Burns is a city in and the
county seat of
Harney County, in the
U.S. state of
Oregon. According to the
2010 census, the population was 2,806. Burns and the nearby city of
Hines are home to about 60 percent of the people in the sparsely populated county, the largest in Oregon and the ninth largest in the United States. The Burns–Hines region has a high-desert climate but was much wetter in the recent geologic past. The
Harney Basin was the largest of many depressions in which lakes formed in southeastern Oregon during the late
Pleistocene. Remnants of an ancient lake that reached as far north as Burns are at the center of the
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, south of the city.
Northern Paiutes or their ancestors, who were
hunter-gatherers, have lived in the region for thousands of years. Since the arrival of Euro-Americans in the 19th century, cattle ranching and other forms of agriculture have dominated land use in the area. In 1930, logging in the mountains north of Burns led to the creation of Hines, a lumber
company town, and the timber industry remained important to the local economy until the 1990s. In addition to ranching, a variety of private and public enterprises support the Burns–Hines economy in the 21st century. Annual events include a migratory bird festival, the county fair, and a country music jamboree.
Chief Joseph (
1840–September 21, 1904) was the
chief of the Wallowa band of
Nez Perce Indians during
General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to
forcibly remove his
band and the other "non-treaty" Indians to a
reservation. For his principled resistance to the removal, he became renowned as a
humanitarian and peacemaker. In 1873, Joseph negotiated with the federal government to ensure his people could stay on their land, but in 1877, the government reversed its policy, and General
Oliver Howard threatened to attack if the Wallowa band did not relocate to the Idaho Reservation. Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed. Joseph and other chiefs began leading his people north toward Canada. Over 3 months, the band traveled 1,700 miles across
Oregon,
Washington,
Idaho,
Wyoming, and
Montana. On October 5, 1877, in the mountains of the
Montana Territory, less than 40 miles south of
Canada, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Howard. He earned the praise of General
Sherman, and became known in the press as "the Red
Napoleon". Although Joseph had negotiated a safe return home for his people, they were instead taken to eastern
Kansas and then to a reservation in the
Indian Territory where many of them died from diseases. In 1885, Joseph and his followers were allowed to return to the Pacific Northwest, though many, including Chief Joseph, were taken to the
Colville Indian Reservation. Joseph continued to lead his band of Wallowa until his death in 1904.
- December 1, 1969, TriMet replaces Rose City Transit as the provider of mass transit service in Portland.
- December 4, 1850, The Oregonian, now the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast, is founded.
- December 8, 1876, A. Luelling becomes the first mayor of the city of Hillsboro, located in the Tualatin Valley.
- December 12, 1893, former Congressman George K. Shiel dies after a breaking his neck in a fall.
- December 14, 1871, Oregon Senator George Henry Williams begins tenure as United States Attorney General.
- December 21, 1936, Oregon's first female governor, Barbara Roberts, is born in Corvallis.
- December 28, 1978, United Airlines Flight 173 crashed in Portland killing ten onboard the DC-8 aircraft.
- December 29, 1855, a fire destroyed the Territorial Capitol building.
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