Fort Rock is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in Lake County

Lake County, Oregon

Lake County is a county in the high desert south central region of the U.S. state of Oregon, so named for the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert, Hart Lake Reservoir, and Goose Lake. While Lake is among Oregon's largest counties, it is sparsely populated with 7,895...

, 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...

, southeast of Fort Rock State Natural Area

Fort Rock (Oregon)

Fort Rock is a volcanic landmark called a tuff ring, located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, United States.The ring is about in diameter and stands about high above the surrounding plain. Its tall, straight sides resemble the palisades of a fort, thus giving the rock its name...

.

The community of Fort Rock was named after the natural feature Fort Rock by the town's founder, Ray Nash. Fort Rock post office was established in 1908 under postmaster Josiah Thomas Rhoton. The Fort Rock Valley flourished briefly during the homestead

Homestead Act

A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....

 period before World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, but little remains in the area today. Fort Rock is one of two homestead-era communities remaining in the era, along with Silver Lake

Silver Lake, Oregon

Silver Lake is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Oregon Route 31. Facilities include a gas station and a small store. It is also the location of North Lake School, "Home of the Cowboys".- History :...

.

Today, many of the buildings in Fort Rock are part of Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum

Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum

The Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum is located in Fort Rock, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1988, it is a collection of original pioneer buildings including a church, school, houses, homestead cabins, and several other buildings assembled in a village setting. The structures were...

, which is a collection of homestead-era buildings moved there from the surrounding area, starting in 1988. The museum was created by the Fort Rock Valley Historical Society to preserve historic buildings that were in danger of being razed by the Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

 or were being vandalized in their remote locations. Buildings include a church, a log cabin, a doctor's office, a school, a land office, and several other cabins and houses.

Businesses in the community include the Fort Rock General Store and Art Gallery, Fort Rock Restaurant and Pub, The Waterin' Hole Tavern, a Grange

Grange movement

The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, also simply styled the Grange, is a fraternal organization for American farmers that encourages farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being...

 hall, and a community church. There is also a U.S. post office with ZIP code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 97735, and the Fort Rock Apartments. The Fort Rock Valley has a small community of artists, weavers, stone cutters, and photographers who supply Western

American Old West

The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...

-themed products for the art gallery. The region is well known for producing high-quality alfalfa

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...

hay for domestic and international markets.

External links

• Historic photos of Fort Rock, Oregon from Salem Public Library
• Photos of Fort Rock buildings at the Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum

43.35667°N 121.05278°W