Where is morrow county

Exhibit Branding. Senators U. Representatives U. Morrow County Page Content. Oregon State Archives Photo. Email: bchilders co. Web: www. Economy: Agriculture, food processing, dairies, utilities, forest products, livestock and recreation. Historical Records Inventory. Scenic Images. Census Bureau. County Seat Map from Google Maps. Morrow County History Page Content. It was named after Jackson Lee Morrow, an early settler in the area and member of the Legislative Assembly when the county was created.

Morrow County is located in the north central part of the state and east of the Cascade Mountains. The county contains 2, square miles. Heppner was designated the temporary county seat at the time the county was created and narrowly defeated Lexington in the election held in to determine the permanent county seat.

Heppner was originally called Standsbury Flat for George W. Standsbury, one of the first white settlers in the area. The settlement's name was changed to Heppner in , in honor of Henry Heppner who in partnership with Jackson Morrow established a store in the town. The first courthouse was a frame structure completed shortly after Heppner was confirmed as the county seat. In , the wooden courthouse was torn down and replaced the following year by the present courthouse, which is constructed of native bluestone with sandstone trim.

Morrow County government includes a county judge, two county commissioners, district attorney, assessor, clerk, sheriff, surveyor, justice of the peace, and treasurer. Early cattlemen found an abundance of rye grass along the creek bottoms of the region and drove their herds into the area to forage. They established cattle camps and from them grew the county's first settlements.

Stock raising was the primary economic force in the county for many years. Increased settlement, the enclosure of the free grazing lands and diminished pastures due to overgrazing, resulted in the decline of ranching during the s.

Farming and other agricultural pursuits became predominant. The completion of rail lines into the county in increased access to markets and encouraged wheat production in the area.