Editing Yamhill County, Oregon (section)

==History==
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Yamhill (Yamhelas Indian Tribe, part of the Kalapooian family<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief History of Yamhill County {{!}} Yamhill County, Oregon |url=http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/content/brief-history-yamhill-county |access-date=April 11, 2018 |website=www.co.yamhill.or.us |language=en}}</ref>) Indians, who have inhabited the area for over 8,000 years. They are one of the [[tribe]]s incorporated into the [[Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon|Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde]]. In 1857 they were forced to migrate to the [[Grand Ronde Indian Reservation]] created in Oregon's [[Oregon Coast Range|Coastal Range]] two years earlier.

The earliest non-native settlers were employees of the various fur companies operating in [[Oregon Country]], who started settling there around 1814. But it was the establishment of the [[Oregon Trail]] that led to significant migration to the area.

'''[[Yamhill District]]''' (later county) was created on July 5, 1843, five years before the [[Oregon Territory]] was established. It was one of the original four districts created by Oregon's first [[Provisional Legislature of Oregon|Provisional Legislature]], along with Twality (later [[Washington County, Oregon|Washington]]), [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]], and Champooick (later [[Marion County, Oregon|Marion]]) counties. The district was originally spread over {{convert|12000|sqmi|km2}}, an area that was broken up into twelve present-day counties.

[[Lafayette, Oregon|Lafayette]], the principal trading center of the western [[Willamette Valley]] in early Oregon history, was made the [[county seat]] in 1847. The county government was later (1889) moved to [[McMinnville, Oregon|McMinnville]] where it remains today.

The [[Mount Hebo Air Force Station]] was a [[Cold War]] air defense installation from 1956 to 1980. Located next to Tillamook County, at the top of {{convert|3154|ft|m|adj=on}} high [[Mount Hebo]], Air Force radars operated by the [[689th Radar Squadron]] and the [[14th Missile Warning Squadron]] were essential parts of the nation's integrated air defenses. The large [[radome]]s protecting the radars from adverse weather effects could be seen silhouetted against the sky from many parts of Yamhill County.

===Lock and dam on the Yamhill River===
{{Main|Yamhill River lock and dam}}
In 1900 the [[Yamhill River lock and dam]] was completed about {{convert|1.5|mi}} downriver from [[Lafayette, Oregon]]. The lock was decommissioned in 1954. The dam was demolished in 1963 to allow better passage for [[salmon]] on the river. The site of the lock and dam is now a county park.