Crooked River Country: Wranglers, Rogues, and Barons

In the early 1800s, only Native Americans, fur trappers, military expeditions, and missionaries inhabited the expanse between the Cascades and the Blue Mountains. The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 spurred a homestead boom that sparked deadly Paiute raids and range wars. Native Americans were forced onto reservations. As land became increasingly precious, "Vigilante" ranchers terrorized settlers and gained a foothold in both local and state politics. "Moonshiners" fought back. Dishonest politicians and capitalists exploited road-building laws to acquire vast timber acreage.

As new steamship and railroad lines fostered continued development, citizens erected schools and libraries, and the territory gradually became less wild. Big eastern lumber companies arrived, harvesting trees and constructing the largest pine mills in the world. Then the Great Depression, coupled with a prolonged drought, devastated the region. New Deal programs and positive repercussions from World War II eventually rekindled growth.

Today, although desolate corners and past mysteries still haunt Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, and Wheeler counties, Crooked River Country presents a captivating and thoroughly-researched saga of Central Oregon's astonishing transformation.