Sparta 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
Baker County,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, United States.
It was named for
Sparta, Illinois
Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,095 at the 2020 census.
The city was the principal filming location for the 1967 film '' In the Heat of the Night''.
Consumer ammunition manufacturer Underwood a ...
, by
William H. Packwood, a prominent Oregon
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
who visited the gold diggings at the
Powder River there in 1871.
By 1873, the population was 300 and the town had a general store, a hotel, a meat market, and a brewery; food came from the nearby
Eagle Valley.
The town was
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...
ted in 1872,
and the post office was established in 1872 and ran until 1952.
[ The post office was originally named "Gem" in 1871 and was moved about a mile east when it was renamed Sparta to match the established community.]
See also
*List of ghost towns in Oregon
According to several historians, the U.S. state of Oregon contains over 200 ghost towns, more than any other state in the country. Professor and historian Stephen Arndt has counted a total of 256 ghost towns in the state, some well known, others ...
References
External links
Historic image of Sparta
from Salem Public Library
Unincorporated communities in Baker County, Oregon
1872 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1872
Unincorporated communities in Oregon
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