Lexington, Oregon

By Steven Lent, Historian

Lexington is located along Willow Creek in Morrow County, Oregon. The site was originally a small settlement near the homestead of William Penland, who was known as the “sheep king” of what would become Morrow County. Penland donated land for a town site. It became a center for sheep operations. A post office was established on Nov. 11, 1885 and was named by Penland’s wife for her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. The first postmaster was Nathaniel Yates.

Morrow County was created on Oct. 24, 1885 from the western portion of Umatilla County and Eastern Wasco County. Heppner was designated as the temporary county seat until elections could be held in 1887. Lexington began to grow shortly after it was established and had 29 business establishments and two meeting halls. It was hoped that it would become the county seat when the election was held but Heppner narrowly won the permanent county seat.

A fire burned some of the businesses in the town in 1886 but it continued to grow. A branch line of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation was constructed in 1888 from Heppner Junction up Willow Creek to Heppner, Ione and Lexington. The completion of the railroad opened up the area to more rapid development. Wheat became a major cash crop and Lexington had large grain silos for storing wheat before shipment out by rail. There was also an expansion of the cattle industry in the area and combined with sheep and cattle shipments Lexington became a very prosperous community.

The town was incorporated on Oct. 3 1903 and S. F. Notson became the first mayor of the town. The first cemetery in Morrow County was established in Lexington. The population of the community was listed as 185 in 1910. The 2020 census listed the population as 238. An airport was established near Lexington as it had available flat land and it serves as the main airport in Morrow County. The headquarters of the Morrow County School District is in Lexington but the nearest school facilities are located in Heppner.