Starkey 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 hav ...

in Union 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 Idah ...

, United States, about 26 miles southwest of La Grande. It is about two miles south of

Oregon Route 244 Oregon Route 244 (OR 244) is an Oregon state highway running from Ukiah in Umatilla County to Hilgard in Union County. OR 244 is known as the Ukiah-Hilgard Highway No. 341 (see Oregon highways and routes). It is long and runs east–w ...

in the Blue Mountains. Starkey post office was established in 1879 and named after the first postmaster, John Starkey, who settled in the area in the 1870s. The originally proposed name, Daleyville, was rejected. The post office closed in 1935. Starkey was the headquarters of the

Mount Emily Lumber Company The Mount Emily Lumber Company operated in La Grande, Oregon from 1920 until 1956. After becoming a subsidiary of the Valsetz Lumber Company in 1955, the name was changed to Templeton Lumber Company. In 1960, the company was again sold and t ...

. The population was 50 in 1919 and 75 in 1931. The town went through a significant population boom by 1940 because of a portable logging operation, but the townsite was liquidated by the

Valsetz Lumber Company Valsetz was an unincorporated community and timber company town in Polk County, Oregon, United States, west of Falls City in the Central Oregon Coast Range. It no longer exists. History ''Oregon Geographic Names'' says that the William W. Mi ...

in 1955. Today Starkey has a store and a cemetery.

References

Company towns in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Union County, Oregon 1879 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1879 Unincorporated communities in Oregon {{UnionCountyOR-geo-stub