Morrow County, Oregon

More than a million acres of rolling plains and wide open plateaus will greet visitors to Morrow County. Bisected by the Oregon Trail and the route of Lewis and Clark, Morrow County extends from the Blue Mountains on the south to the Columbia River on the north in north-central Oregon. Named for J.L. Morrow, an early settler and member of the legislative assembly in 1885, Morrow County contains 2,049 square miles with a population of around 12,000.

As early as 1862, livestock owners in the Willamette Valley drove herds of cattle into this area to fatten on the luscious bunchgrass growing profusely over the rise and fall of the hills and valleys. Many Oregon Trail emigrants tired of the bustling cities in western Oregon and retraced their steps on the Oregon Trail to return to Morrow County with their families to make their livelihoods in the challenging environment with agriculture and ranching as their occupations. This area has become one of the fastest growing in Oregon with the technical advances in center pivot irrigation allowing for the expansion of farming and other agriculture, which are now  predominant industries. The completion of rail lines into the county in 1883 increased access to markets and encouraged wheat production. Today agriculture, food processing, coal fired generation of electricity, lumber, livestock and recreation complete the list of industries in Morrow County.

The Port of Morrow was established in 1958 on the Columbia River near Boardman. It is now the second largest port in the state in terms of tonnage and serves as a gateway to Pacific Northwest and Pacific Rim markets, according to the Oregon Blue Book.

Points of interest include outdoor recreation opportunities in the Blue Mountains and Umatilla National Forest. The Morrow County Museum in Heppner displays an extensive collection of artifacts of pioneer, homestead, agriculture and rural history. Morrow County’s cutting edge economic development is not to be overlooked. The coal fired generation plant in Boardman, the Port of Morrow, and the Willow Creek Valley economic development project in Heppner along the Blue Mountain scenic highway may also be of interest.

Oregon Blue Book

http://bluebook.state.or.us/local/counties/counties25.htm

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