Fossil, Oregon
Fossil, Oregon | |
|---|---|
 Main Street | |
 Location in Oregon | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Wheeler |
| Incorporated | 1891 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carol E. MacInnes |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.79 sq mi (2.05 km2) |
| • Land | 0.79 sq mi (2.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,654 ft (809 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 473 |
| • Estimate (2012[3]) | 466 |
| • Density | 598.7/sq mi (231.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific) |
| ZIP code | 97830 |
| Area code(s) | 541, 458 |
| FIPS code | 41-26650[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1120903[5] |
| Website | www.cityoffossil.org |
Fossil is a city in and the county seat of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States.[6] The name was chosen by the first postmaster, Thomas B. Hoover, who had found some fossil remains on his ranch. The population was 473 at the 2010 census.[7]
History
The Fossil post office was established on February 28, 1876, on Thomas Benton Hoover's ranch along Hoover Creek. He named the place Fossil after finding fossils in a clay-like rock formation on his ranch. In 1881, Hoover and Thomas Watson opened a store near the confluence of Butte and Cottonwood creeks and moved the post office to the store. When the city was incorporated in 1891, Hoover became the first mayor.[8]
After creating Wheeler County in 1899, the Oregon Legislature chose Fossil as the temporary county seat. A county-wide election held in 1900 to determine the permanent county seat yielded 436 votes for Fossil, 267 for Twickenham, and 82 for Spray.[9]
Winlock W. Steiwer and George S. Carpenter founded Steiwer & Carpenter Bank, the first bank in the city and the county.[10] By the early 20th century in addition to the bank, Fossil had a flour mill, a blacksmith shop, a drug store, a jewelry and optical store, a livery stable, and three stores with general merchandise. In the 1920s, William Jennings Bryan was one of the guest speakers at a Chautauqua meeting in Fossil. Later in the decade the John Day Valley Coal & Oil Company drilled an exploratory oil well within the city limits, but it was not successful.[8]
Geography and climate
Fossil is the county seat of Wheeler County.[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.79 square miles (2.05 km2), all of it land.[1]
Fossil is located in north-central Oregon at the intersection of Oregon Route 19 with Oregon Route 218.[12] Butte Creek, a tributary of the John Day River, flows through the city.[13] The Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is 18 miles (29 km) west of the city along Route 218.[14] The city is about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Spray and about 20 miles (32 km) south of Condon along Route 19.[12] By highway, Bend, to the southwest, is about a two-hour drive from Fossil, and Portland, to the west, is about a three-hour drive.[15]
The average temperature in Fossil in January is 39 °F (4 °C), and in July it is 70 °F (21 °C). The highest recorded temperature for Fossil was 111 °F (44 °C) in 2003, and the lowest recorded temperature was −26 °F (−32 °C) in 1957. The average wettest month is May.[16] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Fossil has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb).
| Climate data for Fossil | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
72 (22) |
78 (26) |
87 (31) |
100 (38) |
102 (39) |
111 (44) |
106 (41) |
100 (38) |
98 (37) |
75 (24) |
67 (19) |
111 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 41.8 (5.4) |
47.1 (8.4) |
52.5 (11.4) |
59.3 (15.2) |
67.7 (19.8) |
74.8 (23.8) |
85.1 (29.5) |
84.2 (29.0) |
76.4 (24.7) |
65.3 (18.5) |
49.9 (9.9) |
43 (6) |
62.3 (16.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.4 (−4.2) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
32.2 (0.1) |
37.1 (2.8) |
42.7 (5.9) |
45.7 (7.6) |
45.4 (7.4) |
40.3 (4.6) |
34.6 (1.4) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
34.6 (1.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−22 (−30) |
2 (−17) |
12 (−11) |
15 (−9) |
25 (−4) |
25 (−4) |
28 (−2) |
18 (−8) |
3 (−16) |
−16 (−27) |
−24 (−31) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.58 (40) |
1.16 (29) |
1.35 (34) |
1.25 (32) |
1.53 (39) |
1.3 (33) |
0.41 (10) |
0.49 (12) |
0.71 (18) |
1.16 (29) |
1.69 (43) |
1.7 (43) |
14.34 (364) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.7 (14) |
2.5 (6.4) |
1.6 (4.1) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.4 (3.6) |
3.1 (7.9) |
15.1 (38) |
| Average precipitation days | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 70 |
| Source: [17] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 100 | — | |
| 1890 | 153 | 53.0% | |
| 1900 | 288 | 88.2% | |
| 1910 | 421 | 46.2% | |
| 1920 | 519 | 23.3% | |
| 1930 | 538 | 3.7% | |
| 1940 | 532 | −1.1% | |
| 1950 | 645 | 21.2% | |
| 1960 | 672 | 4.2% | |
| 1970 | 511 | −24.0% | |
| 1980 | 535 | 4.7% | |
| 1990 | 399 | −25.4% | |
| 2000 | 469 | 17.5% | |
| 2010 | 473 | 0.9% | |
| 2015 (est.) | 449 | [18] | −5.1% |
| source:[2][19] | |||
As of the census of 2010, there were 473 people, 224 households, and 124 families residing in the city. The population density was 598.7 inhabitants per square mile (231.2/km2). There were 265 housing units at an average density of 335.4 per square mile (129.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.4% White, 2.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.[2]
There were 224 households of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.75.[2]
The median age in the city was 56.1 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.5% were from 45 to 64; and 32.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.[2]
At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $30,250, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $29,688 versus $20,893 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,236. About 12.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.[2]
Arts and culture
Annual events
During the second weekend in August, Fossil hosts the Wheeler County Fair and Rodeo; on the first weekend of July the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival is held on the courthouse lawn.[20] For more than 30 years, the American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) of Oregon has held motorcycle rallies in the area in late May.[21] Golf tournaments are held each year at a six-hole golf course at Kinzua, near Fossil.[15]
Museums and other points of interest
Fossil is the site of the only public fossil field in the U.S.[22][23] The field is located behind Wheeler High School.[24] After the initial discovery of the fossil field in 1949 or 1950, access was free and unrestricted until 2005, when a small interpretive center was constructed, and a collection limit of three fossils was established in exchange for a $3 entry fee.[25] The basic entry fee per person in 2011 is $5.[26]
The Oregon Paleolands Institute (OPLI) headquarters and exhibition hall are in Fossil, near the courthouse. OPLI is an educational, community-based non-profit that offers tours, hikes, and workshops related to the region's geology and paleontology.[27]
Education
Wheeler High School and Fossil Elementary School are in Fossil. In the 2011−12 school year, about 50 students were enrolled in grades 7 through 12 and about 35 in kindergarten through grade 6.[28]
Notable people
- Bill Bowerman, coach and founder of Nike, Inc. died in Fossil
- Earl C. Latourette, married Ruth Steiwer of Fossil
See also
References
- ^ a b "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ^ a b c d e f "Fossil City, Oregon". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
- ^ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "2010 Census profiles: Oregon cities alphabetically D-G" (PDF). Portland State University. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ a b Steiwer, Jack (1975). Fussner, F. Smith (ed.). Glimpses of Wheeler County's Past. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort. pp. 29−36. ISBN 0-8323-0249-X.
- ^ Stinchfield, Janet L.; Stinchfield, McLaren E., eds. (1983). The History of Wheeler County, Oregon. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company. pp. 5−6. OCLC 10948544.
- ^ Corning, Howard M. (1989) Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 234.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. 2005. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
- ^ a b The Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally & Company. 2008. pp. 84−85. ISBN 0-528-93961-0.
- ^ Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). DeLorme Mapping. 1991. pp. 80, 84. ISBN 0-89933-235-8.
- ^ "Clarno Unit". National Park Service. July 25, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "About Fossil". City of Fossil. 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ "Monthly averages for Fossil, OR". The Weather Channel. 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
- ^ "FOSSIL, OR (353038)". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Moffatt, Riley Moore (1996). Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850–1990. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-8108-3033-2.
- ^ "Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival". wheelercountybluegrass.org. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "ABATE plans Fossil Campout fundraiser". Albany Herald Democrat. 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ Lockwood, Brad (2008-02-13). "What Remains: A whirlwind tour of Central Oregon's nearly forgotten history". The Source Weekly. Lay It Out Inc. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
- ^ Robben, Janine (April 2008). "The Only Lawyer in Town". Oregon State Bar Bulletin. Oregon State Bar. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ Banse, Tom (2006-01-22). "Oregon County Sees Its Future in Fossils". NPR. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ Mortenson, Eric (July 3, 2005). "For $3, Fossil delivers 30 million years" (PDF). The Oregonian. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Fossils at Wheeler High School". Wheeler County. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
- ^ "Oregon Paleolands Institute". Oregon Paleolands Institute. 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ "Welcome to Fossil Charter School". Fossil School District. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
External links
- Entry for Fossil in the Oregon Blue Book
Municipalities and communities of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||