Christmas Valley is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Lake County,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, United States. The community was named after nearby Christmas Lake, usually dry, east of the present town and the site of the former
Lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
post office, which ran from 1906 until 1943.
Real estate development around a
planned community
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
by
M. Penn Phillips, called Christmas Valley, started after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The Christmas Valley post office was established in 1963 as a rural station of
Silver Lake.
[
]
History
Christmas Lake, Christmas (Lake) Valley, and nearby Peter's Sink and Peter's Creek were named for pioneer stockman Peter Christman, who grazed his cattle there and had a house at Silver Lake, to the southwest.John Whiteaker
John Whiteaker (May 4, 1820October 2, 1902) was an American politician, soldier, and judge. A native of Indiana, he joined the army during the Mexican–American War and then prospected during the California Gold Rush. After moving to the Oregon ...
in a letter to the editor of the '' Eugene City Guard''.[ Whiteaker himself had an interest in the fossil beds at nearby Fossil Lake, and ranching interests in the area as well.][
The name "Christmas" was an early corruption of the name Christman that became entrenched in the vernacular by 1900. The Christman family often spelled their name with a ''T'' although some family members would omit it and use the name ''Chrisman''. Several examples of both spellings were found in print, some in government documents. Whiteaker himself referred to the lake as both "Christman Lake" and "Christmas Lake" in his letter to the editor, and unmistakably pinpointed the lake's location.][
]
Penn Phillips era
In 1961, developer M. Penn Phillips laid out the townsite, including its fanciful holiday street names (such as Candy Lane, Mistletoe Road, Comet Street, Vixen Street, etc.), the Christmas Valley Airport, a water system, a golf course, a lodge, rodeo grounds, and an artificial lake originally named Christmas Valley Lake and now called Baert Lake. Phillips aggressively promoted the community in California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
to young, would-be farmers and retirees; often providing free bus tours and flights and marketing the potential of the land as green and readily farmed. The company quickly sold out the parcels, though despite Phillips' claims that the community would soon have more than 5,000 residents, few actually moved there.[ In 1966, in an Oregon Tax Court decision about tax valuation of Christmas Lake property, Judge Edward Howell opined, "the land, at least in its present condition, is arid, dusty, windy, isolated, ndsubject to temperature extremes."][ In the early 1970s, the Phillips company faced lawsuits about misrepresentation of the property and the Phillips era is usually considered a scam.]
Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers, with yearly average temp of . Very hot summers and very cold nights and winters with snow, that skew average temps. Normal highs in summers are above with nights dipping into the teens and winter record of low . The average winter low is and high . According to the Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Christmas Valley has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
Economy
Christmas Valley is largely an alfalfa farming community. The community has a number of commercial businesses including three grocery stores, two motels, four restaurants, and a gas station. Bakery and two car repairs, Credit Union, Medical clinic and a dental clinic building. An EV Charging Station at the hardware store. Airport and 9 hole golf course.
A nine-hole golf course is maintained by Christmas Valley Park and Recreation District, as is the Christmas Valley Airport, Rodeo Grounds, Community Hall, Baert Lake and the community's twice monthly publication, ''Desert Whispers''.
Military
The Christmas Valley Air Force Station was an over-the-horizon radar
Over-the-horizon radar (OTH), sometimes called beyond the horizon radar (BTH), is a type of radar system with the ability to detect targets at very long ranges, typically hundreds to thousands of kilometres, beyond the radar horizon, which is t ...
station that was deactivated in 2002.
Tourism
Christmas Valley is near Fort Rock–Christmas Lake Valley basin, Fort Rock
Fort Rock is a tuff ring located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, 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, stra ...
, Four Craters Lava Field, and Crack in the Ground.
The community is perhaps best known by off-road all-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...
enthusiasts worldwide who ride in the Christmas Valley Sand Dunes.Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: All-Terrain Vehicles, Christmas Valley Sand Dunes
/ref> Near the Sand Dunes, Lost Forest, Thousands of Acres of Ponderosa Pines.
Education
Christmas Valley students are served by the North Lake School District.
References
External links
Christmas Valley/North Lake Chamber of CommerceChristmas Valley Park and Recreation
{{authority control
Planned communities in the United States
Unincorporated communities in Lake County, Oregon
1906 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1906
Unincorporated communities in Oregon