2016 Edition
You must have javascript enabled to see the above contact information
All rights reserved - may not be copied without permission
Founded in 1881 to serve surrounding ranches, Lonerock hasn't had a post office
since 1963. Townspeople get their mail in Condon. But even without postal service,
a school or a general store, the community has persisted. Its false-fronted community
hall, built around the turn of the last century, has been renovated, and its isolation
has actually attracted a few residents.
A two-story schoolhouse, built in 1903, rises above the east side of town. Its
last high-school class graduated in 1932; the school closed for good in 1961. A tiny,
wooden jail, built in 1891 as a place for rowdy sheepherders to sleep off nights of
revelry, still looks as though it could withstand a prairie tornado.
"The Rock" is a solitary, squarish 35-foot boulder on the south side of town,
beside Lone Creek, a tributary of the John Day River. Beside it stands the renovated
Methodist Church, built in 1898.
The Lonerock School is owned by Bob West (below).
It's been converted to a summer residence. Bob is a retired printer
who moved to Lonerock 20 years ago and lives in the first house you
see when you get into town. The buckboard in front of his house
hauled the wood used to build the early homes in Lonerock.
Bob invited us to chat after we were done taking pictures. We showed
up a half hour later and there were two glasses of ice water waiting
for us!
Bob told us all about the early days of the town and had a photo of
the town circa 1900.
UPDATE 5/26/18: We went back today for a visit to Lonerock and
hoped to visit with Bob again. The whole town was dressed up and
headed for the church. We figured it was some sort of town Memorial
Day BBQ or something. Come to find out, it was a memorial for Bob
who had passed away a few days earlier at age 94. We were very sad
that we didn't get to see him one last time.
Here's a shot of the Mayor (I kid you not) reading the water meters
The Original Easyrider®
Motorcycle Touring Forum
If you like and appreciate this site, please consider making a small donation
to keep it going after I'm gone. Please click on the DONATE button above. Every
little bit helps. Your donations will only be applied after I am no longer around
to make payments on this account.
HOME
These pages were designed for high resolution, wide screen monitors
on computers with a high speed Internet connection
Copyright 1990-2016 Easyrider LAN Pro
All rights reserved - may not be copied without permission