Valley Falls is a small

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 settled area is located at the junction of U.S. Route 395 and

Oregon Route 31 Oregon Route 31 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon that runs between the Central Oregon cities of La Pine and Lakeview. OR 31 traverses most of the Fremont Highway No. 19 of the Oregon state highway system, named after ...

. The community is named for a small falls on the

Chewaucan River The Chewaucan River is part of the Great Basin drainage. It flows through the Fremont–Winema National Forests, Bureau of Land Management land, and private property in southern Oregon. Its watershed consists of of conifer forest, marsh, and ...

just north of the occupied site. East of Valley Falls, the cliff face of

Abert Rim Abert Rim in Lake County, Oregon is one of the highest fault scarps in the United States. It rises above the valley floor, finishing with an sheer-sided basalt cap. It was formed during the Miocene epoch. At that time basaltic flood lavas cove ...

overlooks the community.

History

The area around Valley Falls was occupied by Native Americans for up to 11,000 years prior to the arrival of white settlers. Archaeological evidence shows that the peak period for use by native tribes was between 2,000 and 500 years ago. During that period, the people who lived in the Valley Falls area were probably ancestors of the Klamath and

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language ** Modoc Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc * Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Modocs", ri ...

peoples. Most of these Native Americans lived in pit-houses along the shore of

Abert Lake Lake Abert (also known as Abert Lake) is a large, shallow, alkali lake in Lake County, Oregon, Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is approximately long and wide at its widest point. It is located northeast of the small, unincorporated comm ...

, just north of Valley Falls."Abert Rim", Oregon History Marker, Oregon Travel Information Council, Outback Scenic Byway, near Valley Falls, Oregon, 12 July 2014. There are also a number of ancient

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s near Valley Falls. The Abert Lake Petroglyphs, at the foot of Abert Rim, are thought to be over 10,000 years old."Abert Lake Petroglyph Site", National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Lakeview District, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the Interior, Lakeview, Oregon, 20 November 1974. In 1832, John Work led his

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

trapping brigade through the Valley Falls area. Work recorded the visit in his journal. In 1843, Captain

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

explored the area around Valley Falls. Fremont name Abert Rim and nearby Abert Lake after the head of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

topographical engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers was a branch of the United States Army authorized on 4 July 1838. It consisted only of officers who were handpicked from West Point and was used for mapping and the design and construction of federal ...

, Colonel

John J. Abert John James Abert (17 September 1788 – 27 January 1863) was an American soldier. He headed the Corps of Topographical Engineers for 32 years, during which time he organized the mapping of the American West. Abert was born in Shepherdstown, Vir ...

. The community was founded and named by C. W. E. Jennings, who opened a store at the site around 1908. It was named for a small falls on the Chewaucan River approximately north of the community. In 1909, a post office was established at Valley Falls. The office was located near the base of Abert Rim. The first postmaster was Ernest L.H. Meyer. However, Jennings later took over from Meyer. At its peak, the community of Valley Falls had a hotel, livery stable, and a dance hall in addition to the Jennings' store and post office. The area was surveyed for a railroad, but it was never built. In 1942, the post office was moved approximately one mile west to the junction of U.S. Route 395 and Oregon Route 31. The Valley Falls post office was closed in 1943.

Geography

The unincorporated community of Valley Falls is located at the junction of U.S. Route 395 and Oregon Route 31 in the high desert country of Lake County in south-central Oregon. There are only five structures at the site. Valley Falls is north of

Lakeview, Oregon Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,418 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The city bills itself as the "Tallest Town in Oregon" because of its elevation ...

, on Route 395; southeast of

Paisley, Oregon Paisley is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is along Oregon Route 31 between Summer Lake and Lake Abert. The population was 250 at the 2020 census. History There are two theories regarding the origin of the name "Paisley". On ...

, on Route 31; and southwest of

Burns, Oregon Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, Harney County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 2,730. Burns and the nearby city of Hines, Oregon, Hines are ...

, on Route 395.Oregon topographic map
United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior, Reston, Virginia; displayed via ACME mapper, ''www.acme.com'', 29 October 2013."Abert Rim"
(PDF), ''The Oregon Outback Scenic Byway'', National Scenic Byway Driving Guide, Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, Oregon, 30 July 2014.Lasater, Erika and Paul Denny
"Places to Visit in Oregon's Outback"
''www.oregonsoutback.com'', Pendleton, Oregon, 16 July 2014.

Geology

Abert Rim is approximately one mile east of Valley Falls. The rim is one of the highest

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. Due to the similarity, the term '' scarp'' may mistakenly be incorrectly used inte ...

s in the United States, rising above the valley floor. The top is a sheer-cliff. The rim cliff runs over from north to south, making it the longest exposed

block fault Fault blocks are very large blocks of rock, sometimes hundreds of kilometres in extent, created by tectonic and localized stresses in Earth's crust. Large areas of bedrock are broken up into blocks by faults. Blocks are characterized by relat ...

scarp in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The rim is

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

, formed by large lava flows during the

Miocene epoch The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

. After the lava flows stopped, large blocks faults broke and tilted the land. Abert Rim is the result of one of those giant faults. From Valley Falls, visitors have an unobstructed view of Abert Rim's cliff face. Along the highway just south of the Valley Falls, there is an Outback Scenic Byway kiosk that explains how Abert Rim was formed. There are also two geological information signs north of Valley Falls, one on Route 395 and the other on Route 31.

Climate

The annual average high temperature in Valley Falls is . The warmest month is normally July, which averages over . The highest temperature ever recorded at the Valley Falls Weather Station was in 1961. The annual average low temperature is . January is normally the coldest month, averaging . The lowest temperature ever recorded at the site was in 1962."Valley Falls, OR US"
''Data Tools: 1981-2010 Normals'', National Climatic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Asheville, North Carolina, 30 July 2014. The area around Valley Falls is relatively dry, with average precipitation of about per year. The area around Valley Falls is typical of Oregon's high desert country. The area's highest average precipitation comes between October and June, usually as the result of thunderstorms. From November to March most of the area's precipitation comes in the form of snow."Valley Falls, Oregon: Period of Record General Climate Summary – Precipitation"
period 1948 to 2003, NOAA Weather Station Identification: 358812 (Valley Falls, OR), Valley Falls, Oregon, 30 July 2014.

Demographics

The

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

identifies Valley Falls as a "populated place". That is "a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population. A populated place is usually not incorporated and by definition has no legal boundaries."

United States Census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 United States ce ...

data are not available for Valley Falls. The Valley Falls area is part of the ''Summer Lake

Census County Division A Census County Division (CCD) is a country subdivision, subdivision of a county (United States), county used by the United States Census Bureau for the purpose of presenting data, statistical data. A CCD is a relatively permanent statistical area ...

'', but specific census data for the community are not presented in 2010 census reports."American Indian Areas, Counties, County Subdivisions, and Places - Section 5" (map of Klamath and Lake counties subdivisions)
(PDF), ''Oregon: 2010 Summary Population and Housing Characteristics'', United States Census 2010, Economics and Statistics Administration, United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce, p. E-8 Oregon.

Local points of interest

* Abert Rim * Abert Lake * Abert Lake Petroglyphs (listed on

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

) *

Chandler State Wayside Chandler State Wayside (also known as Chandler State Park) is a state park in south-central Oregon in the United States. It is named in honor of Solomon and Hattie Chandler, who donated the land for the park. The park covers of pine forest al ...

* Chewaucan River * Oregon Outback Byway

References

External links

Lake County, Oregon
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lake County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon Populated places established in 1908 1908 establishments in Oregon