Silver Lake 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 ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in western Lake 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, along Oregon Route 31. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 149. Facilities include a gas station and a small store, a post office, and a public school,

North Lake School North Lake School is a public school in Silver Lake, Oregon, United States that serves kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12). It is the only school in the North Lake School District, which serves Silver Lake, Christmas Valley, and Fort Rock. ...

, serving grades K-12.

History

File:Silver Lake Church (Lake County, Oregon scenic images) (lakDA0038).jpg, Community church in Silver Lake File:DSCN7245 riderwithcattleonroad e 300.jpg, Cowboy herding cattle on Highway 31 near Silver Lake The community of Silver Lake is located in the high desert of central Oregon.http://www.nlake.k12.or.us/district_information.htm The town is named for a lake of the same name that is east of town. On December 9, 1875, the post office was established. The post office location has moved at least twice, depending on where the house of the postmaster was at the time. According to ''Oregon Geographic Names'', "The most important happening in the history of the community was a fire that occurred on December 24, 1894, in which 43 people lost their lives in the burning of one building." A fire broke out at a Christmas Eve celebration inside the crowded second-floor hall above a store. Ed O'Farrell rode to Lakeview for medical help. After receiving the message, Doctor

Bernard Daly Bernard Daly (17 February 1858 – 4 January 1920) was an American country doctor, businessman, banker, rancher, state representative, state senator, county judge, and regent of Oregon State Agricultural College (today's Oregon State University) ...

drove his buggy over bad winter roads for 24 hours to reach Silver Lake. Doctor Daly's efforts to reach and treat the victims earned statewide recognition. North Lake School in Silver Lake serves approximately 260 students from the towns of Silver Lake, Christmas Valley, and

Fort Rock Fort Rock is a tuff ring located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, United States. The ring is about in diameter and stands about high above the surrounding plain. Its name is derived from the tall, straight sides that resem ...

and consists of a single K-12 school building, which opened in 1991. Sparsely populated, but seeing an increase as Bend grows, the area is ideal for those interested in the outdoors; hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, and bird watching are favorite activities of local residents. Wildlife is abundant in the area, such as

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

pronghorn antelope The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American ante ...

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

s, and

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Silver Lake has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Silver Lake, Oregon
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Transportation

Silver Lake is located southeast of Bend and north of Lakeview on Oregon Route 31.

Silver Lake Forest Service Strip Silver Lake Forest Service Strip is a public airport located three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Silver Lake in Lake County, Oregon, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U. ...

is an airport southwest of Silver Lake.

Demographics

References

External links

''New York Times'' article on fire in 1894
{{Authority control Unincorporated communities in Lake County, Oregon Census-designated places in Oregon 1875 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1875 Unincorporated communities in Oregon