The Long Way
Deschutes and Crook County
A person fly fishes in a river surrounded by trees and grassy banks.
Plate I. Fly-fishing along Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
A truck parked at a campsite near trees and hills.
Plate II. Lone Pine Campground, Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
Two people and a dog relaxing in camping chairs by a river near rocky cliffs.
Plate III. Campers along Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
A person wades and fishes in a river bordered by rocky cliffs and sparse trees.
Plate IV. Fly-fishing along the Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
A river flows through a grassy valley surrounded by hills and trees.
Plate V. Crooked River landscape, Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
A winding road curves along a hillside next to a river running through a canyon.
Plate VI. Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
A grassy meadow surrounded by low hills and sagebrush under a cloudy sky.
Plate VII. Open rangeland along Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov
A river runs through a rocky canyon landscape with sparse vegetation.
Plate VIII. River canyon along Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. Photograph by Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington from Portland, America, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A gravel road curves through a landscape with trees, dry grass, and rocky hills.
Plate IX. Gravel road, Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway. From blm.gov

Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway

Prineville, Deschutes and Crook County, Oregon. Back country byway.

Details

Map. Prineville, Deschutes and Crook County, Oregon. Larger map
Where
Prineville District Office 3050 NE 3rd Street Prineville Oregon 97754, Prineville, OR 97754. Directions
Season
access to camping, fishing and hiking opportunities are available year-round.
Getting there
From Bend, Oregon: Drive 33.3 miles east on State Highway 20.
Fees
No river use fees. Campsite fees: Single: $8/night, Group: $16/night, Extra car: $2.
Access
Fires are prohibited annually from June 1 through October 15 in the Lower Crooked River segment.
Walk-in or reserve
Nine non-reservable campgrounds and two day-use areas provide easy year-round access to the Chimney Rock segment south of Prineville, Oregon.
Phone
541-416-6700
Website
blm.gov
Managed by
Prineville District Office.

An Oregon state highway located in Deschutes County and Crook County. OR 27 traverses the Crooked River Highway No. 14 of the Oregon state highway system. Known as the Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway, OR 27 has the distinction of being one of the only state highways in Oregon which is partially paved.

Notable Events

  1. 1871A post office was established in 1871 with William Heisler the first postmaster and it was named Prine in honor of Barney Prine. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  2. 1877After receiving his deed, Monroe Hodges filed a town site plat on his homestead at the Wasco County seat in The Dalles on March 28, 1877. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  3. 1880Prineville was incorporated in 1880, with a population at that time of about 400. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  4. 1882Prineville was selected as the county seat for newly created Crook County in 1882, and Crook County then included all of Central Oregon. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  5. 1911Prineville remained the main center of Central Oregon until the arrival of the railroad in 1911, when major commerce began to shift to communities along the railroad, such as Bend, Redmond and Madras. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  6. 1911Construction of the railroad in 1911 necessitated a bridge over the Crooked River Gorge, with the river 860 feet below; at the time it was the seventh highest structure of its kind in the world and the highest cantilevered arch in the United States, and when the first train crossed on September 17, 1911, only half of the rivets were in place. nuggetnews.com
  7. 1916Hopes for a railroad through Prineville were dashed when the Oregon Trunk Railway was built along the Deschutes without a service line to the town, so voters authorized the sale of $322,000 worth of municipal bonds in 1916 to connect Prineville with the Oregon Trunk; the line was built but was a financial disaster for the community. oregonhistoryproject.org
  8. 1917The first successful wide-scale irrigation effort led local landowners to form the Ochoco Irrigation District, raise bonds, and build a dam on Ochoco Creek in 1921. oregonencyclopedia.org
  9. 1956With the help of Oregon senators Wayne Morse and Richard Neuberger, Crook County landowners and officials persuaded Congress to authorize and fund the Crooked River Project. oregonencyclopedia.org
  10. 1957After thirty-five years of lobbying, Crook County farmers and ranchers succeeded when Congress approved the Crooked River Project. oregonencyclopedia.org
  11. 1961Construction on the dam on the Crooked River was completed after LaSelle Coles and local farmers and legislators promoted the project. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  12. 1962The operation of Prineville Reservoir water storage and Bowman Dam was turned over to the Ochoco Irrigation District. crookcountyhistorycenter.org
  13. 1988All three reaches of the Crooked River were designated as Wild and Scenic in the Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988. blm.gov
  14. 1989The BLM Scenic and/or Back Country Byway roster lists OR Lower Crooked River with a designation date of 09/26/89, BCB Type I, 43 miles. web.archive.org

People

  • LaSelle Coles, Ochoco Irrigation District manager in the 1950s who, with local farmers and area legislators, promoted construction of the Crooked River Project (the 1950s).
  • Frances Barney Prine, settled along the banks of the Crooked River with a blacksmith shop, saloon and store, and gave his name to Prine and then Prineville (1868).
  • Isaac Bostwick, neighbor of Barney Prine from Linn County, one of the first settlers at the site that became Prineville.
  • Monroe Hodges, bought Barney Prine's operation, consolidated holdings in the Crooked River Valley, platted the townsite of Prineville and saw the town incorporated.
  • William Heisler, first postmaster of the Prine post office on the Crooked River (1871).
  • A.R. Bowman, Crook County commissioner and chief project booster; Bowman Dam is named for him.
  • Mark O. Hatfield, Oregon senator who led the 1988 change giving sections of the Crooked River Wild and Scenic protection.
  • Richard Neuberger, Oregon senator who helped Crook County backers persuade Congress to authorize and fund the Crooked River Project.
  • Wayne Morse, Oregon senator who helped Crook County backers persuade Congress to authorize and fund the Crooked River Project.
  • Barney Prine, founded Prineville and operated a blacksmith shop, saloon and store in the fledgling town (1868).

Sources

  1. blm.gov/visit/lower-crooked-river-back-country-byway
  2. oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/birdrsquos-eye-view-of-prineville-c-1915
  3. crookcountyhistorycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/August-2018-Newslette-small.pdf
  4. nuggetnews.com/story/2017/07/03/news/working-on-the-railroad/27440.html
  5. oregonlive.com/travel/2016/12/how_oregons_rivers_got_their_n.html
  6. web.archive.org/web/20140102194252/http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wo/Planning_and_Renewable_Resources/recreation_images/national_programs/byways.Par.26197.File.dat/Table%201.pdf
  7. crookcountyhistorycenter.org/2021/02/a-dam-good-irrigation-story
  8. blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/oregon-washington/crooked-wsr
  9. oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/crooked_river_project