Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,418 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The city bills itself as the "Tallest Town in Oregon" because of its elevation, above sea level. Lakeview is situated in the Goose Lake Valley at the foot of the Warner Mountains and at the edge of Oregon's high desert country. Its economy is based on agriculture, lumber production, and government activities. In addition, tourism is an increasingly important part of the city's economy. Oregon's Outback Scenic Byway passes through Lakeview.
History Native Americans occupied the area around Lakeview as early as 14,000 years ago, as evidenced by artifacts found in the Paisley Caves north of Lakeview."Researchers, Led by Archaeologist, Find Pre-Clovis Human DNA", Newswise, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, April 3, 2008."Lake County History", Oregon Historical County Records Guide, Oregon Blue Book, State Archives Division, Oregon Secretary of State, Salem, Oregon, July 19, 2014. When European explorers came through the Goose Lake Valley, Shoshone-speaking people were living in the area.Bach, Melva M., "Snake Indians and Early Explorers" (PDF), History of the Fremont National Forest, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lakeview, Oregon, 1981, p. 3.
In 1827, Peter Skene Ogden led a brigade of Hudson's Bay Company trappers through the Goose Lake Valley. He was followed in 1832 by John Work and his trappers. Work noted the hot springs north of Goose Lake (now called Hunter's Hot Springs) in his journal. The hot springs are approximately north of the Lakeview town site.Lund, Norma, "Local History Time Line", Lake County Museum, Lakeview, Oregon, January 30, 2007.Bach, Melva M., "John Work" (PDF), History of the Fremont National Forest, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lakeview, Oregon, 1981, p. 3.
In 1867 and 1868, General George Crook led United States Army units and Indian scouts from the Wasco and Warm Springs tribes in a successful campaign against Northern Paiute bands in Eastern Oregon and Northern California. This was part of the conflict known as the Snake War. Crook used Camp Warner as his supply depot and administrative headquarters. The camp was abandoned in 1874. Camp Warner was northeast of the site now known as Lakeview.Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruitt Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado, 1980, pp. 137–138."The Snake War, 1864-1868" (PDF), Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series (Number 236), Idaho State Historical Society, Boise, Idaho, 1966.Bourke, John G. (Captain, 3rd Cavalry, U.S.A), "General Crook in the Indian Country", The Century Magazine (Vol. XLI, No. 5), The Century Company, March 1891, pp. 644–649.Ebstein, Fred. H. E. (Captain, 21st U.S. Infantry, U.S.A.), "Twenty-First Regiment of Infantry", The Army of the United States Historical Sketches of Staff and Line with Portraits of Generals-in-Chief, edited by Philus Francis Rodenbough (Bvt Brigadier General, U.S.A.) and William Haskin (Major, 1st Artillery, U.S.A), Maynard, Merrill, and Company, New York, New York, 1896.
In 1869, M. W. Bullard settled along Bullard Creek at the mouth of Bullard Canyon at the northern end of the Goose Lake Valley. This became the town of Lakeview. William Heryford brought cattle into the Goose Lake Valley in 1872. In 1873, the area's first post office was opened at the Tenbrook Ranch, south of present-day Lakeview.
Lake County was separated from Jackson County and Wasco County in 1874. The temporary county seat was in Linkville (now Klamath Falls, Oregon). In June 1876, an election was held to select a permanent county seat. Prior to the election, W. M. Bullard offered to donate along Bullard Creek in the Goose Lake Valley as a site for the county courthouse. In the election, "Bullard Creek" received 120 votes while Linkville got only 88 votes. However, a majority of 384 votes was needed to determine the permanent county seat. Bullard Creek fell short because many voters wrote in names like "Goose Lake", "Goose Lake Valley", "Bullard's ranch", or "Bullard's creek". As a result, a second election was November 1876. Prior to that election, the town of Lakeview was organized at a meeting of Goose Lake Valley residents. The town site they selected was on Bullard Creek. In the second election, the new town site of Lakeview replaced Linkville as Lake County's seat of government. After the election, Bullard donated for the county courthouse as promised. Bullard sold an additional to John A. Moon, who filed a town plat with the state of Oregon, officially creating the town of Lakeview. The Lakeview post office was opened on December 8, 1876.McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Bullard Creek", Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003 (1928), p. 124.McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Lakeview", Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003 (1928), p. 557.
On May 22, 1900, a fire burned most of Lakeview. There were no deaths, but 64 buildings were destroyed. Only two business structures in the downtown area survived the fire. However, the staff of the Lake County Examiner newspaper rescued enough equipment and material to publish a special edition the day after the fire. Most of the town was rebuilt by October of that year. The town's rapid recovery was due in large part to the financing and leadership provided by Bernard Daly.Bach, Melva, "Lakeview Burned, 1900" , History of the Fremont National Forest, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 1990.LaLande, Jeff and Allen Cain, Biography of Daly for The Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, 2005.Rabun, Sheila, "Lake County Examiner", Historic Oregon Newspapers, Oregon Digital Newspaper Program, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon, July 15, 2014.
The federal government established the Goose Lake Forest Reserve in 1906. Later that year, the name was changed to Fremont National Forest Reserve to honor Captain John C. Fremont, an explorer of the area in 1843. In 1908, the Fremont National Forest was created, and is managed by the United States Forest Service. The forest headquarters was in Lakeview."Fremont National Forest (1908–2002)", "History and Culture", Fremont–Winema National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lakeview, Oregon, July 15, 2014.Bach, Melva, "Establishment of Goose Lake and Fremont Forest Reserves" , History of the Fremont National Forest, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 1990.
In 1909, the Oregon Valley Land Company conducted a week-long auction to dispose of land grants acquired from the construction of the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road in 1865 and 1869. The auction was advertised nationwide. The rural parcels also included a separate town lot in Lakeview. Thousands of people came to Lakeview for the auction, but others purchased plots sight-unseen. During the auction, a total of were sold in approximately 14,000 parcels. Few buyers moved onto the land they purchased. Lake County used part of the taxes they collected from the sale to finance a new county courthouse. The new brick courthouse was built in the center of town, replacing the wooden building serving as the county court since 1876.Engeman, Richard, "Lake County Courthouse, Lakeview", The Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, 2005.Cooper, Forest E, Introducing Dr. Daly, Lakeview Historical Society, Maverick Press, Bend, Oregon, 1986, p. 67.
In 1911, a narrow-gauge railway connected Lakeview with Reno, Nevada. The Nevada-California-Oregon Railway operated the line until 1927, then it was sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad. Southern Pacific converted the track to standard gauge. The new standard rail connection prompted several sawmills to operate in Lakeview, expanding the town's economic base.Engeman, Richard H., The Oregon Companion, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2009, pp. 210–211.Cooper, Forrest, Introducing Dr. Daly, Maverick Publications, Bend, Oregon, 1986, pp. 72–74.
In 1913, William P. Heryford commissioned the construction of a three-story commercial building in downtown Lakeview, across the street from the Lake County courthouse. The Heryford Brothers Building cost approximately $100,000 to construct. After it was completed, the building was the largest and most expensive structure in Lakeview. It was also the most modern, with an electric generator, central steam-heat, elevators, electric lights, hot water, and telephones. (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form, Statewide Inventory of Historic Sites and Buildings, Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, Salem, Oregon, February 21, 1980.Tonsfeldt, Ward, Historical Resource Survey of Lakeview, Oregon (PDF), study prepared for the Town of Lakeview Planning Office, Bend, Oregon, August 1, 1989, p. 16.Bach, Melva M., History of the Fremont National Forest (PDF), Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lakeview, Oregon, 1981, p. 126.
By 1940, Lakeview had seven sawmills operating in town. All of the mills had new dry kilns for year-around operations. This increased winter employment opportunities in Lakeview, increasing economic stability in the community. The number of sawmills decreased during World War II, leaving only three by 1946. That year, 39,000,000 board feet of timber was cut on the Fremont National Forest. However, that national forest's timber harvest increased to 81,200,000 board feet per year by 1952. To accommodate this increase, Lakeview's sawmills were expanded and modernized. In the 1950s, the payrolls and income from Lakeview's sawmills accounted for more than half of the town's economy.Bach, Melva, "Timber Companies" , Chapter 6: The Forties, History of the Fremont National Forest, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 1990.Bach, Melva, "Lakeview Federal Sustained Yield Unit" , Chapter 7: The Fifties, History of the Fremont National Forest, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 1990.
In the mid-1950s, uranium mining claims were filed in the mountains north of Lakeview. However, only two mines, White King and Lucky Lass, were developed. In 1958, the Lakeview Mining Company uranium processing plant was built on the outskirts of Lakeview. The mill had the capacity to process 210 tons of uranium ore daily. The mill employed 50 people; another 120 people were employed at the two mines. The uranium plant closed in 1961."Site Description and History" (PDF), Lakeview, Oregon, Processing and Disposal Sites, Office of Legacy Management, United States Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colorado, April 5, 2009.
In 1985, Southern Pacific announced they planned to abandon their spur line to Lakeview. However, the company continued to operate the line until it was purchased by Lake County in January 1986. Lake County contracted operation of the line to Great Western Railway. In 1996, Lake County took over the railroad operation, then renamed it the Lake County Railroad. From 2007, the Modoc Northern Railroad leased the line from the county. In 2009, Frontier Rail operated the line under the name Lake Railroad.Moore, Jeff, "Lake County Railroad", High Desert Rails, hosted by TrainWeb, American Passenger Rail Heritage Foundation, La Plata, Missouri, July 19, 2014.
Geography