One of the Largest Grain Producing Counties in Oregon

Sherman County is located south of the Columbia River and lies between the Deschutes River and the John Day River. All three rivers were utilized by Native Americans for centuries primarily as fishery sources but also for hunting and trading sites. The first permanent white settler was William Graham, who was located at the mouth of the Deschutes River in 1858. Next came innkeepers and stage station, ferry and toll bridge operators. Stockmen followed with herds of horses, cattle, and sheep which ranged freely over the rolling bunch grass hills. Homesteaders arrived in the 1880s by steamboat, stage, and wagon and the lush plains of the region soon turned the country side into farming endeavors.

The region was originally part of Wasco County, but the increased population of the region led to the desire to create a county that more met local needs. E. O. McCoy introduced a legislative bill creating a new county to be called Fulton County, after the pioneer Fulton family. The bill was passed by legislative action, and a new county was established on February 25, 1889. The county was not named Fulton, however, but was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman of Civil War fame. Wasco was appointed the temporary county seat until an election could be held to determine the permanent county seat. Once an election was held Moro received the most votes.

Grain crops began to dominate the farming in the county, with winter wheat as the primary crop. Primitive roads were utilized to ship the grain by wagon to a rail line along the Columbia River. It was a slow process that limited large shipments. The Columbia Southern Railroad, running from Biggs on the Columbia River to Wasco, was built in 1897 and ended long days of hauling wheat by wagon to the river. By 1901 the railroad reached Shaniko, a stretch of 70 miles.

The arrival of the railroad transformed the economic outlook for the county. It soon became very prosperous. Large grain silos were built along the rail line and grain was shipped to rail lines and barges on the Columbia. A devastating flood destroyed many segments of the Columbia Southern Railroad in 1964. It was not repaired and trucks replaced the rail line for hauling grain to other shipping points. According to Census records the population of the county peaked in 1910 at 4200 and in 1924 the population was estimated to be 2000. Today, Sherman County is among the largest grain-producing counties in Oregon, and the grain is then shipped worldwide.

Contributed by Steve Lent, Historian