Crane is an
unincorporated town and
census designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...
in
Harney 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, northeast of
Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake ( ) is one of the lakes in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, Harney County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located about southeast of Burns, Oregon, Burns, the lake is marsh fed by the Donner und Blitzen ...
on
Oregon Route 78. Its population was 116 at the 2020 census.
History
Crane was named for the prominent local features Crane Creek and Crane Creek Gap.
Crane Creek Gap is the pass between the
Harney Basin and the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of the South Fork
Malheur River.
Crane Creek is probably named for the
sandhill crane
The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), cranes of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to its habitat, such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's S ...
, which was once abundant in
eastern Oregon.
Crane post office was established in 1895 and discontinued in 1903.
When the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
was completed from
Ontario, Oregon
Ontario is the largest city in Malheur County, Oregon, Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Snake River at the Idaho border. The population was 11,645 at the 2020 censusThe city is the largest community in the region of far ea ...
, in 1916, the post office was reopened.
Until the railroad was finished to
Burns
Burns may refer to:
Astronomy
* 2708 Burns, an asteroid
* Burns (crater), on Mercury
People
* Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns
** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer
Places in the United States
* Burns, ...
in 1924, Crane was an important
livestock
Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...
shipping point,
and the town was thriving with its five restaurants, four hotels, three garages, two general merchandise stores, a warehouse, a lumber yard, livery stables, a dance hall, a newspaper, a bank and a movie theater.
In the period 1927-1931, about 300 people lived in Crane.
[ ]
Clipping
from Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...
. There was an abbreviated version published:
Clipping
from Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...
.
After a series of fires, the latest in 1938, however, the town never returned to its former prosperity.
As of 2011, the businesses in Crane included a post office, a
gas station
A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Fuel dispensers are used to ...
, which is combined with a café and tavern, a farm supply store, and a local realtor.
Taylor Perse of ''
Eugene Weekly
''Eugene Weekly'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published on Thursdays in Eugene, Oregon. It began publication in 1982 and was originally named ''What's Happening''.
Overview
The free newspaper, published every Thursday, has a circulat ...
'' stated that the community effectively reoriented itself around
Crane Union High School
Crane Union High School is a public high school in Crane, Oregon, United States. It is a boarding school that serves students from a large geographic area.
Its district is known as the Harney County Union High School District 1J, and covers much ...
.
The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
wrote that the school became "Crane's sole reason for being".
Geography
Crane is in eastern Harney County along
Oregon Route 78 (Steens Highway), which leads northwest to Burns, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
, and southeast to
U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland ...
at
Burns Junction.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the Crane CDP has an area of , all of it land. It is northeast of
Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake ( ) is one of the lakes in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, Harney County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located about southeast of Burns, Oregon, Burns, the lake is marsh fed by the Donner und Blitzen ...
and by road northeast of the main entrance to
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
By 2001, the town had some residences, the school facility, a post office, and a combined gas station and store.
Demographics
As of the 2020 census, there were 116 people, 65 housing units, and 52 families. There were 110
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
people, 1 person from some other race, and 5 people from two or more races. 4 people were
Hispanic or Latino.
The ancestry was 35.1%
Irish, 27.7%
German, 24.5%
English, 21.3%
Scottish, and 2.1%
French.
The median age was 56.5 years old. 22.3% of the population were older than 65, with 14.9% between the ages of 65 and 74, and 7.4% older than 85.
The median household income was $31,389. 24.5% of the population were in poverty.
Economy
residents typically did grocery shopping in Burns. The convenience store in Crane had some items, but not as wide of a selection compared to a supermarket.
Education
Crane Union High School
Crane Union High School is a public high school in Crane, Oregon, United States. It is a boarding school that serves students from a large geographic area.
Its district is known as the Harney County Union High School District 1J, and covers much ...
and Crane Elementary School are in Crane. The high school, which draws students from a large rural district, is a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
.
The high school is of the Harney County Union High School District 1J, while the elementary school is of Harney County School District 4. Both school districts maintain separate boards of education. As of 2002, both districts hired the same person as superintendent and principal of both districts and both schools, respectively.
A 1967 fire caused an evacuation of Crane Elementary students, along with those of Crane Union, and destroyed the building that housed both schools. In 1985 Crane Elementary had a dedicated cafeteria, with staff, separate from that of the high school. In 1985 at least one student at least lived from the school. The school did not have dormitories available for the elementary students. After a 1984 flooding incident on the grounds of Lawen Elementary School, students from that school began attending Crane Elementary, initially on a temporary basis. In 1987 voters approved a merger of the Lawen school district into the Crane elementary district, and the merger was effective in 1988.
Harney County is not in a community college district but has a "contract out of district" (COD) with
Treasure Valley Community College. TVCC operates the Burns Outreach Center in Burns.
Healthcare
In 1989, Nellie Nix of ''
The Bulletin'' described the catchment area of
Harney District Hospital in Burns as being Harney County.
In 2005, Harney District Hospital provided a traveling doctor in a mobile trailer which visited Crane and other parts of the county.
Climate
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, Crane has a
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
References
External links
Historic photo of Crane railroad depotfrom Salem Public Library
{{Authority control
Unincorporated communities in Harney County, Oregon
Census-designated places in Oregon
1895 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1895
Census-designated places in Harney County, Oregon
Unincorporated communities in Oregon