A.R. Bowman Museum

The old log buildings of the Maury Stage Station are still standing beside the Paulina Highway near the junction with Camp Creek Road but the ravages of time are slowly taking their toll on the structures. The buildings are among the most recognized and talked about features along the road to Paulina.

The buildings were originally constructed by Mark Carson who settled in the area in 1884. The Carson home was constructed of heavy, hand-hewed logs. A road was built up Crooked River in 1887 and went from Prineville to Burns via Paulina and the Carson home became a popular stage station.

A large corral was built for exchanging horses on the stage and Mrs. Carson provided meals to passengers. A post office was also established at the Carson home on August 16, 1887 and named “Mowry” which was a misspelling of the name Maury.

It was named for the nearby Maury Mountains. Capt. John Drake who had led a military expedition of the Oregon First Calvary into the area in 1864 named the mountains for Colonel Reuben Maury, his commanding officer.

Weary travelers could find rest, food and hospitality at the stage station operated by the Carson’s. The post office changed locations depending on which rancher was willing to serve as postmaster. It moved from the Carson home to the Henry Stewart ranch in 1890 and back to the Carson place in 1891. In 1892 it moved to the John Bennett ranch and was discontinued in February of 1899.

Mark Carson sold his ranch to George W. “Ed” and Sarah Glenn and they continued to operate the stage station. Sarah Noble Glenn was the daughter of William and Sarah Noble who were early pioneers on Sugar Creek east of Paulina. Mr Glenn was shot and killed by a neighbor, Clarence Roberts, on October 2, 1902 and is buried in nearby Maury Cemetery.

Roberts immediately gave himself up to the Crook County sheriff. He was found guilty of manslaughter but was not sentenced for the shooting. Evidently the popularity of Mr. Roberts was more than that of Mr. Glenn. Sarah continued to operate the stage station for a while. Stage operations from Prineville to Paulina and on to Burns continued until the automobile replaced the horse drawn stage lines. The importance of the site as a stage station diminished after the turn of the Twentieth Century.

It became known as the Glenn Place and the property had one of the largest corrals in the “Upper Country” as the region in the upper reaches of Crooked River was known. It became a popular gathering site for local residents and often cattle and horse roundups used the corrals for gathering livestock. On July 4, 1949 local ranchers held a social gathering at the ranch since it had the largest corral in the vicinity and a friendly competition among riders and ropers was part of the activities. The event proved to be so popular that it became an annual event that became known as the Paulina Amateur Rodeo and rapidly outgrew the corrals of the old Glenn Place.

Eventually the Glenn Place was abandoned and became a legendary curiosity site for hunters, recreationists and travelers. The dilapidated structures are a reminder of earlier times when travel was at a much slower place and periodic rest stations along bumpy wagon roads were common and a welcome sight for fatigued travelers.