Dufur, Oregon
By Steve Lent, Crook County Historian
Dufur is located about fifteen miles south of The Dalles. It was originally known as Fifteen Mile Crossing. It was a major passageway for travelers on the Oregon Trail. The area began having its first settlers in 1852 when Lewis P Henderson filed a Donation Land Claim near the present site of Dufur. More settlers began arriving by the late 1850s. It soon became apparent that a school was necessary for children of the settlers. A school district was established in 1859.
The first settlers mostly farmed growing winter wheat. One of the early business enterprises was Fifteen Mile House which provided accommodations for visitors and travelers. A post office was established on January 11, 1878. The first postmaster was Chauncey A. Williams. The post office was named for early settler Andrew J. Dufur Sr. He and his brother Enoch settled on 600 acres on the site of present Dufur. They began raising stock.
Andrew Dufur and his two sons platted the original townsite in 1880 as the locality began to grow. The community in 1889 boasted of having two drugs stores, two livery stables, two hotels, a shoe shop, a school, a blacksmith shop, two mercantile stores, a roller mill, and a restaurant. The community was incorporated on February 10, 1893. A rail line came to Dufur from The Dalles in 1905.
The development of the fruit industry in nearby Hood River convinced locals and some companies that Dufur would be a good site for fruit orchards. Fruit companies began to develop large acreages of fruit orchards by 1911. Nearly 4000 acres were planted in orchards near Dufur and Boyd. The fruit industry thrived for a short period of time. The big issue for the orchards was moisture. Although there was good soil there was not enough moisture to support the orchards. Most of the orchards were removed by 1925. Winter wheat production then became the major farming crop.
The population began to decline and the present population is estimated to be about 630 people. The community remains a busy site and there is an annual Threshing Bee that attracts numerous visitors in August.