What Prineville is known for

As a small town outside of Bend, Oregon, Prineville has received visitors in the past and continues to see tourists today. Tourists, who are often drawn by the land, come to see the Painted Hills, which is one of the main features that attract guests to the town. This is because Prineville is located along the route leading to the natural feature. Prineville also receives visitors who are coming to various other geographical features such as the Brown Butte Hiking Trail, the Ochoco Reservoir, and the Ochoco National Forest. Prineville is known for its two breweries, which are the Ochoco Brewing Company and Crooked River Brewing. Also in the town is the local history museum that features exhibits about the railway that was built not too far away.[2] When the railway was constructed, Prineville lost the majority of its population. To save the city from being a ghost town, the people of Prineville gathered up enough money to make their own track that connected to the main railway.[1]

Two national forests are within the Prineville Destination. These are Ochoco National Forest and Malheur National Forest. Camping and hiking, along with other opportunities, are available for visitors to Ochoco National Forest, which is known for housing multiple landscapes. Ochoco National Forest is connected to the Crooked River National Grassland, which also features natural habitats. Both of these parks are protected and act as a home to wildlife.[3] Likewise, Malheur National Forest contains various species of animals. Made up of 1.7 million acres, the established area has desert grasslands, meadows, and alpine lakes. Pine, fir, sage, and junipers are only a few of the tree species in the area. The creation of Malheur National Forest was influenced by Chinese immigrants who came to Oregon around the 1870s. As a protected national forest, Malheur also offers activities like mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing, picnicking, cross-country skiing, and canoeing.[4]

Geography

The Prineville Destination is located in Oregon, one of the 50 states in the United States of America. As a region, it has an overall seashell shape, with Prineville, the town the Prineville Destination is named after, located in the west of the district near the border. In the section of Oregon that the area contains, there are two main habitats, which are deserts and forests. Prineville itself is located in a more desert area, though a forested area is nearby. Because of its shape, the Prineville Destination wraps around multiple cities, some of which are Sumpter, Willowcreek, Harper, Juntura, Burns, Riley, Powell Butte, Redmond, and Terrebonne. There are also two national forests within the destination: Ochoco National Forest and Malheur National Forest. Most of the lakes and rivers that are located within the district are in or near these national forests.

In Prineville, the average weather fluctuates throughout the year, often reaching higher temperatures in July and colder temperatures in December. With an average high of 88 degrees Fahrenheit and an average low of 25 degrees, Prineville receives rain throughout the year, specifically in November. More often than not, the highest amount of rainfall is, on average, around 1.6 inches, though it has reached above it in the past. August tends to have the least amount of rain, with an average of 0.3 inches. Snowfall occurs during the colder months of the year, specifically in November, December, January, and February. Usually, December gets around 3.7 inches of snow a year, with an average of one inch in February and November. Prineville, being located in a more desert climate, is not humid.[6] 

Living in and around Prineville are various types of animals ranging from mammals, plants, birds, and reptiles. Because Prineville is located in Crook County, some of these animals are located farther away from others. Plants that can be found in the desert in Oregon include western junipers, prickly Russsian thistles, and taper tip hawksbeards. Multiple mammals can also be found in these desert areas, along with other areas near Prineville. These include black-tailed jackrabbits, American pikas, wapitis, wild boars, northern pocket gophers, North American porcupines, and American beavers. Another relatively common type of animal that can be found are birds, specifically northern pygmy-owls, western screech-owls, burrowing owls, soras, mourning doves, California quails, helmeted guineafowls, and dusky grouses.[7]

History

Prineville, the namesake of the Prineville Destination, was established in 1877.[1] Initially, the land that Prineville is located on was inhabited by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs members. In the Treaty of 1855, these people were displaced. Prineville is currently located on the Crooked River and is encircled by remnant gravel terraces that were formed by lava flows years ago by the Newberry Volcano. As the county seat of Crook County, Prineville was founded in 1870 by Monroe Hodges. It was named after Frances Barney Prine, who was the town's first merchant. As the town grew, a post office was established in 1871, and the title was changed from its previous name to Prineville. Back when it was first established, there were only a few hundred people living within the city's borders.[8] Since then, the population has grown to a current total of 11,032 people.[5] 

In 1882, when the southern part of Wasco County was separated from Crook County, Prineville was chosen to act as the county seat. This action was confirmed through a vote that took place during the 1884 election. A courthouse was built in the town in 1885, but it was later replaced by a large stone and brick structure in 1909 due to the fact that it was constructed of wood and was deemed unsafe to hold the county's records. The newer courthouse still stands today.[8] 

During the 1890s, the Sheep and Cattle Wars took over central Oregon. Because of Prineville's location, it felt the effects of these wars, with the biggest impacts occurring in 1904. During the conflict, cattlemen killed around ten thousand sheep, along with several sheepherders. When the conflict ended in 1907, it was because stockmen were granted grazing allotments by the federal government. In these sections of land, the stockmen were permitted to exclusively graze their stock.[8] 

A significant historical event that occurred near Prineville was the power of the railroad tycoons Edward H. Harriman and James J. Hill, who bypassed the city and instead built the track south from the Dalles. During this period of time, Prineville was at risk of becoming a ghost town because of the drop in the population. In 1917, the people of Prineville voted to build their own railway. They raised enough money for the construction of the track, which connected the town to the main line 19 miles away. Timber harvests from Ochoco National Forest assisted in the construction of the City of Prineville Railroad, which led to an increase in profits, especially between 1964 and 1968, in which the city levied no property taxes. However, because of the decline in the timber industry in Oregon, the railroad lost nearly $1 million between 2002 and 2004.[1] 

Currently, agriculture and forestry are the dominant industries in Prineville, which has led to more tourism, computer server farms, and recreation, each of which has strengthened the economy. With diverse geology, Prineville has also become a rock-hunting site. Apple and Facebook have installed server farms in Prineville, having been attracted by the inexpensive power and tax breaks.[8]