Wheeler County, Oregon

51 topographic sheets cover 13 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

2 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Oregon within the United States

Wheeler County within Oregon

What the record shows

144 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 buildings.
1 of the 2 listings was added during the 1970s.
The Geographic Names Information System records 13 populated places in this county; 13 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

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	Property	Type	Listed	Reference
	Fossil Public School	building	2013	13000312
	Thomas Benton Hoover House	building	1978	78002328

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

1,160 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1,160 of them, burning about 244,673 acres. 875 started naturally and 6 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Natural	875
Recreation and ceremony	111
Debris and open burning	49
Equipment and vehicle use	45
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	44
Smoking	20
Arson/incendiarism	6
Power generation/transmission/distribution	4
Other causes	3
Misuse of fire by a minor	2
Fireworks	1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
17 August 2018	Natural	45,973 acres	Prineville District	JENNIES PEAK
14 July 2014	Natural	30,251 acres	Prineville District	0368 PINE CREEK
10 August 1996	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	22,000 acres	Umatilla National Forest	WHEELER POINT
20 June 2017	Equipment and vehicle use	15,200 acres	Prineville District	0301 RHOADES CANYON
24 August 2011	Natural	11,000 acres	Prineville District	0494
18 July 2000	Natural	10,470 acres	Prineville District	2 HORSE MT
14 July 2014	Natural	10,277 acres	Oregon Department of Forestry Salem Headquarters	BAILEY BUTTE
4 August 2000	Debris and open burning	7,900 acres	John Day Unit	TAMARACK CREEK

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

Storms, 1957 to 2022

48 of 48 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 48 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 1 injury and about $1,017,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Hail	22
Flood	7
Flash Flood	6
Thunderstorm Wind	6
Lightning	2
Heavy Rain	2
Wildfire	2
Tornado	1

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

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 1997	Lightning	Spray	1 killed	A man and the horse he was riding were killed when they were struck by lightning on May Ridge.
June 2006	Hail	Service Creek	1 hurt	A group rafting the John Day River encountered large hail and strong winds at Burnt Ranch Rapids. Wind blown spume and spray from the river reduced visibility to 40 yards. One hail stone hit a rafter's head and caused swelling.
April 2019	Flood	Spray	$1,000,000	Numerous sections of Oregon Highway 19 and 207 were closed due to water over road and damage to road surfaces. Numerous county roads were damaged with rock and mudslides as well as plugged culverts. Flooding was reported in the city park in Spray.
June 2007	Flash Flood	Richmond	$6,000	Rainfall of 1.75 inches in 2 hours and 2.60 inches storm total. Public property damage occurred due to several county roads being washed out in the Twickenham area.
April 2019	Flash Flood	Mitchell	$5,000	Total rainfall of 1.67 inches was recorded just east of Mitchell. This heavy rain over a short period of time triggered a flash flood through Huddleston Heights and Nelson Street, and off of High Street and Rosenbaum with mud and debris blocking roads in and around the town of Mitchell.
April 2001	Flash Flood	Spray	$5,000	no account filed
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Fossil	$1,000	A power pole was blown down due to strong winds. In addition, 0.50 inches of rain fell in 15-20 minutes.
July 2022	Hail	Richmond	-	An amateur radio operator reported hail stones up to 1 inch in diameter 3 miles N of Spray, OR.
May 2020	Flood	Service Creek	-	John Day River at Service Creek crested at 13.6 feet at 0900 on the 21st. Flood stage is 11.5 feet.
March 2017	Flood	Spray	-	The John Day river near Service Creek, ( flood stage 11.5) crested at 12.0 feet at 1815 on March 16th, fell below flood stage and then rose again to 12.1 feet at 1900 on March 19th. Fell below flood stage 0600 on the 20th.
February 2017	Flood	Service Creek	-	The John Day River at Service Creek briefly rose to 12.2 feet (flood stage is 11.5 feet). This was the result of an ice jam near Monument Oregon, blocking the river and then breaking free, sending the large volume of water downstream.
June 2017	Hail	Clarno	-	Estimated hail of 1.00 inch reported at Hancock Field Station, 2 miles ENE of Clarno in Wheeler county. Very heavy rain with minor flooding also occurred.
June 2016	Tornado (EF0)	Waterman	-	We received a lower quality cell phone video captured from the general public that showed what could potentially be a tornado. The observer felt very confident that it was. No damage reported as it was over rural area.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Waterman	-	Driver witnessed the tornado then drove through the rear flank downdraft where they observed damaging wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph.
July 2012	Hail	Mitchell	-	Hail accompanied by heavy rainfall and downed one tree limb.
April 2012	Hail	Fossil	-	Observer also reported minor flooding on Butte Creek. The hail caused damage to an RV.
January 2011	Flood	Spray	-	Only minor flooding observed. The John Day River at Service Creek crested at 13.72 which was 2.22 feet above flood stage.
May 2011	Flood	Spray	-	The John Day River near Service Creek crested at 15.2 on May 17th, which was 3.7 feet above flood stage.
June 2010	Flood	Service Creek	-	The John Day River at Service Creek crested at 12.5 feet on June 5 at 5 am. Flood stage is 11.5 feet.
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Service Creek	-	Spotter reported estimated gust to 65 mph.
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Service Creek	-	Trained spotter reported gust to 69 mph.
June 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Spray	-	Six large juniper trees were uprooted or split. Other trees lost large limbs. A 25 foot section of 1/8 inch steel panel was blown off a cow shelter.
June 2006	Hail	Fossil	-	Power lines downed.
June 2006	Hail	Service Creek	-	Hail accompanied by estimated 55 mph wind gust.
July 2002	Wildfire	Richmond	-	The Priest Hole Fire was a lightning sparked fire which consumed 680 acres.
August 2002	Flash Flood	Spray	-	Flash Flooding was reported between Spray and Service Creek.
July 2002	Hail	Kinzua	-	Half-dollar size hail was reported by a weather spotter.
July 2001	Lightning	Spray	-	Lightning caused a 6000 acre fire that burned for around 5 days near Sentinal Peak.
May 1998	Heavy Rain	Waterman	-	A thunderstorm produced heavy rain and 1/4 inch hail that covered the ground in Mitchell. The heavy rain washed out some culverts along the west branch of Bridge Creek south of Mitchell.
May 1998	Heavy Rain	Richmond	-	Heavy rain caused a mudslide that closed both lanes of Highway 26 thirty-eight miles east of Mitchell at mile post 26.
August 1998	Wildfire	Clarno	-	More than 8,000 acres burned in the Clarno area. Warm temperatures, dry air, and wind hampered fire fighting efforts. One outbuilding and a private vehicle were destroyed by the fire. Three air tankers and a helicopter were used to help put out the fire.
July 1998	Hail	Fossil	-	Dize sized hail fell in Fossil with heavy rain.
July 1998	Flash Flood	Northeast Portion	-	A three foot wall of water came down Alder Creek and the water level stayed up for two and a half hours.
August 1997	Hail	Winlock	-	Weather spotters reported hail between 0.5 and 1.25 inches.
May 2020	Hail	Spray	-	no account filed
June 2016	Hail	Waterman	-	no account filed
May 2015	Hail	Fossil	-	no account filed
June 2015	Hail	Spray	-	no account filed
August 2007	Hail	Winlock	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Service Creek	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Service Creek	-	no account filed
June 2004	Flash Flood	Mitchell	-	no account filed
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Mitchell	-	no account filed
August 2004	Hail	Fossil	-	no account filed
August 2003	Hail	Mitchell	-	no account filed
June 1999	Hail	Fossil	-	no account filed
June 1999	Hail	Fossil	-	no account filed
April 1957	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed

Mines and quarries

98 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 98 workings inside this county. 24 still produce and 74 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity	Workings
Stone	26
Stone, Crushed/Broken	22
Mercury	16
Gold	13
Zeolites	5
Sand and Gravel, Construction	4
Uranium	3
Silver	2
Gemstone	2
Silica	2
Gold, Copper, Lead	1
Gold, Copper, Silver, Lead	1
Lead, Zinc	1
Gold, Silver	1

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

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Birch Creek Mining Co.	Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc	Occurrence	Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite
Birch Creek Mining Co. Property	Gold, Lead, Zinc, Silver	Prospect
Rosa D.	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Shoo Fly Creek	Limestone, General	Occurrence
Spanish Gulch Placers	Gold, Platinum, Silver, Chromium	Producer	Chromite, Gold
Spanish Gulch Placers	Gold, Chromium, PGE, Silver	Past Producer
Spanish Gulch Project/Andrews Mine	Gold, Copper, Silver, Lead	Past Producer	Vein
Spanish Gulch Project/Andrews Mine	Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper	Prospect
Unnamed Quarry	Semiprecious Gemstone	Past Producer
Waterman Mine	Gold, Lead, Copper	Past Producer
Waterman Prospect	Gold, Copper, Lead	Occurrence	Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite
Agate Claim	Gemstone	Past Producer
Antone Quartz Blowout	Silica	Occurrence
Antone Quartz Blowout	Silica	Occurrence
Crystal Peak	Gemstone	Occurrence
Rosa D.	Gold, Silver	Past Producer
Unknown	Uranium	Occurrence
Unnamed Uranium Occurrence	Uranium	Occurrence
Uranium Occurrence	Uranium	Occurrence
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Spray/Kimberly Hwy	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Spray/Kimberly Hwy Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Deep Creek Tuff	Zeolites	Occurrence	Clinoptilolite
Deep Creek Tuff	Zeolites	Occurrence
Dutch Flat Tuff	Zeolites	Unknown
Parrish Creek Tuff	Zeolites	Unknown
Squaw Creek Tuff	Zeolites	Unknown
Gold Prospect	Gold	Occurrence
Rock & Birch Creek Placers	Gold	Past Producer
Rock & Burch Creek Placers	Gold	Past Producer
Unnamed Prospect	Gold	Occurrence
Unnamed Prospect	Gold	Past Producer
Waterman 1-10	Gold	Past Producer
Bear Claims	Mercury	Occurrence	Cinnabar, Limonite, Pyrite
Bear Claims	Mercury	Prospect
Beaver Guard	Mercury	Occurrence	Cinnabar, Limonite
Beaver Guard Prospect	Mercury	Prospect
Gage Ranch	Mercury	Occurrence	1940
Gage Ranch Prospect	Mercury	Occurrence
Howard Ranch	Mercury	Occurrence
Howard Ranch Prospect	Mercury	Occurrence
Lucky Lost	Mercury	Occurrence
Lucky Lost Mine	Mercury	Occurrence
Mc Timmonds Ranch	Mercury	Occurrence	1938
Mctimmonds Ranch Prospect	Mercury	Prospect
Mercury King	Mercury	Occurrence	Cinnabar
Mercury King Prospect	Mercury	Prospect
Ribelin	Mercury	Occurrence	1930
Ribelin Prospect	Mercury	Prospect
Antone Junction Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Cripple Creek Vien	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Prospect
Dry Gulch Bridge	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Fossil Rock Products Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Mortimer Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Mortimer Ranch Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Mp 93.3 Spray/Kimberly Hwy	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Ordway Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Painted Hill Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Spray Rock Production Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unnamed Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Prospect
Antone Junction	Stone	Past Producer
Basalt Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Basalt Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Basalt Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Basalt Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Dry Gulch Bridge	Stone	Past Producer
Fossil Rock Product	Stone	Past Producer
Mortimer Pit	Stone	Past Producer
Mortimer Ranch	Stone	Past Producer
Mp 93.3 Spray/Kimberly	Stone	Past Producer
Ordway Pit	Stone	Past Producer
Painted Hill	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Richard Rock/Mitchell-Service Cr.	Stone	Producer
Richland Rock/Mitchell-Service Creek Hwy	Stone	Past Producer
Shoo Fly Creek	Stone	Past Producer
Slide Mountain Quarry	Stone	Past Producer
Spray Rock Production	Stone	Past Producer
Unnamed Quarry Quarry	Stone	Past Producer

Every populated place in the county

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.

Antone

Mitchell census division · 97750 · On Fred Creek · Antone quadrangle

15 sheets, 1932 to 1992

No longer a settlement
Caleb

Mitchell census division · 97750 · Near Rhine Hollow · Frog Hollow quadrangle

10 sheets, 1953 to 1990

No longer a settlement
Fossil

Fossil census division · 97830 · On Cottonwood Creek · Fossil South quadrangle

11 sheets, 1926 to 1987
Kinzua

Fossil census division · 97830 · On Searcy Creek · Kinzua quadrangle

11 sheets, 1926 to 1987

No longer a settlement
Lost Valley

Fossil census division · 97830 · Lonerock quadrangle

9 sheets, 1953 to 1995

No longer a settlement
Mitchell

Mitchell census division · 97750 · On Keyes Creek · Mitchell quadrangle

13 sheets, 1926 to 1992
Richmond

Mitchell census division · 97874 · On Cary Creek · Richmond quadrangle

10 sheets, 1953 to 1990
Service Creek

Mitchell census division · 97830 · On Service Creek · Service Creek quadrangle

11 sheets, 1926 to 1987
Spoos Mill

Mitchell census division · 97750 · On Keeton Creek · Frog Hollow quadrangle

10 sheets, 1953 to 1990
Spray

Mitchell census division · 97874 · On Cry Creek · Spray quadrangle

10 sheets, 1953 to 1990
Twickenham

Mitchell census division · 97750 · Near James Canyon · Sutton Mountain quadrangle

12 sheets, 1926 to 1987
Waldron

Mitchell census division · 97874 · On Tamarack Creek · Toney Butte quadrangle

12 sheets, 1926 to 1988

No longer a settlement
Waterman

Mitchell census division · 97750 · On Waterman Flat · Frog Hollow quadrangle

10 sheets, 1953 to 1990

No longer a settlement

The vanished settlements of Wheeler 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.