Contact
Crump Lake in the Warner Valley. (Oregon State Archives Scenic Images collection)
County Seat: Courthouse, 513 Center St., Lakeview 97630
Phone: 541-947-6006 (General); 541-947-6051 (Court Administrator)
Email:
elections@co.lake.or.usAbout
Established: October 24, 1874
Elev. at Lakeview: 4,800'
Area: 8,359 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 28.4° July 67.0°
Assessed Value: $843,078,514
Real Market Value: $1,445,495,522
(includes the value of non-taxed properties)
Annual Precipitation: 15.80"
Economy: Livestock, forest products, agriculture and recreation
Related Resources
Incorporated Cities
Points of Interest
Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge, Fort Rock and Fort Rock Homestead Village Museum, Lake Abert and Abert Rim, Goose Lake, Hunter’s Hot Springs, Old Perpetual Geyser, Schminck Memorial Museum and Lake County Museum, Warner Canyon Ski Area, Gearhart Wilderness, Lost Forest, Crack-in-the-Ground, Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Summer Lake Hot Springs, Warner Wetlands, Summer Lake Wildlife Area
History and General Information
Lake County was created from Jackson and Wasco counties by the 1874 Legislature. It then included present-day Klamath County and all present-day Lake County except Warner Valley. In 1882 Klamath County was removed, and in 1885 the Warner area of Grant County was added. Lake County is in the high desert region known as the Oregon Outback, on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin.
Pre-Clovis-era archeological remains found in the Paisley Caves in northern Lake County (2007) are radiocarbon-dated to 14,300 calendar years before the present. Prehistoric artifacts found in the Fort Rock Caves (1938) have been dated to more than 10,000 years ago.
Linkville (now Klamath Falls) was the first county seat. M. Bullard gave 20 acres as the Lakeview townsite. In the 1875 election, the county seat was moved to Lakeview. The Hart Mountain Antelope refuge is a 270,000 acre wildlife haven for mule deer, bighorn sheep and upland birds. A number of migratory waterfowl flyaways converge on Goose Lake (south of Lakeview), the Warner Wetlands (near Plush) and the Summer Lake Wildlife Area.
County Officials
Commissioners: Chair James Williams (2027); Mark Albertson (2027), Barry Shullenberger (2029); Dist. Atty Paul Charas (2029); Assess. Linda Hopper (2029); Clerk Amy Hutchinson (2029); Sheriff Michael Taylor 2027; Surv. Darryl Anderson (2027); Treas. Melanie Lasley (2029)