Copperfield, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Copperfield is a former town in Baker County
, Oregon
, United States
, located on the west bank of the Snake River
, near a place called The Oxbow.
; However, the Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook
asserted that "there was no copper in Copperfield", and that the community "had one purpose; namely, to cater to the uninhibited appetites of more than two thousand men who were engaged on two nearby construction projects."
Copperfield was plat
ted around 1898, along a Northwest Railway Company line that never developed. Soon the locality was known as "Copperfield" and a post office established in 1899. The population grew to 1,000 by 1910 because two tunnels were being dug near The Oxbow by the local railroad company and by the predecessor of the Idaho Power Company
. This railroad activity was described as a "brawling railroad construction camp" during this period by Barbara Ruth Bailey.
sent his secretary, Fern Hobbs
, with a signed declaration of martial law
to clean up the place. A few months after Hobbs' intervention, a fire "of unknown origin destroyed a block or two of the jerry-built structures. No saloon ever reopened."
. In 1965, however, the community of Oxbow
was founded just south of the site of Copperfield when the Idaho Power Company was building the Oxbow Dam
. The former site of Copperfield is now a park run by Idaho Power.
Baker County, Oregon
Baker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. It is named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a senator from Oregon who was killed at Ball's Bluff, a battle of the Civil War in Virginia in 1861. It was split from the eastern part...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located on the west bank of the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
, near a place called The Oxbow.
Early history
According to the historian Lewis McArthur, the town was formed in the late 1890s as "Copper Camp", and was inhabited by prospectors of the local copper oreCopper ores
Following is a list of minerals which serve as copper ores in the copper mining process:...
; However, the Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook
Stewart Holbrook
Stewart Hall Holbrook was an American lumberjack, writer, and popular historian. His writings focused on what he called the "Far Corner": Washington, Oregon, and Idaho...
asserted that "there was no copper in Copperfield", and that the community "had one purpose; namely, to cater to the uninhibited appetites of more than two thousand men who were engaged on two nearby construction projects."
Copperfield was plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted around 1898, along a Northwest Railway Company line that never developed. Soon the locality was known as "Copperfield" and a post office established in 1899. The population grew to 1,000 by 1910 because two tunnels were being dug near The Oxbow by the local railroad company and by the predecessor of the Idaho Power Company
Idaho Power Company
Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. Its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in eastern Oregon and southern Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...
. This railroad activity was described as a "brawling railroad construction camp" during this period by Barbara Ruth Bailey.
Martial law
As Holbrook describes it, "early in 1913 the construction jobs began to peter out. Fewer men were employed. Competition for the remaining trade became stiff. The saloon keepers began feuding." With stories of arson, the town acquired a reputation for being lawless. When the county authorities failed to get control of the situation, Governor Oswald WestOswald West
Oswald West was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon. Called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the most brilliant governor Oregon ever had."- Early life and career :West was born in Ontario, Canada...
sent his secretary, Fern Hobbs
Fern Hobbs
Fern Hobbs was an American attorney in the U.S. state of Oregon, and a private secretary to Oregon Governor Oswald West...
, with a signed declaration of martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
to clean up the place. A few months after Hobbs' intervention, a fire "of unknown origin destroyed a block or two of the jerry-built structures. No saloon ever reopened."
Ghost town
There were two more fires, and then the post office closed in 1927, essentially turning Copperfield into a ghost townGhost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. In 1965, however, the community of Oxbow
Oxbow, Oregon
Oxbow is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon, United States. Oxbow is located on Oregon Route 86 next to the Snake River near the Oxbow Dam on the Oregon-Idaho border, about 17 miles northeast of Halfway. Oxbow is just south of the site of the former mining town of Copperfield...
was founded just south of the site of Copperfield when the Idaho Power Company was building the Oxbow Dam
Oxbow Dam
Oxbow Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river rockfill dam on the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon border, in Hells Canyon . It is part of the Hells Canyon Project that also includes Hells Canyon Dam and Brownlee Dam, built and operated by Idaho Power Company.The dam's powerhouse contains four...
. The former site of Copperfield is now a park run by Idaho Power.
External links
- Oregon State Archives: The Copperfield Controversy
- Historic images of Copperfield from the Baker County Library