Wheeler County Ghost Town
and landscape
Wheeler County is one of Oregon's
least-travelled and sparsest-populated Countys. It seems that
all major development, both modern and historical, have pretty
much passed by this peaceful county. The canyons are full of big
sage, and everywhere there is juniper on the hills. The higher
mountains have fine pine forests. Over all is a whole lot of quiet.
Actual statistics: Population
of Wheeler County was officially estimated at only 1,404 person
in 2006, which is nearly a 10% DECREASE since 2000...The County's
area is 1,713 square miles, or just a tiny bit smaller than Clackamas
County-- but Clackamas County has a population 270 times larger!......
The town of Fossil is the county seat of Wheeler County and the
county's only town of any significant size. The historic Wheeler
County courthouse building is pictured below. It was built in
1909.
Wheeler County, like the Oregon
High Desert to the south, is pervaded by a quietness and sense
of space. In the image below, it is mid-summer in one of the side
canyons near Mitchell. The golden hills were singing with brillance
and heat, set off against a deeply blue sky. A trace of white
cloud hinted at moisture, but it was far away. There were no human
sounds, none, not one for the whole two hours I spent here just
soaking in the peace of a hot summer day in a remote place.
Visit
Nearby Painted Hills, part of the John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument
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Page last revised 09/26/2023