Editing Grant County, Oregon (section)

==Economy==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2009}}
With the discovery of gold near [[Canyon City, Oregon|Canyon City]] in June 1862, and near [[Granite, Oregon|Granite]] in July 1862, gold miners streamed into the area. The eminent geologist, [[Waldemar Lindgren]], who visited the area in 1900, estimated that approximately $16 million in gold had been mined from the [[Canyon City, Oregon|Canyon City]] area alone by that time.  (In 1900, the value of gold was fixed at $20.67 per ounce, so that $16 million in gold would have been roughly 800,000 ounces—worth today [at $1,600 an ounce] about $1.28 Billion)  Mining remained the dominant sector of the area's economy, with increasing lode-ore production annually, until October 1942 when the U. S. [[National War Labor Board (1942–1945)|War Labor Board]] made gold mining illegal by Executive Order, Public Law L-208. This effectively led to several mining towns being abandoned and the demise of the mining industry in eastern Oregon and elsewhere; idle equipment was removed as scrap drives during World War II literally dismantled a great deal of the county's mining infrastructure. In Oregon, Grant County's gold production was second only to [[Baker County, Oregon|Baker County]].

Because of the wealth of natural resources found in Grant County, agriculture, ranching, and timber industries naturally grew with and contributed to the development of the county. In the early days, sheep formed a large part of the agricultural base and the area boasted some of the largest sheep bands in the world, supplying a great volume of wool to, among others, the world-renowned Pendleton Wool Works in [[Pendleton, Oregon|Pendleton]]. Cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers were often at odds and physical confrontations were not uncommon. By the 1920 and 1930s, however, cattle ranching became—and continues to be—the dominant sector of the agricultural industry. Crop farming, dairy production and orchards operated on small scales during the late 19th century and early 20th century, but declined during [[World War II]] due to changing market and labor pressures. The commercial timber industry in Grant County grew rapidly in the 1920s, and again during and after World War II. Livestock raising and timber harvesting remain important sectors of Grant County's economy, although the production and profitability of these industries has declined in recent years due mainly to political and expanding-market factors. Two wood-fired co-gen electric plants have been built in the county, one of which continues to operate in Prairie City.

Due mainly to federal land management policies and global market pressures affecting timber and agricultural production and extraction, the county has experienced the second highest unemployment rate in Oregon for more than 30 years. The county has experienced some growth in recreational activities (including hunting) and tourism, as well as cottage industry, but residents have struggled to develop new productive industries and to diversify their economy. Slightly more than a quarter of the county's workforce is employed by some level of government or public services.