Stockmen arrived in southeastern Oregon in the 1870s, including Spanish-speaking vaqueros from big California ranchos, transforming it into a vast livestock empire. The 1878 Bannock War proved disastrous for the Northern Paiute when the government abolished their Malheur Reservation and opened the land to cattlemen. During the 1870s and 1880s, the high desert sprouted a few small towns. As southeastern Oregon’s population grew, conflicts over water-rights, open range, and land ownership marked its history during the 1890s.
A Hard Country to Settle:
The rugged country of southestern Oregon had little going for it in the way of enticements to lure settlement.
Founding a Cattle Kingdom, 1870s-1880s:
Early Harney and Malheur county ranches were huge livestock operations in terms of herd size, water rights, and acres. They were owned by distant investors and run by experienced junior partners or trusted employees on the scene.
Social Costs of the Cattlemen's Era:
The participation of some Northern Paiute in the “Bannock War” of 1878 gave Oregon politicians an excuse to dissolve the Malheur Reservation thus opening up large tracts of land to new settlement.
Social Contributions of the Cattlemen's Era:
Cattlemen brought with them a way of doing business that broadened the region’s gender and ethnic diversity.
A Distinct, Dispersed Community Takes Shape, 1885-1910:
During the late-nineteenth century, southeastern Oregon towns and villages grew in support of the large ranching operations.
