selected a permanent
site. The voters chose to move the county seat to Lakeview. Lakeview
overlooks Goose Lake; hence the rationale for the name that John
A. Moon proposed and which was adopted at a meeting in 1876.
The
land for the first courthouse was donated by one of the areas first
settlers, M.W. Bullard. The first courthouse was completed in 1904.
In 1954 a new courthouse was built on the site of the former courthouse
at a cost of $366,427.
The
government of Lake County consisted originally of a county judge,
a county commissioner, clerk, treasurer, and sheriff. Another commissioner,
assessor, school superintendent, and surveyor were later added.
The county court was abolished and replaced with a board of county
commissioners by 1971.
The
1875 Lake County census showed a population of 944, which jumped
to 2,804 by 1880. Since then there has been some fluctuation in
population, but with a fairly steady growth to a population of 7,422
in 2000. This represented a 3.28% increase over the 1990 population.
Because
of poor transportation connections with the rest of Oregon, the
early economic orientation of Lake County was toward California.
During the 1840s and 1850s the county was part of the military courier
route between The Dalles on the Columbia River and the Presidio
in San Francisco. The county did not acquire a railroad connection
until the 1890s.
The
traditional county economy rests on lumber, agriculture, and government.
In spite of the low rainfall and a short growing season a combination
of homesteading and irrigation has permitted agriculture based upon
the raising of livestock and the growing of hay and grain to thrive.
Lumber and wood products are taken from the Fremont National Forest.
Government employees from the national forest and the regional BLM
headquarters create a more stable economic base for the county that
otherwise would have to rely only on seasonal agricultural and lumber
jobs. Tourism is a growing industry because of the county's many
interesting sites, including Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge, Hunter's
Hot Springs, Goose Lake, and areas for rock hunting and hang gliding.
|
|
 |
Bar
M Ranch -
in Adams
The ultimate destination for a fun, relaxing and
memorable western vacation. The peace, quiet,
and beauty of the ranch makes it an ideal location
for weddings, corporate retreats and group events.
|
 |
Tapadera
Inn
105
SE Court Avenue
Pendleton, Oregon
541-276- 3231
877-722-8277
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 University
of Oregon archaeologist Luther Cressman found the world's
oldest shoes in northern Lake County in 1938. Before
he discovered the well-preserved 9,000 year old sagebrush
bark sandals near Fort Rock, scientists believed that
humans inhabited the far west only since about 4,000
years ago.
Several
subsequent discoveries of even older sandals in the
northern Great Basin confirmed the importance of Cressman's
work. For this find, and for other research that broke
down standing theories about the nature of the prehistoric
Northwest, Cressman became known as the father of Oregon
archaeology.
|
|
|
