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A Crook County Historical Moment
| The Great Land Rush to Central Oregon |
One of the last great land rushed
for homesteading occurred in
Central Oregon shortly after the turn
of the century. There had been an
influx of settlers in the early part of the
century but mostly in the Fort Rock
basin, but with the coming of the
railroad to Central Oregon in 1911 a
major land rush resulted. The railroad
lines of Hill and Harriman widely
advertised the area as a farmer’s
paradise.
The area was predicted to be the next
great agriculture empire of the United
States and many people desiring to
take advantage of this new opportunity
to farm the “prairies’ of Central Oregon
began an exodus to the area.
for homesteading occurred in
Central Oregon shortly after the turn
of the century. There had been an
influx of settlers in the early part of the
century but mostly in the Fort Rock
basin, but with the coming of the
railroad to Central Oregon in 1911 a
major land rush resulted. The railroad
lines of Hill and Harriman widely
advertised the area as a farmer’s
paradise.
The area was predicted to be the next
great agriculture empire of the United
States and many people desiring to
take advantage of this new opportunity
to farm the “prairies’ of Central Oregon
began an exodus to the area.
The peak of the homestead era came in the fall of 1911 when the size of homesteads was increased from
160 to 320 acres.
Within a period of two years homesteaders residences and farm buildings took shape throughout the
Central Oregon area. Towns and post offices that are now vanished started developing. The “High Desert”
had post office sites such as Rolyat, Imperial, Stauffer, Dry Lake, and Fife. Other sites developed south of
Madras including Opal City, Metolius and Hillman (later to become Terrebonne).
The vanguard of the home seekers was generally the heads of families who were often assisted by land
locators as their guides. Land locators received a fee for helping new arrivals to find homestead sites.
This land rush attracted people from throughout the United States and new immigrants from other
countries. New arrivals faced rather stark conditions in the fall of 1911. Settlers soon found the need for
water. Water had to be hauled to the drier sites and it would be many years before deep wells were to be
drilled. Fortunately the first years of the boom were accompanied by wetter than normal years but it was
soon found that growing seasons were extremely short and crop selections were limited. Efforts were
made by government agencies to find the most suitable crops but soon drier conditions returned.
Homesteaders were located on nearly every half section of land but it soon became apparent that dry land
farming was a precarious occupation and only the hearty few remained after a few years of dry
conditions. Many of the early homesteads either went back to the government or were purchased by large
ranches and the once populous desert areas that had such promise for the rush of land seekers became
grazing land and only a few reminders of the last great land rush remain.
160 to 320 acres.
Within a period of two years homesteaders residences and farm buildings took shape throughout the
Central Oregon area. Towns and post offices that are now vanished started developing. The “High Desert”
had post office sites such as Rolyat, Imperial, Stauffer, Dry Lake, and Fife. Other sites developed south of
Madras including Opal City, Metolius and Hillman (later to become Terrebonne).
The vanguard of the home seekers was generally the heads of families who were often assisted by land
locators as their guides. Land locators received a fee for helping new arrivals to find homestead sites.
This land rush attracted people from throughout the United States and new immigrants from other
countries. New arrivals faced rather stark conditions in the fall of 1911. Settlers soon found the need for
water. Water had to be hauled to the drier sites and it would be many years before deep wells were to be
drilled. Fortunately the first years of the boom were accompanied by wetter than normal years but it was
soon found that growing seasons were extremely short and crop selections were limited. Efforts were
made by government agencies to find the most suitable crops but soon drier conditions returned.
Homesteaders were located on nearly every half section of land but it soon became apparent that dry land
farming was a precarious occupation and only the hearty few remained after a few years of dry
conditions. Many of the early homesteads either went back to the government or were purchased by large
ranches and the once populous desert areas that had such promise for the rush of land seekers became
grazing land and only a few reminders of the last great land rush remain.
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A.R. Bowman Memorial Museum
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See the drop
down menu at
the top of the
page for more
local stories
of Prineville's
colorful past.
down menu at
the top of the
page for more
local stories
of Prineville's
colorful past.
Use the drop down menu for more local stories of Prineville's colorful past.
