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Wheeler County
The John Day River near Service Creek. (Oregon State Archives Photo No. wheD0032)
Contact
County Seat: Courthouse, 701 Adams St., Fossil 97830
Phone: 541-763-2400 (General); 541-763-2541 (Court Administrator)
Fax: 541-763-2026
E-mail: bsitton@ncesd.k12.or.us
Web: www.wheelercounty-oregon.com/
About
Population (2011): 1,435
Established: Feb. 17, 1899
Elev. at Fossil: 2,654'
Area: 1,813 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 35° July 66°
Assessed Value: $121,074,005
Real Market Value: $886,328,122
Annual Precipitation: 14.66"
Economy: Livestock and tourism
Related resources
History
Historical
Records Inventory
Scenic
Image
Economic
Information (from OBDD)
"County
Quick Facts" (from U.S.
Census Bureau)
County
Seat Map (from Yahoo!
Maps)
County
Map (from ODOT)
Incorporated cities
Fossil | Mitchell | Spray
Points of interest
Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds, John Day River
History and general information
Wheeler County was formed by the Oregon Legislature in 1899 from parts of Grant, Gilliam and Crook Counties and was named for Henry H. Wheeler, who operated the first mail stage line from The Dalles to Canyon City. The new county consisted of 1,656 square miles with an estimated 46 townships, a population of 1,600 and taxable property worth one million dollars.
Wheeler County is as rugged and uneven as any Oregon county, with the terrain varying widely from sagebrush, juniper and rim rock to stands of pine and fir. Portions of two national forests lie within its boundaries with forest lands covering nearly one-third of the county. The area is probably best known as one of the most outstanding depositories of prehistoric fossils on the North American continent.
County officials
Commissioners—Judge Chris Perry 2017, Anne Mitchell 2017, Rob Ordway 2017; Dist. Atty. Daniel Ousley 2017; Assess. Donald R. Cossitt 2015; Clerk Barbara Sitton 2017; Justices of the Peace Linda Keys 2017, Robin Ordway 2015; Sheriff Chris Humphreys 2017; Surv. Robert Bagett 2017; Treas. Nancy L. Misener 2015