Posted on 05.10.21 by Harney SWCD

Harney County has some wonderful sites.  Have you ever wondered how some of them were named?

Harney County’s Catlow Valley was named for cattle rancher and miner John Catlow. Catlow came from England and had extensive land holdings in HC. The valley covers 1300 square miles and is near Hart Mt, Steens Mt. and Beatty’s Butte. A number of archaeological specimens were found there in the 1930’s

There is a Jackass Creek, Jackass Mountain and Jackass Butte near Frenchglen. They were all named for donkeys who escaped prospectors and became feral.

Charles Fields was a homesteader and allowed his place to be used as a stage stop. John Smyth purchased it in 1911 and named it after Fields when a post office was established in 1913. Today we know it as a place that serves up bodacious burgers and shakes.
https://www.facebook.com/thefieldsstation

Acty Mountain is near the Oregon/Nevada border. It is 7019 feet in elevation. The Mountain, Spring and cow camp are named for pioneer Herman Acty. It is also labeled Ackley Mountain.

Many of Harney County’s places were named for postmasters (or relation to postmasters). Buchanan, for instance was named for the first postmaster Hattie Buchanan or her family. The Post Office closed in 1919 but many people still refer to the shop owned by the Oard family as Buchanan.

Harney County’s Myrtle Park and the beautiful accompanying trail were named for Minnie Myrtle (born Teresa Dyer 5/2/1845-5/15/1882). She was a poet but was also known for her tempestuous 8 year marriage to poet Cincinnatus Heine Miller (who is best known to us as Joaquin Miller).