Durkey Valley
Durkey Valley
Raymond Hotel in Bourne
Raymond Hotel in Bourne
Richland, Eagle Valley Bank
Richland, Eagle Valley Bank
Grand Hotel in Granite
Grand Hotel in Granite
Cornucopia
Cornucopia
Sumpter Fire, 8-13-1917
Sumpter Fire, 8-13-1917
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Gallery #2--SMALL TOWNS & GHOST TOWNS

CLICK an image at left to enter Gallery #2 at that record.

1,101 photographs. These photographs show Baker County's small towns and ghost towns, but some photographs are of places in Grant, Malheur, and Union counties. Most of the photos were taken between the late 1860's and the early 1900's.
Baker County's small towns, with populations from 200-500, include: Durkee, Haines, Halfway, Huntington, Richland, Robinette (under water), Sumpter, and Unity.

Sumpter (384 photographs) is seen at the turn of the 20th century as a thriving town of several thousand inhabitants with a vibrant business district. That all changed dramatically when on August 13, 1917, fire almost completely destroyed the town. It was a disaster from which it never recovered to its pre-fire glory.

Well-represented ghost towns are the former mining camps of Granite (54 photographs), Cornucopia (53), Bourne (37), and Greenhorn City (35).

Other ghost towns, mostly abandoned mining camps, include: Auburn, Carson, Clarksville, Copperfield, Cornucopia, Greenhorn City, Homestead, McEwen, Rye Valley, Sparta, and Whitney. A few photographs are of ghost towns in neighboring counties: Malheur City, Meacham, Medical Springs, and Susanville.



Baker County Library District, 2400 Resort St., Baker City, OR 97814 -- Ph. 541-523-6419 -- www.bakerlib.org -- Send comments to:   gdielman@bakerlib.org