Editing Bonanza, Oregon (section)

==History==
The town, in a farming district, was named after the Spanish word for prosperity (literally smooth sea), apparently because of the good [[spring (hydrology)|springs]] found nearby. The Bonanza post office was established in 1875.<ref name="OGN">{{cite book | last = McArthur | first = Lewis A. | author-link = Lewis A. McArthur |author2=Lewis L. McArthur |author2-link=Lewis L. McArthur | title = [[Oregon Geographic Names]] | orig-year = 1928 | edition = 7th | year = 2003 | publisher = [[Oregon Historical Society]] Press | location = Portland, Oregon| isbn = 0-87595-277-1 | page = 97}}</ref>

J. P. Roberts founded the community in 1876 and opened a store there. Bonanza was formally [[plat]]ted in 1878. By around 1900, it was considered the third most important town in Klamath County, after Klamath Falls and [[Merrill, Oregon|Merrill]]. Daily mail arrived by stagecoach. The chief products of the region were cattle, horses, grain, hay, fruits, and vegetables.<ref name="HistoryCentralOregon">{{cite book |last=Shaver|first=F. A.|title=An Illustrated History of Central Oregon Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler, Crook, Lake and Klamath Counties | year=1905| publisher=Western Publishing Co.|url=https://archive.org/stream/illustratedhist00shav#page/981/mode/2up| location=Spokane, Washington|page=981|oclc=5436491|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

Bonanza is an agricultural community with large areas of [[alfalfa]], cattle, and dairy farm use. The Lost River runs near downtown where the Bonanza Big Springs are located. Low water levels have caused groundwater contamination through the springs and added to the regional controversies over water use, endangered suckers (fish) and struggling salmon species, and farming.<ref>{{cite web|author=NASA Earth Observatory|title=Drought in the Klamath River Basin|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=1743|date=September 8, 2001|publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)|access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=St. Clair|first=Jeffrey|title=Klamath Water Babies|url=http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1616/klamath_water_babies/|work=In These Times|date=October 15, 2001|access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref>