Prineville in Crook County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Prineville Pioneer Memorial
was dedicated August 7, 1938
by the
Crook County Pioneer Association
in grateful remembrance of
the heroic early settlers of
the Central Oregon Country
whose bravery, intelligence and industry
blazed the trail into this wilderness
for advancing civilization and
made possible its development.
Courageous in life were they and true
our pioneers whose sun of life has set.
Today we pledge our love anew
and say “We’ll not forget, no, not forget”
The Ochoco Valley was first settled in 1867.
Most of the pioneers came from the Willamette Valley.
Prineville was first settled in 1871.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1867.
Location. 44° 18.152′ N, 120° 50.572′ W. Marker is in Prineville, Oregon, in Crook County. Marker is on NE Elm Street south of NE 3rd Street (U.S. 26), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in Pioneer Park, one block east of the Crook County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 NE 3rd Street, Prineville OR 97754, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within walking distance of this marker. Crook County Courthouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line).
More about this memorial. Marker is a metal tablet mounted on a large boulder. The marker is weathered and difficult to read.
Also see . . .
1. Prineville: The Oregon town that refused to die.
Many Oregon towns, when bypassed by the railroad, withered into tiny hamlets — but one of them built its own railroad instead. Today, Prineville is nowhere near as big and successful as its onetime rival, Bend. But it’s a live, hopping Oregon town. You could say that’s because Les Schwab started his business there, and kept it there until his death. But the secret of Prineville’s success goes back to a few years after its citizens got the disappointing news that they’d been outmaneuvered in their courtship of the railroad. This was Prineville’s cue to lay down and die. It did nothing of the kind. Instead, the city’s 1,200 citizens set out to take care of the problem themselves: they incorporated the Prineville and Eastern Railway. (Submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Prineville History.
Prineville was snubbed in 1911 when the railroad tycoons James J. Hill and Edward H. Harriman bypassed the city as they laid track south from The Dalles. In a period when the presence of a railroad meant the difference between prosperity and the eventual fate as a ghost town, in a 1917 election, Prineville residents voted 355 to 1 to build their own railway, and raised the money to connect their town to the main line 19 miles (31 km) away. Helped by timber harvests from the nearby Ochoco National Forest, the City of Prineville Railroad prospered for decades. The profits from the railroad were so abundant that between 1964 and 1968, the city levied no property taxes. (Submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 235 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.