Horse Heaven, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Horse Heaven is a ghost town
in Jefferson County
in the U.S. state
of Oregon
. The settlement, which had a post office from 1938 to 1946, is 46 miles (74 km) east of Madras
and 18 miles (29 km) east of Ashwood
.
According to a letter written in 1946 by the Horse Heaven postmaster, Frank E. Lewis, the name for the settlement stemmed from herds of horses that thrived on the local grasses and drank from unfenced spring
s. Mary E. Finnall, the first postmaster, received the Horse Heaven mail twice a week from Ashwood. Homesteaders settled in the general vicinity, but most had moved away by 1946, when the post office closed. Horse Heaven Mountain and Horse Heaven Creek take their name from the settlement.
After two men discovered cinnabar
, an ore of mercury
, in the area in 1933, mercury production began there in 1934. Two years later, Horse Heaven Mines, a subsidiary of Sun Oil Company, took over and continued mining until 1944, when fire destroyed the ore-processing furnace, power plant, and other structures. The mine closed in 1945 but re-opened in 1955 with a new furnace. Much of the mine collapsed between then and 1958, when the mine closed again.
The Horse Heaven Mine site covers about 40 acres (16.2 ha). A seasonal residential cabin as well as outbuildings and historic structures related to the mining era are nearby. Most of the mining and processing equipment is gone. In 2005 the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recommended remedial action involving mercury and arsenic
in mine wastes at the site.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Oregon
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 21,720. It is named after Mount Jefferson. The seat of the county is Madras.-History:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. The settlement, which had a post office from 1938 to 1946, is 46 miles (74 km) east of Madras
Madras, Oregon
Madras is a city in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. Originally called The Basin after the circular valley the city is located in, it is unclear as to whether Madras was named in 1903 for the cotton fabric called "Madras" that originated in the Madras area in India, or from the city of...
and 18 miles (29 km) east of Ashwood
Ashwood, Oregon
Ashwood is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States, northeast of Madras. It is considered a ghost town.Ashwood was named for its proximity to Ash Butte, a butte with volcanic ash deposits on its sides, and to honor Whitfield T. Wood, who settled in the area in the...
.
According to a letter written in 1946 by the Horse Heaven postmaster, Frank E. Lewis, the name for the settlement stemmed from herds of horses that thrived on the local grasses and drank from unfenced spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
s. Mary E. Finnall, the first postmaster, received the Horse Heaven mail twice a week from Ashwood. Homesteaders settled in the general vicinity, but most had moved away by 1946, when the post office closed. Horse Heaven Mountain and Horse Heaven Creek take their name from the settlement.
After two men discovered cinnabar
Cinnabar
Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...
, an ore of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
, in the area in 1933, mercury production began there in 1934. Two years later, Horse Heaven Mines, a subsidiary of Sun Oil Company, took over and continued mining until 1944, when fire destroyed the ore-processing furnace, power plant, and other structures. The mine closed in 1945 but re-opened in 1955 with a new furnace. Much of the mine collapsed between then and 1958, when the mine closed again.
The Horse Heaven Mine site covers about 40 acres (16.2 ha). A seasonal residential cabin as well as outbuildings and historic structures related to the mining era are nearby. Most of the mining and processing equipment is gone. In 2005 the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recommended remedial action involving mercury and arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
in mine wastes at the site.
External links
- Horse Heaven Mine environmental clean-up site information from Oregon Department of Environmental QualityOregon Department of Environmental QualityThe Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is the chief regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's natural resources and managing sanitary and toxic waste disposal. The agency employs approximately 700 scientists,...