BlockBefore

Jefferson County, Oregon

72 topographic sheets cover 18 settlements here, and 7 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

7 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Oregon within the United States
Jefferson County within Oregon

What the record shows

  • 220 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 7 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings and 2 sites.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 18 populated places in this county; 18 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

7

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Camp Sherman Community Hallbuilding200303000070
Enoch and Mary Cyrus Homesteadsite201515000270
Jefferson County Courthousebuilding201515000614
Max and Ollie Lueddemann Housebuilding199696000620
Madras Army Air Field North Hangerbuilding201515000331
Julius and Sarah McCoin Homesteadsite201515000271
Oregon Trunk Passenger and Freight Stationbuilding198686000285

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

2,718 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 2,718 of them, burning about 592,126 acres. 922 started naturally and 156 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural922
Fireworks502
Recreation and ceremony244
Debris and open burning231
Missing data/not specified/undetermined204
Arson/incendiarism156
Misuse of fire by a minor145
Equipment and vehicle use130
Smoking102
Power generation/transmission/distribution38
Other causes29
Railroad operations and maintenance12
Firearms and explosives use3

The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
16 August 2020Natural204,469 acresWarm Springs AgencyLIONSHEAD
19 August 2003Natural79,734 acresDeschutes National ForestBOOTH 0848
20 July 2013Arson/incendiarism53,000 acresWarm Springs AgencySUNNY SIDE
18 August 2010Natural29,500 acresWarm Springs AgencyWHITE LIGHTNING
9 July 2002Natural23,573 acresDeschutes National ForestEYERLY 0684
13 July 2014Natural22,760 acresPrineville District0319 DONNY BROOK
6 August 2012Natural12,246 acresWarm Springs AgencyWATER FALLS#2
12 July 2007Natural11,710 acresWarm Springs AgencyBIDDLE PASS

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1958 to 2025

60 of 87 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 87 reports for this county, causing 1 death, no injuries and about $5,630,100 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail37
Thunderstorm Wind27
Wildfire8
Heavy Rain6
Lightning4
Funnel Cloud2
Tornado1
Dust Devil1
Flash Flood1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2013LightningMadras1 killedKPTV Fox 12 News reported the story. The article was posted online as well.
July 2002WildfireWarm Spgs$5,500,000The Eyerly Fire, sparked by lightning, consumed 23,573 acres and destroyed several structures, including 18 homes, 13 out buildings, three travel trailers, and two cars. In addition, one home and five buildings were damaged.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindMadras Arpt$50,000Sudden and sustained winds from collapsing supercell broke all three boat docks off the shore of Pelton Park Reservoir. Every tent in the park was flattened by the wind.
July 2004LightningCulver$40,000no account filed
May 2001HailGateway$20,000no account filed
August 2009Thunderstorm WindCulver$10,000Public estimated 50-60 mph sustained winds. A tree fell on top of a vehicle.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindWarm Spgs$5,000Wind caused damage to fencing in the area.
March 2011Thunderstorm WindMadras Arpt$1,000The Madras Pioneer newspaper reported a sudden wind and rain storm with gusts to 60 mph at the airport. There was a split Juniper tree and a fence blown down on northeast Elm Lane. Power lines were down at the experiment station north of Madras. The plastic was torn up on a greenhouse on South Adams Drive.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindCulver$1,000Tree branches up to 6 inches in diameter blown off by thunderstorm winds.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindWarm Spgs$1,000Strong winds from thunderstorms knocked down branches up to 6 inches in diameter.
June 2004Tornado (F0)Madras$1,000no account filed
August 2012LightningOpal City$500Lightning causes a power outage in the Crooked River Ranch subdivision.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindMadras$500Broken limbs and tree damage in Madras.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindMadras$100Between 120 pm and 200 pm...1 to 4 inch diameter trees and branches downed. Rainfall of .68 inch in 1/2 hour.
July 2025Funnel CloudOpal City-Chief Meteorologist from KTVZ in Bend, OR shared a viewer video of a funnel cloud briefly touching down near Crooked River Ranch Golf Course.
May 2023HailMadras Arpt-A trained spotter 2 miles W of Madras reported hail stones up to 0.88 inches in size at 2006 PDT.
May 2023Flash FloodCove Palisades St Pk-Via the Jefferson Counties Sheriff's Office social media post, the SW Jordan road leading to the Billy Chinook Lake was closed due to high water and debris from flash flooding. An estimated up to 1.5 inches of rainfall occurred over a 2 hour period within the immediate area, resulting in water draining into a dry waterfall, with the road closure at the bottom of this waterfall.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindMadras-The Madras airport ASOS measured a wind gust of 67mph at 5:55pm. An NWS employee 1 mile southwest of Madras, OR also witnessed thunderstorm outflow winds that blew down fences, produced low visibilities in blowing dust, and also produced a gustnado in nearby farm fields.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindMadras-Report by spotter of downed powerlines along highway 26 between Warm Springs and Madras.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindGateway-Trees down and neighbor lost porch.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindGateway-Power poles reported down.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindWarm Spgs-Powerlines and trees down. Roof blown off house.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindCulver-A concentrated swath of destructive straight line winds affected the Culver and Metolius areas of Jefferson County. Within this swath there were numerous large trees uprooted and snapped, hundreds of yards of irrigation line dislodged and/or mangled, and several snapped power poles. Some of the most significant damage included destruction of a handful of agricultural out buildings and partial or total roof removals of at least two manufactured homes.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindMadras-Multiple reports of trees down in Madras. Alfalfa crop destroyed by hail and strong winds.
May 2020HailMadras-Also 60-70 mph winds.
May 2017HailCulver Chinook Arpt-Estimated 1.75 inch hail occurred at Crooked River Ranch, 9 miles NW of Terrebonne in Jefferson county.
May 2017HailCulver Chinook Arpt-Measured 1.00 inch hail occurred northwest of Terrebonne in Jefferson county.
May 2017HailMadras-Measured 1.75 inch hail occurred at Madras in Jefferson county. Report from public post on NWS Pendleton Facebook page.
May 2017HailCulver Chinook Arpt-Estimated 1.00 inch hail occurred 11 miles NW of Terrebonne in Jefferson county.
May 2017HailMadras-Measured 1.50 inch hail occurred 3 miles W of Madras in Jefferson county.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindCulver Chinook Arpt-Public reported that chimney had blown off their roof.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindWarm Spgs-Public reported 4 two foot diameter trees were uprooted, and irrigation pivots had been overturned.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindPaxton-Numerous irrigation wheel lines damaged and quarter sized hail.
July 2012Heavy RainAshwood-Heavy rainfall accompanied by small hail and wind gust to 30 mph.
July 2012HailBlack Butte-Silver dollar sized hail reported at Sutter Lodge.
July 2012Heavy RainCulver-Two spotters reported up to 1.35 inch in 1 hour and small hail to 1/4 inch.
July 2012HailCulver-At Lake Billy Chinook, a family member of NWS employee reported quarter sized hail and 6 inches of water running through the campground due to heavy rainfall.
August 2011Heavy RainWarm Spgs-Spotter reported 1 inch of rain fell in 15 minutes.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindMadras-Trees downed by thunderstorm high winds.
August 2009HailCulver-Also, minor flooding was reported due to brief heavy rainfall.
August 2008HailOpal City-Large hail reported at Crooked River Ranch.
August 2008HailCulver-Hail accompanied by heavy rainfall.
June 2007HailWarm Spgs-Rural resident reported hail to around nickel size accompanied by heavy rainfall.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindCulver-Trees down. Reported by law enforcement.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindAshwood-Numerous 8 inch diameter tree branches downed. Wind along with dime size hail damaged grass and alfalfa crop. Rainfall of 1.50 inch in 20 minutes caused extensive runoff which damaged fences and farm road.
August 2003HailCulver-Hail from a thunderstorm in Jefferson county led to some crop damage in Culver, Metolius, as well as the Agency Plains. Crops that were damaged from the storm include potatoes, wheat, carrots, and onions.
August 2003WildfireCamp Sherman-The Booth and Bear Butte Fires burned a total of 91,000 acres. The cause of the fire was determined to be prior lightning strikes which created some hot spots that later flared up into a wildfire. Dry conditions and occasionally higher winds contributed to the growth of the fire. Hundreds of residents were evacuated from Camp Sherman. Eight camp cabins were destroyed at the Round Lake Christian Camp. In addition, three other outbuildings were also destroyed. More than 2,000 personal were involved in the Booth and Bear Butte Fires. The cost of fighting the fire totaled more than 32 million dollars. The property damage from this event is unknown.
September 2003WildfireCamp Sherman-The Booth and Bear Butte Fires began on August 19th and burned a total of 91,000 acres. The cause of the fire was determined to be prior lightning strikes which created hot spots that later flared up into a wildfire. Dry conditions and occasionally higher winds contributed to the growth of the fire. Hundreds of residents were evacuated from Camp Sherman. Eight camp cabins were destroyed at the Round Lake Christian Camp. In addition, three other outbuildings were also destroyed. More than 2,000 personnel were involved in the Booth and Bear Butte Fires. The cost of fighting the fire totaled more than 32 million dollars. The property damage from this event is unknown.
June 2002WildfireCulver-Lightning on June 13th started the Geneva Fire which burned 194 acres.
July 2001HailCulver-A spotter reported penny-sized hail on the west side of Lake Chinook.
July 2001LightningCamp Sherman-Lightning started a 6 day fire that burned 1800 acres northwest of Camp Sherman. This fire, named the Bald Peter Fire, threatened trout habitat in the Metolius River and cost 1.2 million dollars to control.
May 1998Heavy RainAshwood-1.50 inches of rain fell in 24 hours.
July 1998WildfireWarm Spgs-A brush fire burned about 100 acres on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Highway 26 was closed for about an hour to give fire fighters quick access to the area. High wind complicated fire fighting efforts. The source of the fire appeared to be a dump site.
August 1998WildfireMadras-A wild fire burned 500 acres of rangeland about 5 miles west of Madras and prompted the evacuation of about 150 homes. No homes burned, however, one outbuilding and some farm equipment was destroyed by the fire. About 300 firefighters, 24 fire engines, helicopters and three air tankers were called in to help fight the fire. Two firefighters were injured, one suffered heat exhaustion and the other had a back injury.
August 1998WildfireCountywide-Lightning caused a 160 acre forest fire in extreme southwestern Jefferson County. Campers in the southern part of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness area were evacuated. Trails and Forest Service roads were closed and Highway 20 was restricted from four lanes to two so that fire fighters could access the fire. Three air tankers and two helicopters were used to help control the fire. The fire was contained on August 22. A second fire burned 300 acres of wheat stubble and grassland north of Madras. That fire was contained on August 20.
July 1997Heavy RainMadras-Heavy rain in Madras caused flooding of some streets and businesses.
July 1997Heavy RainOpal City-Heavy rain and lightning strikes knocked out power from Opal City to Madras. Some phone service was also down for a while.
July 2014HailCulver Chinook Arpt-no account filed
August 2013HailMadras-no account filed
August 2013HailMadras-no account filed

Mines and quarries

105 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 105 workings inside this county. 28 still produce and 77 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Mercury32
Stone27
Stone, Crushed/Broken19
Sand and Gravel, Construction12
Gold5
Silver, Antimony2
Pumice2
Mercury, Antimony, Copper, Gold, Silver1
Silver, Gold1
Silver, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Gold1
Antimony, Arsenic1
Mercury, Arsenic, Antimony, Sulfur, Gold1
Stone, Dimension1
Arsenic, Antimony1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Axehandle MineMercury, Arsenic, Antimony, Sulfur, GoldPast Producer1935, 1936
Axehandle MineMercury, Gold, Arsenic, AntimonyProducer1936, 1937
Horse Heaven MineMercury, Arsenic, AntimonyPast Producer1933, 1934
Oregon King MineSilver, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Gold, Antimony, ArsenicPast Producer1898, 1899
Oregon King MineZinc, Lead, Gold, Copper, SilverPlant1898
Priday Polka Dot BedsSemiprecious GemstoneProducer
Red JacketMercury, Antimony, Copper, Gold, SilverOccurrenceCinnabar, Limonite, Marcasite, Pyrite, Stibnite
Red Jacket MineMercury, Silver, Gold, Copper, AntimonyProspect
Roy Mining PropertySilver, GoldOccurrence1900
Roy Mining PropertySilver, GoldOccurrence
Willowdale RoseStone, DimensionPast Producer
Willowdale RoseVolcanic MaterialsProducer
Queen of OregonGold, Silver, AntimonyOccurrenceStibnite
Queen of OregonGold, Silver, AntimonyProspect
Round Butte Cinder PitPumiceProducer
Round Butte Cinder PitPumiceProducer
Gold MineGoldPast Producer
Unnamed ProspectGoldUnknown
Borrow PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Steelhead Falls PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Steelhead Falls PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Unnamed PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Unnamed PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Willow Creek QuarrySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Willow Creek QuarrySand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Culver QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Gateway QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Grody QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Jefferson County PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Madras/Prineville Hwy JctStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Metolius QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Opal SpringStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Pelton PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Qualle QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Round Butte Cinder PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Round Butte Cinder PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Schmoker QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Swanson QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unnamed PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unnamed PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unnamed PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unnamed PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unnamed PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Zimpki PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Basalt QuarryStonePast Producer
Basalt QuarryStonePast Producer
Culver QuarryStonePast Producer
Gateway QuarryStonePast Producer
GrenadaStonePast Producer
GrenadaStoneProducer
Grody QuarryStonePast Producer
Jefferson CountyStonePast Producer
Madias QuarryStonePast Producer
Madras PitStoneProducer
Madras/Prineville Hwy JctseStonePast Producer
Metolius QuarryStonePast Producer
Opal SpringStonePast Producer
PeltonStonePast Producer
Qualle QuarryStonePast Producer
QuarryStonePast Producer
QuarryStonePast Producer
QuarryStonePast Producer
QuarryStonePast Producer
QuarryStonePast Producer
SchmokerStonePast Producer
Stevenson QuarryStonePast Producer
Stevenson QuarryStoneProducer
Swanson QuarryStonePast Producer
Warm Springs QuarryStonePast Producer
Warm Springs QuarryStonePast Producer
Zimpki QuarryStonePast Producer
Big Muddy CinnabarMercuryOccurrence1935
Big Muddy CinnabarMercuryPast Producer
Cherry CreekMercuryOccurrence1943
Cherry CreekMercuryProspect
Custer YoungMercuryOccurrence1937
Custer YoungMercuryProspect
FriendMercuryOccurrence
Good Chance ProspectMercuryOccurrence1937
Good Chance ProspectMercuryProspect
Good Earth ProspectMercuryOccurrence1954
Good Earth ProspectMercuryProspect
Gray ButteMercuryOccurrence1942
Gray ButteMercuryProspect
Horse CreekMercuryOccurrenceCinnabar, Marcasite
Horse CreekMercuryProspect
HumboldtMercuryPast Producer1935
Humbolt MineMercuryPast Producer
Mercury ProspectMercuryOccurrence
Opal CreekMercuryOccurrence1940
Opal Creek ProspectMercuryUnknown
Opal MountainMercuryOccurrence1940
Opal Mountain ProspectMercuryUnknown
RedskinMercuryOccurrence1954
RedskinMercuryProspect
RoarkMercuryOccurrenceCinnabar
Roark ProspectMercuryUnknown
Roark and LowryMercuryOccurrence1941
Roark and LowryMercuryProspect
Unnamed ProspectMercuryUnknown

Every populated place in the county

18

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Jefferson County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.