Reub Long
Encyclopedia
Reuben Aaron Long was an Eastern Oregon
rancher, author
, and story teller
. He was known throughout Oregon as a witty and wise cowboy
philosopher. In 1964, he joined E.R. Jackman to write The Oregon Desert, which is still a very popular book forty years after its original publication.
on 26 January 1898. His parents owned a ranch in the Fort Rock Valley approximately one hundred and twenty miles north of Lakeview, where Reub lived his entire life. The ranch was adjacent to Fort Rock (now a state park) in northern Lake County
. The ranch covered several thousands acres where he raised cattle and allowed wild horses to run free. Ranch life also provided the raw material for his good natured humor.
In 1938, a team of archeologists from the University of Oregon
led by Luther Cressman
excavated the Fort Rock Cave
located on his ranch. The team found sandals made of bark and sagebrush that carbon dating proved were 9,300 to 10,500 years old. At the time, these were the oldest human artifacts
ever found in North America
. The success of the Cressman dig was widely publicized, and as the team’s local host, Reub and his stories shared the spotlight.
Reub used his influence to persuade the Bonneville Power Administration
and the Federal Government's Rural Electrification Administration to bring electricity to the Fort Rock Valley. As a result, the rural communities of Fort Rock
and Silver Lake, Oregon
in northern Lake County were connected to the national power grid in 1955.
Reub donated property to the State of Oregon
that became Fort Rock State Natural Area. He was a longtime member of the Oregon’s State Board of Agriculture, serving as its chairman for a term. He also created a trust that endowed a professorship at Oregon State University
's College of Agricultural Sciences.
classic." As of 2003, the book was in its fourteenth printing.
Reub’s philosophy was always practical and touched with humor. When he told a story, one topic led to another and then another without a break.
Reub died on 28 July 1974. His stories and anecdotes about life in rural Eastern Oregon are his legacy. They have been widely recorded and are often retold. As a result, Reub Long is still one of Oregon’s best-known story tellers.
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
rancher, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and story teller
Story Teller
Story Teller was a magazine partwork published by Marshall Cavendish between 1982 and 1985.-Publishing history:...
. He was known throughout Oregon as a witty and wise cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
philosopher. In 1964, he joined E.R. Jackman to write The Oregon Desert, which is still a very popular book forty years after its original publication.
Rancher
Reub was born in Lakeview, OregonLakeview, Oregon
Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,294 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. Although it is an incorporated city, the municipal government refers to the community as "The Town of Lakeview", and bills itself as "Tallest Town in Oregon"...
on 26 January 1898. His parents owned a ranch in the Fort Rock Valley approximately one hundred and twenty miles north of Lakeview, where Reub lived his entire life. The ranch was adjacent to Fort Rock (now a state park) in northern Lake County
Lake County, Oregon
Lake County is a county in the high desert south central region of the U.S. state of Oregon, so named for the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert, Hart Lake Reservoir, and Goose Lake. While Lake is among Oregon's largest counties, it is sparsely populated with 7,895...
. The ranch covered several thousands acres where he raised cattle and allowed wild horses to run free. Ranch life also provided the raw material for his good natured humor.
Once, after standing on the top rails of a corral above the thick dust covering a bunch of running horses, almost all of them paints, he dropped to the ground as the gate swung shut and announced, "By golly, boys, I'm a rich man; I've got 42 head of horses!" A woman standing close by looked at him in utter amazement and blurted out, "How could you count all those horses, Mr. Long ... Why ... There was so much dust you couldn't see your hand in front of your face." Reub looked at the woman almost apologetically and said, "Why it was easy, ma'am, I just counted all the legs and divided by four."
In 1938, a team of archeologists from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
led by Luther Cressman
Luther Cressman
Luther Sheeleigh Cressman was an American anthropologist. He is known as the father of Oregon anthropology....
excavated the Fort Rock Cave
Fort Rock Cave
Fort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the U.S. state of Oregon prior to excavation of Paisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old....
located on his ranch. The team found sandals made of bark and sagebrush that carbon dating proved were 9,300 to 10,500 years old. At the time, these were the oldest human artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
ever found in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The success of the Cressman dig was widely publicized, and as the team’s local host, Reub and his stories shared the spotlight.
Reub used his influence to persuade the Bonneville Power Administration
Bonneville Power Administration
The Bonneville Power Administration is an American federal agency based in the Pacific Northwest. BPA was created by an act of Congress in 1937 to market electric power from the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River and to construct facilities necessary to transmit that power...
and the Federal Government's Rural Electrification Administration to bring electricity to the Fort Rock Valley. As a result, the rural communities of Fort Rock
Fort Rock, Oregon
Fort Rock is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Oregon, United States, southeast of Fort Rock State Natural Area.The community of Fort Rock was named after the natural feature Fort Rock by the town's founder, Ray Nash. Fort Rock post office was established in 1908 under postmaster Josiah...
and Silver Lake, Oregon
Silver Lake, Oregon
Silver Lake is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Oregon Route 31. Facilities include a gas station and a small store. It is also the location of North Lake School, "Home of the Cowboys".- History :...
in northern Lake County were connected to the national power grid in 1955.
Reub donated property to the State of Oregon
Government of Oregon
The government of the U.S. state of Oregon, as prescribed by the Oregon Constitution, is composed of three government branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial...
that became Fort Rock State Natural Area. He was a longtime member of the Oregon’s State Board of Agriculture, serving as its chairman for a term. He also created a trust that endowed a professorship at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
's College of Agricultural Sciences.
"Sage of Fort Rock"
In 1964, a collection of Reub’s anecdotal stories was compiled into a book, co-written with E.R. Jackman. The book, titled The Oregon Desert, recounts with good humor the places, events, animals, and people that made up Reub’s Eastern Oregon world. The book "successfully blended natural science with cowboy humor and scholarly prose with casual meanderings. It was a celebration of rural Western storytelling, and over the years, it has become a Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
classic." As of 2003, the book was in its fourteenth printing.
Reub’s philosophy was always practical and touched with humor. When he told a story, one topic led to another and then another without a break.
…You can usually get along if you aren't a specialist. Nowadays men list their jobs as "freight car wheel inspectors" or "bottle fillers," and if those particular jobs aren't available, the men are eligible for unemployment checks. My only way to check unemployment was to go to work - it beat hunger quite a bit, even if the work is out of one's line. So I cooked, trapped, freighted, wrangled dudes, trained horses, lambed sheep - just anything there was to do. I learned to do lots of things, but some of the things aren't of much use to me now - for example, how to put a six- or eight-horse team around a sharp bend. But some are real useful. What you learn from horses helps in dealing with humans. A horse is good for a boy or a man. It helps something inside of him. A man trained by a horse for many years is never quite the same afterward, and is better.
Reub died on 28 July 1974. His stories and anecdotes about life in rural Eastern Oregon are his legacy. They have been widely recorded and are often retold. As a result, Reub Long is still one of Oregon’s best-known story tellers.