Cloverdale is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Deschutes County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. It is located about five miles east of

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

, on

Oregon Route 126 Oregon OR 126 (OR 126) is a state highway that connects coastal, western, and central parts of the U.S. state of Oregon. A short freeway section of OR 126 in Eugene and Springfield is concurrent with Interstate 105 (I-105). Route ...

. In the late 19th century, Cloverdale became important stop on the A. J. Warrin Road, an alternative route to the

Santiam Wagon Road The Santiam Wagon Road was a freight route in the U.S. state of Oregon between the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon regions from 1865 to the 1930s. It is considered one of the most important historical routes in the state. Officially known as ...

on the way to

Prineville Prineville is a city in and the seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant located in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census. History Prineville was founded in 187 ...

. The community provided services for travelers and local

homesteaders The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of th ...

, with a store,

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop, and facilities for camping and boarding horses. By the 1920s or 1930s, the route fell into disuse and the buildings either fell down, were torn down, or moved. Cloverdale was named by R. A. Ford, a local farmer who was also a teacher and a county school superintendent. He surveyed the nearby Cloverdale Ditch, which is parallel to

Whychus Creek Whychus Creek is a tributary of the Deschutes River in Deschutes and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formerly named ''Squaw Creek'', considered derogatory in the 21st century, it was renamed in 2006. Explorer John C. Frém ...

. The ditch is used for irrigation. Crops grown in the area include clover, alfalfa, potatoes, grasses and vegetables. The one-room Old Cloverdale School was built on George Cyrus' land circa 1900 on what today is known as George Cyrus Road (a.k.a. Cloverdale Market Road). Also known as the Cyrus School, it is listed as a historic resource by Deschutes County. A new school was built in 1919. The 1919 school shares a site with the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District station and as of 2011 was in use as a preschool.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Deschutes County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon