Editing Lonerock, Oregon

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Lonerock, Oregon
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
|image_map = Gilliam_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Lonerock_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Oregon]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Oregon]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oregon|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Gilliam County, Oregon|Gilliam]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Paul O'Dell{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = 1901
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.01
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='41'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 2.62
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.01
|area_land_km2            = 2.62
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_total         = 25
|population_density_sq_mi = 24.73
|timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
|utc_offset               = -8
|timezone_DST             = Pacific
|utc_offset_DST           = -7
|coordinates              = {{coord|45|05|20|N|119|53|02|W|type:city(24)_region:US-OR_source:gnis|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 2835
|website                  = 
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 97823
|area_code                = [[Area codes 541 and 458|458 and 541]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 41-43400<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2410865<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2410865}}</ref>
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|pop_est_footnotes        = 
|population_density_km2   = 9.55
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
}}
'''Lonerock''' is a city in [[Gilliam County, Oregon]], United States, twenty miles east of [[Condon, Oregon|Condon]]. The population was 21 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].

==History==
The settlement began in the early 1870s,<ref>[https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/or/lonerock.html Ghost Towns of Oregon/Lonerock OR (accessed 31 May 2020)]</ref><ref>Palmer, Thouvenel, 2:10</ref> as a service center for the surrounding ranches. It was [[plat]]ted in 1882 as "Lone Rock", named for an unusual, {{convert|35|ft|m|adj=on}}-high rock that still stands in the town near the old [[Methodism|Methodist]] church. The U.S. Postal Service had a preference for one-word names, so name of the post office was "Lonerock",<ref name=OGN>{{Cite OGN|7th|page=589}}</ref> which eventually became the community's official name. The city's population grew from 68 in 1900 to 70 in 1910, 73 in 1920, to a high of 82 in 1930.<ref name=POP>{{cite book|last=Moffat|first=Riley Moore|title=Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850-1990|year=1996|publisher=Scarecrow Press|page=212}}</ref> By 1940, Lonerock's population dwindled to 46, dropped to 38 in 1950, 31 in 1960, and to 12 residents in 1970. The population increased to 26 citizens in 1980, before falling to 11 in the 1990 census.<ref name=POP/>

The first settlers to the area arrived in 1871. The Lonerock area, in a valley cut by a small stream, was lush with grasses, and the surrounding hills abounded with game animals. In 1874, Edward Wineland erected a water-powered sawmill at Lonerock, which allowed construction and settlement to thrive, and, in 1875, a post office was established.<ref>Palmer, Thouvenel, 2:13</ref>

In 1878, the area's Native Americans{{who|date=September 2020}} began pushing back on the intruding settlers, causing many to flee to [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]]. The US Army was called on to protect the remaining inhabitants, and by 1882 the area was secured and the town was incorporated, one of the county's first.<ref name="Palmer, Thouvenel, 1:6">Palmer, Thouvenel, 1:6</ref> Postmaster RG Robinson was elected mayor of the new government.

In 1888, a two-room school building was erected, and 1-12 grade education was provided. The school's final graduation was in 1932.<ref name="Palmer, Thouvenel, 1:6"/> In 1898, Reverend Deuse joined the community and built a Methodist church that held weekly services for many years. As of 2020, the church still stands, and occasionally holds services.<ref>[http://www.co.gilliam.or.us/recreation/communities/lonerock/index.php "Lonerock", Gilliam County website (accessed 31 May 2020)]</ref> The small white church has become as iconic to the Lonerock community as the rock itself.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

In July 1896, the town was almost destroyed by fire. The entire business portion burned and only a few dwellings were left on the outskirts of town. The blaze was reportedly started by a boy playing with matches.<ref>[https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn84006724/1896-07-23/ed-1/seq-1/ Oregon News (23 July 1896)]</ref>

By 1900, the town's population stood at 68; new settlers were arriving and several businesses operated within its limits.<ref name="Palmer, Thouvenel, 1:6"/> Many of the surrounding homesteads had become successful ranches and farms that occupied thousands of acres on the surrounding hillsides. A varied economy was arising, including hunting for sport, fishing, and winter sledding. An annual rodeo, held on the middle of Main Street, became a popular event, attracting participants and spectators from the surrounding area. By the 1920s, rodeos in the surrounding areas grew larger and Lonerock's annual rodeo was no longer the main attraction; its final year was 1934. The economy also declined as businesses and activities migrated to larger settlements in the area. The town's population shrank by nearly half from 1930 to 1940.

Early settlers from [[Scotland]] formed much of the sheep-based early economy. This part of the economy gradually evaporated due to a mixture of fluctuating sheep prices and the increased prevalence of cattle raising in the area.<ref name="Palmer, Thouvenel, 1:6"/> The lush grasses on the area's hillsides allowed cattle raising, which currently accounts for nearly all the city's economy.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} The other part of the agricultural economy is [[hay]] production. Lonerock's climate would not support hay farming at first, but the introduction of various [[irrigation]] methods in the Lonerock valley allowed alfalfa to thrive.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.01|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all of it land.<ref>{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=US Census Bureau|accessdate=21 December 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archivedate=2 July 2012}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 70
|1920= 73
|1930= 82
|1940= 46
|1950= 38
|1960= 31
|1970= 12
|1980= 26
|1990= 11
|2000= 24
|2010= 21
|2020= 25
|footnote=US Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:41&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States Census]],<ref>{{cite web|title=US Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=US Census Bureau|accessdate=21 December 2012}}</ref> there were 21 people, 12 households, and 5 families in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|20.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 25 housing units at an average density of {{convert|24.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 100.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]].

There were 12 households, of which 8.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.3% were non-families. 50.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.75 and the average family size was 2.40.

The median age in the city was 54.5 years. 4.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 0% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 47.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 42.9% male and 57.1% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States Census]], there were 24 people, 15 households, and 7 families in the city. The population density was 24.1 people per square mile (9.3/km{{sup|2}}). There were 27 housing units at an average density of {{convert|27.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]].

There were 15 households, out of which 13.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.3% were non-families. 53.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 33.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.60 and the average family size was 2.29.

The town's population contained 16.7% under the age of 18, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 33.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $12,500, and the median income for a family was $20,938. Males had a median income of $0 versus $13,750 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $8,857. There are 33.3% of families living below the [[poverty line]] and 17.9% of the population, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

==See also==
* [[List of ghost towns in Oregon]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book|title= The History of Gillian County, Oregon |first1= Lovena S. |last1= Palmer |first2= Miriam C. |last2= Thouvenel |publisher= Gilliam County Historical Society |year= 1981 |oclc= 16672770}}

==External links==
* [https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/local/cities/l-r/lonerock.aspx Entry for Lonerock] in the ''[[Oregon Blue Book]]''

{{Gilliam County, Oregon}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Oregon]]
[[Category:Cities in Gilliam County, Oregon]]
[[Category:1881 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1881]]