BURNS, Ore. — This remote town isn’t named for a fire, but it was indirectly caused by one.
Flames destroyed the Post Office a few miles to the Southwest at a place called Egan. A new Post Office was established here in 1884 where a mercantile store was already located. Having these necessities in one place convinced more people to settle. It quickly became a place that needed a name.
The mercantile was owned by George McGowan and Pete Stenger, thus naming rights fell to them. McGowan proposed to call the new place after his favorite poet from his native Scotland: Robert Burns. Stenger agreed.
According to the historical photograph book Harney County, a volume of Arcadia’s popular local “Images of America” series, the partnership did not last long. Perhaps it was a victim of its own success.
McGowan went on to found a hardware store after the partnership ended. Stenger continued to operate the mercantile. He served as one of the town’s first councilmen and his wife Alameda operated Burns’ first hotel.
Harney County has a picture of the house built by Stenger’s accumulated wealth. Constructed in 1889, it was only the second two-story building in Burns. And the caption for that photo contains one of the more intriguing asides of all time.
“Stenger is also said to be responsible for killing one of the first men buried in the Burns cemetery,” teases Karen Nitz, author and local librarian.
Burns preceded the establishment of Harney County but not by much. In 1889, the massive Grant County was divided into two still very large counties. Even after the division, you could still cram more than eight Rhode Islands into the space.
Good luck finding accommodations for all of those Rhode Islanders, though. Over 1.2 million Americans call the smallest state their home. All of Harney County has maybe 8,000 residents if we’re rounding up.
Burns is the county seat, having won that distinction in a contested election that had to be adjudicated by the Oregon Supreme Court in 1890 – by six votes.
The surrounding area is high desert region, about 4,000 feet above sea level with seemingly endless miles of ranches and scrub brush between impressive plateaus.
Winter is not the ideal time to go to Harney County. Though the area doesn’t get much precipitation, what snow it gets sticks around because of freezing, frequently subzero temperatures. A good number of businesses close down for the season. Many residents who can go to warmer places do so.
The other seasons are a different story — a better story.
Burns is a good launching-off point for folks who want to take in the natural world, high desert division. You can explore the desert floor, hike up the plateaus, or just look at the birds. The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, when it is not being occupied by armed militants, is the site of several spectacular bird migrations every year. Teddy Roosevelt was so taken with the natural display that he made it a refuge in the first place in 1908
Every September, the Harney County Fairgrounds host a fair, rodeo and races, all of which sound promising. In a county where cattle outnumber people something like 14-to-1, the horse handling skills should be something to watch.
There are other things that, while not draws on their own, don’t hurt. Hotel rates are reasonable here, even during an armed standoff. A number of local restaurants have both personality and prices that won’t break your wallet. Older buildings may be appreciated by fans of historic architecture.
As for the people, Nitz writes that the “geographic isolation of Harney County fostered a sense of independence among the early settlers, as well as a great sense of community,” and that seems bang on. Visit Burns today, as the Washington Examiner did under far from ideal circumstances, and you will find both of these cherished traits still front-and-center.
