Drewsey, Oregon

Drewsey is an unincorporated community in Harney County, in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1] Drewsey is along the main stem of the Malheur River, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Burns, off U.S. Route 20.[2] It has the ZIP Code of 97904.[3]

Drewsey, Oregon
Unincorporated community
Drewsey post office
Drewsey
Drewsey
Coordinates: 43.80667°N 118.37639°W / 43.80667; -118.37639
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyHarney
Elevation
4,148 ft (1,264 m)
Time zoneOfficial: Pacific Unofficial: Mountain
ZIP Code
97904
Area code(s)541
Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey[1]

History

The region around Drewsey was frequented by Paiute tribes long before white settlers arrived. They caught salmon in the river and its tributaries and hunted and foraged on the land. Subsequent clashes between the two cultures led to creation of the Malheur Indian Reservation, which included the Drewsey area, in 1872. There the Paiutes and others were expected to learn about white culture and to become farmers. After further clashes, the Indians were re-located from the Malheur region to reservations elsewhere in the West. By the early 1880s, settlers began establishing themselves in and around Drewsey.[4]

Abner Robbins opened a store here in 1883 and named the place "Gouge Eye"[5] to commemorate a local dispute. When Robbins applied for a post office, postal authorities did not accept the original name, so he changed it to "Drusy".[6] When the office was established in 1884, however, it was registered under the name "Drewsey".[6]

Drewsey grew rapidly in the late 19th century, depending on farming and ranching for its economic base. The Pacific Livestock Company, two lumbers mills, and other businesses thrived here through the 1920s. However, bypassed by the nearest east−west railway as well as the main highway, Drewsey lost population during the Great Depression and after. In the 21st century, Drewsey consists of a small number of homes, a combined garage and store with a post office, a tavern and restaurant, two churches, and an elementary school.[4]

Geography

Climate

Drewsey has a steppe climate (Köppen Csb).

Climate data for Drewsey
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 64
(18)		 67
(19)		 78
(26)		 89
(32)		 100
(38)		 101
(38)		 107
(42)		 104
(40)		 100
(38)		 92
(33)		 75
(24)		 60
(16)		 107
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 35.3
(1.8)		 42.3
(5.7)		 52.8
(11.6)		 61.1
(16.2)		 70.4
(21.3)		 79.1
(26.2)		 89.6
(32.0)		 88.1
(31.2)		 78.9
(26.1)		 65
(18)		 46.7
(8.2)		 35.8
(2.1)		 62.1
(16.7)
Average low °F (°C) 15.4
(−9.2)		 20.3
(−6.5)		 25.8
(−3.4)		 29.6
(−1.3)		 37.1
(2.8)		 43.8
(6.6)		 49
(9)		 45.7
(7.6)		 36
(2)		 27.3
(−2.6)		 21.9
(−5.6)		 15.5
(−9.2)		 30.6
(−0.8)
Record low °F (°C) −27
(−33)		 −33
(−36)		 −19
(−28)		 9
(−13)		 13
(−11)		 25
(−4)		 29
(−2)		 26
(−3)		 11
(−12)		 −5
(−21)		 −17
(−27)		 −36
(−38)		 −36
(−38)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.33
(34)		 0.97
(25)		 1.08
(27)		 0.83
(21)		 1.03
(26)		 0.81
(21)		 0.35
(8.9)		 0.4
(10)		 0.42
(11)		 0.68
(17)		 1.23
(31)		 1.51
(38)		 10.64
(270)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.4
(21)		 5.3
(13)		 1.7
(4.3)		 0.3
(0.76)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 2.9
(7.4)		 9.6
(24)		 28.4
(72)
Average precipitation days 9 8 8 7 7 5 2 3 3 4 9 9 74
Source: [7]

Time Zones

Although Drewsey is officially in the Pacific Time Zone, some residents choose to unofficially observe the Mountain Time Zone due to close proximity to Malheur County. Despite this, Pacific Time is strictly adhered to by businesses and the Oregon Department of Transportation

Education
Buildings in Drewsey

Drewsey Elementary School is in Drewsey. It serves children in kindergarten through grade 8.[8]

Infrastructure

Transportation

In the 21st century, Drewsey is a stop on the Eastern Public Oregon Intercity Transit (POINT) bus line between Bend and Ontario. It makes one stop per day in each direction.[9]

Two roads for cars and trucks lead to the community. Drewsey Road links Drewsey to Route 20, to the south. Drewsey Market Road connects to rural locations to the west along the Malheur River.[2]

References
  1. "Drewsey". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  2. "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 6, 2016 – via Acme Mapper.
  3. "Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  4. "Drewsey Rural Community". Harney County Economic Development. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  5. Reed, Ione (December 25, 1971). "What, Indeed, Is in a Name?". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 8. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  6. McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 303. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  7. "Drewsey, OR (352415)". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  8. "Drewsey Elementary School District". Crane Union High School. 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  9. "Eastern POINT Schedule". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.