 CITY OF JORDAN VALLEY
HISTORY OF JORDAN VALLEY:
In 1863, a party of prospectors with about 60 horses
and mules arrived at a stream seen theretofore by few, if any white men. Here was a most favorable camping place, and so it
was agreed to go no further. Before unpacking his mule, one man scooped up some loose gravel, panned it, and obtained about
100 colors. In ten minutes, every man was digging and panning, and in one hour, all had good exhibits. Within 12 days, the
laws of the district were made and adopted, claims located, and the creek was named Jordan after Michael Jordan, one member
of the party. A few years later, Jordan was scalped by the Indians on the banks of this same stream.
1863--- Silas
Skinner and two partners began work on a road from Ruby City to points west.
1864--- Found John Baxter settled
in a stone cabin on Jordan Creek, near where the Loveland barn now stands. Traffic to and
from the mines increased by
leaps and bounds. A few more shacks were built, and the settlement was called Stringtown.
1865--- During the summer,
the first saddle train from Chico, California to Ruby City, Idaho, passed through Jordan Valley.
1865--- Inskip
was settled in a fortified rock house on the Ruby Ranch, near present Danner. Here he kept a station and sold hay, grain,
tobacco, liquor and meals.
1865--- Camp Lyons was established to preserve the peace on the line of emigration
to and from Idaho. It was located on Cow Creek, on the road to Caldwell.
1866--- J.B. Charbonneau, Sacagawea's
son (of Lewis & Clark Expedition) died near the Owyhee River and was buried at the Inskip Ranch, now called the Ruby Ranch.
1867 to 1878--- Indian Skirmishes by roving bands of Indians killed people, stole horses, supplies, etc. For some
time prior to 1878, the Bannocks had been raiding the settlements and in June of 1878, they became actively hostile and urged
the Piutes to join them in driving out the whites so as to regain their lost territories, rights and privileges. When the
Indians decided to go on the warpath, a friendly Piute Indian, alerted the settlers who immediately organized a group of volunteers
under the leadership of O.H. Purdy. The volunteers left the O'Keefe place and went up South Mountain Creek to intercept
the Bannocks. They met on a hill southeast of the McKenzie place. The volunteers finding themselves overwhelmed by an estimated
450 Indians, decided to retreat. The Indians pursued the whites to iron Mine Creek where an old scout succeeded in killing
the Indian leader, Buffalo Horn and his horse. The Indians surprised and disorganized by the loss of their chief, went back
toward the Owyhee. In a few days, three companies of soldiers from Camp Pendleton caught up with them and returned them to
their reservation.
*****
SOME HISTORIC INFORMATION COMPILED
BY JOHANNA SKINNER
SOME THROUGH PROJECTS
MADE POSSIBLE BY
THE MALHEUR CO. SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM,
OREGON COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES,AND
FOUR RIVERS
CULTURAL CENTER & MUSEUM.
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OLD CITY JAIL
Located behind Vern Piel's
Market
__________________________________ JORDAN VALLEY NOW
Compare
this photo with the one below
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JORDAN VALLEY Circa 1950
Compare this photo
with the one above & below...
JORDAN VALLEY 1913
Compare this photo with
the one above...
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*****
“Annual Drinking
Water Report”
City of Jordan Valley
2008
We're very pleased to provide you with this year's
Annual Quality Water Report. We want to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we have delivered to you
over the past year. Our goal is and always has been, to provide to you a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. Our
water source is a well that draws from an Aquifer running along the base of Pharmacy.
I'm pleased to report that
our drinking water is safe and meets Federal and State requirements.
If you have any questions about this report
or concerning your water utility, please contact Con Warn at 541-586-2460. We want our valued customers to be informed about
their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled Council meetings. They are held
on the 2nd Tuesday at 7:00 PM in City Hall, 306 Blackaby Street.
The City of Jordan Valley routinely monitors for
constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. This table shows the results of our monitoring for
the period of January 1st to December 31st, 1998. As water travels over the land or underground, it can pick up substances
or contaminants such as microbes, inorganic and organic chemicals, and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including
bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It's important
to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk.
In this Report you
will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've
provided the following definitions:
Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not
present.
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute
in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter - one part per billion
corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.
Action Level - the concentration of
a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
Maximum
Contaminant Level - The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking
water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contaminant
Level Goal - The "Goal"(MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected
risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
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SPRINGTIME IN JORDAN VALLEY
WELCOME TO JORDAN VALLEY!!!
MORE HISTORY:
In contrast
to the rough volcanic lands of the High Oregon desert and snowcapped mountains that surround Jordan Valley, the City of Jordan
Valley lies in a wide lush valley along Jordan Creek in the heart of Owyhee country. A place settled by miners and cattlemen
in the early 1860's is now dotted with cattle ranches. Located in the Southeast corner of Oregon, in Malheur County, the
community of Jordan Valley has an average altitude of 4,389 feet and the main product is beef, with grain, hay and sheep taking
a lesser importance. It is a small City of approximately 450 people, which includes local ranchers and families. Game is plentiful,
with antelope, deer, pheasant, geese, quail, duck, chukars and sage grouse offering a variety of hunting opportunities for
the sportsman. Tourist facilities include motels, trailer courts, restaurants, service stations, automotive garage, and hardware
store. Accommodations at Rome are available some 30 miles south of Jordan Valley, near the Owyhee River. The local Schools,
Post Office, Health Clinic, City Hall, Sheriff's Office, Oregon Dept. of Transportation, Emergency Medical Services, businesses
and other organizations comprise part of our Little City.
HOME OF THE BASQUES-
"Where smiles are
wide and frowns are few, cattle are numerous and friends are too!"
The Spanish Basques or Euskaldunak as they call
themselves in their own language, Euskara, claim to be the oldest unmixed race in Europe. Euskara is totally unintelligible
to the Spanish and is related in no way to any other language. Their original home was the Pyrenees Mountains, in Spain. Their
history is an account of repeated and determined efforts to defend the rights and privileges (fueros) that they, as a distinct
people, have enjoyed down through the centuries. From the 1890's through the First World War, Basques emigrated from Spain
in great numbers from their native Pyrenees Mountains to Southeastern Oregon and adjacent areas of Idaho and Nevada, bringing
with them their traditional games, customs and festive occasions. Pelota (handball) is one of those games. Spanish Basque
immigrants began building a handball court or Pelota Frontone in the spring of 1915, in Jordan Valley. It is built of native
stone, hand hewn by Basque masons who learned their trade in Spain. It was Restored in 1997 and celebrated with a Basque Fall
Festival. It is Oregon's only Basque Handball Court in existence today.
MEANING OF OWYHEE:
*****
MEANING OF THE NAME- OWYHEE
The name, Owyhee, comes from early fur trappers. In 1819, three natives from Hawaii, part
of Donald McKenzie's fur-trapping expedition, were sent to trap a large stream that emptied into the Snake River. When
they did not return, McKenzie investigated and found one man murdered in camp and no sign of the others. The stream was named
in their honor. "Owyhee" is an early spelling for the word Hawaii.
The Oregon Trail, the earliest road in
the area, was used by emigrants for over 30 years on their long trip to the Oregon country. The part of the Trail in Owyhee
County was known as the South Alternate Route or "dry route". The Owyhee road was shorter but much harder than the
main trail.
Gold was discovered in rich placer deposits in the Owyhee Mountains in May, 1863. A search for the source
of the gold led to quartz ledges on War Eagle Mountain. Before the fall of 1863, several hard rock mines were being developed.
Three towns grew to supply the miner's needs.
Booneville, Ruby City and Silver City were the first three settlements
in the county. Only Silver City still stands; its well-preserved buildings a silent testimonial to the lively mining days.
The beautiful ruby silver ore and the wealth of gold taken from the mountains made the mining district world famous.
While
Ruby City was named the first county seat, its population and businesses soon moved to a better location two miles upstream
on February 1, 1867. Silver City was closer to most of the mining operations and had a better winter location. In 1934, after
the decline of mining, the county government was moved to Murphy, more central to the livestock and agricultural sections
of the country.
 CURRENT CITY HALL BUILDING
and AMBULANCE SHED
Please e-mail messages or inquiries
to
cityofjv@juno.com or write to:
City Hall, P.O. Box 187,
306 Blackaby Street,
Jordan Valley, OR 97910.
Phone & Fax: 586-2460
Open Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
8 am to 5 pm.
E-mail checked daily
and responses
will be done
in a timely manner.
_________________________*****
2008 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER TEST
RESULTS:
Total Coliform Bacteria:
No Violations
Likely Source: Naturally present in the environment.
Arsenic:
No violations Level-0.050ppb; MCLG-none; MLC 50 ppb
Likely Source: Erosion of natural deposits
Copper:
No violations Level 0.06 ppm; MCLG-1.3 ppm; MLC 1.3 ppm
Likely Source: Corrosion of household plumbing
systems.
Erosion of natural deposits
Floride:
No violations Level .900 ppm; MCLG 4 ppm; MLC 4 ppm
Likely Source: Erosion of natural deposits
Lead:
No violations Level .008 ppb; MCLG 0; MLC 15 ppb
Likely
Source: Corrosion of household plumbing systems.
Erosion of natural deposits
We constantly monitor for various
constituents in the water supply to meet all regulatory requirements. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential
contamination by substances that are naturally occurring or man made. These substances can be microbes, inorganic or organic
chemicals and radioactive substances. All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at
least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses
a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental
Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
MCL's are set at very stringent levels.
To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink 2 liters
of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.
In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it may be necessary to make improvements
in your water system. The costs of these improvements may be reflected in the rate structure. Rate adjustments may be necessary
in order to address these improvements.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than
the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone
organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at
risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines
on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available
from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).
Please call Con Warn if you have questions.
541-586-2460
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