Greenhorn is a nearly unpopulated city in

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

and Grant counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. It straddles the Blue Mountain ridge, so that it is located in both Grant County and Baker County. As most of the city is situated in Baker County, and the early residents considered Baker City to be more convenient, for administrative purposes it is considered to be in Baker County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 0, with 7 housing units. As of the 2010 census, the population was 0, with 10 housing units. The population had increased to 3 by 2020.

History

Greenhorn was first populated in the 1860s as miners prospected for gold in the area. It 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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1904, though it lost two-thirds of its population between 1900 and 1910. The mining district was composed first of placer mines, but soon many lode gold mines developed. The city was incorporated in 1903 and had a population of 28 in 1910. It continued as a viable community until 1942 when gold mining was made illegal by Federal Public Law 208 during

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 ...

. In later years, the old Greenhorn Jail (dating to around 1910) was removed to Canyon City under suspicious circumstances. A court case ensued for its return, but because the city straddles the Blue Mountain ridge, the district attorneys of Baker County and Grant County could not even agree in which court house it should be held. The case was eventually heard by the Circuit Court for Grant County in Canyon City, Oregon. The jail remains in Canyon City, Oregon.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is in the

Greenhorn Mountains The Greenhorn Mountains are a mountain range of the Southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in California. They are protected within the Sequoia National Forest. Geography The range is located in eastern Kern County, California, Kern Count ...

, a small range within the broader Blue Mountains, and is surrounded by the

Malheur National Forest The Malheur National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains more than in the Blue Mountains (Pacific Northwest), Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest consists of Great Basi ...

and

Wallowa–Whitman National Forest The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho. Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of Oregon, in W ...

. At above sea level, Greenhorn is the highest incorporated city in Oregon. It is also unique in that the city was established on land that was originally patented from the United States for the purpose of platting the city (rather than being homesteaded by individuals). (See ''Town of Greenhorn v. Baker County'', 596 F2D 349.)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were no people living in the city. The same was true in 2010. As of 2013, the ''

Baker City Herald The ''Baker City Herald'' is a tri-weekly paper published in Baker City, 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 delinea ...

'' reported that Greenhorn had two "year-round" residents. The ''Herald'' reported at that time that the community had about 13 cabins and 20 part-time residents. Three residents lived in the town as of the 2020 census.https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:41&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108

Government

As of 2015, Zack Koellermeier and Brad Poyser of

Oregon City Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 37,572. Established in 1829 ...

, Nathan Wright of La Grande, and Keith Rofinot of Tigard serve on the city council. Mayor Dale McLouth lives in Molalla.

References

External links

Entry for Greenhorn
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...