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 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 $1400. 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. In 1994 Malheur County government is composed
of a county judge, two commissioners, a district attorney, clerk,
sheriff, and treasurer.
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.
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 Oregon
has what appears to be an outpost of the Roman Empire
in its southeast corner. The community of Rome in Malheur
County got its name from the imposing nearby formations
of fossil-bearing clay that look like Roman ruins. The
100 foot high formations, which are also known as the
"Walls of Rome," measure about five miles
long and two miles wide. They are near the wild and
scenic Owyhee River.
The
river, oddly enough, is named for a variation of the
word Hawaii. The name is in reference to two Hawaiians
(Sandwich Islanders) who were part of a Hudson's Bay
Company fur trapping expedition in 1819 when they were
killed by Snake Indians. Thus, in a highly improbable
historical twist, elements of Rome and Hawaii meet in
the remote desert of Oregon.
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