Friend, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Friend is an unincorporated community
in Wasco County, Oregon
, United States
. Considered a ghost town
, little remains of the community except the Friend Store, a one-room schoolhouse, and a cemetery.
Friend was named after George J. Friend. The first post office in the community, established in 1903, was on his homestead
.
Friend was the end of the line on the Great Southern Railroad
. The line was built in 1908 from Dufur
which connected to The Dalles
. The depot was closed and service ended on January 5, 1928; the line was abandoned in 1935. Few signs of the track still exist.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Wasco County, Oregon
Wasco County, Oregon
Wasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who lived on the south side of the Columbia River. In 2010, its population was 25,213...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Considered a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
, little remains of the community except the Friend Store, a one-room schoolhouse, and a cemetery.
Friend was named after George J. Friend. The first post office in the community, established in 1903, was on his homestead
Donation Land Claim Act
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...
.
Friend was the end of the line on the Great Southern Railroad
Great Southern Railroad
The Great Southern Railroad was a 41-mile short-line which connected to the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, later the Oregon-Washington Railway and Navigation Company , in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, and ran south along Fifteen Mile Creek through Boyd to Dufur, and on to the small...
. The line was built in 1908 from Dufur
Dufur, Oregon
Dufur is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 588 at the 2000 census. It is a farming community, with wheat being an important crop, along with tree fruit and grapes....
which connected to The Dalles
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
. The depot was closed and service ended on January 5, 1928; the line was abandoned in 1935. Few signs of the track still exist.
External links
- Image of Friend, Oregon schoolhouse
- Historic image of abandoned building in Friend from Salem Public Library
