Danner, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Danner is an unincorporated
community located in Malheur County
, Oregon
, United States
, near Jordan Valley
.
-Oregon-Nevada
highway ran through Danner, following the route of the Skinner Toll Road which opened the area for settlement in 1863.
Danner is the location of the grave of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
, the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
as the infant son of Sacagawea
. He died here in 1866 at the age of 61 after developing pneumonia while passing through the area. His gravesite was located, marked and fenced off through the efforts of Danner residents Kirt and Johanna Skinner, and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places
on March 14, 1973. Charbonneau's grave lies among five other graves near the "Inskip Station", a fortified stone ranch house that operated as a stage station in the 1860s. Inskip's property was later known as the Ruby Ranch. A plaque marks the remains of Inskip Station within sight of the resting place of Charbonneau.
A town had been platted and promoted as Ruby Townsite by Harley J. Hooker, who sold land for $1.25 per acre when the Jordan Valley Irrigation District began constructing an irrigation dam and canal system near Danner about 1910. The proposed agricultural town never grew as anticipated, however, since the high desert's harsh climate did not allow farmers to produce a wide enough range of crops. Hooker built a single story lava rock office building in Danner about 1915. After his death in 1919 it was used as the Danner community hall for a number of years. It became unsafe and was demolished a few years ago.
The name of the community comes from John H. Danner, an early area postmaster. The Postal Service denied an application to call the post office Ruby for the nearby Ruby Ranch, but in 1920 the post office name Danner was approved.
By the 1930s Danner boasted a general store run by Jesse Anderson, a Danish immigrant. The building he constructed is still standing today, a half mile south of the site of Inskip Station.
) bypasses Danner by 3 miles. Although Danner no longer has its own post office, store or school, it is still a recognized community inhabited by numerous families, most of whom operate cattle ranches. Schools and other services are provided by Jordan Valley
17 miles to the northeast.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
community located in Malheur County
Malheur County, Oregon
Malheur County is a county located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon. Most of the county observes the Mountain Time Zone, although the southern quarter of the county observes the Pacific Time Zone along with the...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near Jordan Valley
Jordan Valley, Oregon
Jordan Valley is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Ontario, OR–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city was named after Jordan Creek, a tributary of Owyhee River, which runs through the city; the creek is named for a 19th century prospector, Michael M. Jordan...
.
History
The old IdahoIdaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
-Oregon-Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
highway ran through Danner, following the route of the Skinner Toll Road which opened the area for settlement in 1863.
Danner is the location of the grave of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was an American explorer and guide, fur trapper and trader, military scout during the Mexican-American War, alcalde of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, and a gold prospector and hotel operator in California. He spoke French and English, and learned German and Spanish...
, the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
as the infant son of Sacagawea
Sacagawea
Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...
. He died here in 1866 at the age of 61 after developing pneumonia while passing through the area. His gravesite was located, marked and fenced off through the efforts of Danner residents Kirt and Johanna Skinner, and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 14, 1973. Charbonneau's grave lies among five other graves near the "Inskip Station", a fortified stone ranch house that operated as a stage station in the 1860s. Inskip's property was later known as the Ruby Ranch. A plaque marks the remains of Inskip Station within sight of the resting place of Charbonneau.
A town had been platted and promoted as Ruby Townsite by Harley J. Hooker, who sold land for $1.25 per acre when the Jordan Valley Irrigation District began constructing an irrigation dam and canal system near Danner about 1910. The proposed agricultural town never grew as anticipated, however, since the high desert's harsh climate did not allow farmers to produce a wide enough range of crops. Hooker built a single story lava rock office building in Danner about 1915. After his death in 1919 it was used as the Danner community hall for a number of years. It became unsafe and was demolished a few years ago.
The name of the community comes from John H. Danner, an early area postmaster. The Postal Service denied an application to call the post office Ruby for the nearby Ruby Ranch, but in 1920 the post office name Danner was approved.
By the 1930s Danner boasted a general store run by Jesse Anderson, a Danish immigrant. The building he constructed is still standing today, a half mile south of the site of Inskip Station.
Current status
Today's main highway (US-95U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 is a north–south U.S. highway in the western United States. Unlike many other US highways, it has not seen deletion or replacement on most of its length by an encroaching Interstate highway corridor, due to its mostly rural course...
) bypasses Danner by 3 miles. Although Danner no longer has its own post office, store or school, it is still a recognized community inhabited by numerous families, most of whom operate cattle ranches. Schools and other services are provided by Jordan Valley
Jordan Valley, Oregon
Jordan Valley is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Ontario, OR–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city was named after Jordan Creek, a tributary of Owyhee River, which runs through the city; the creek is named for a 19th century prospector, Michael M. Jordan...
17 miles to the northeast.