Sunset from Bannister Road near Weston. (Oregon State Archives Scenic Images collection)
County Seat: Courthouse, 216 SE Fourth St., Pendleton 97801
Phone: 541-276-7111 (General); 541-278-0341, Pendleton, 541-667-3020, Hermiston (Court Administrators)
About
Established: Sept. 27, 1862
Elev. at Pendleton: 1,069'
Area: 3,231 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 31.9° July 73.6°
Assessed Value: $7,739,392,922
Real Market Value: $13,566,111,588 (includes the value of non-taxed properties)
Annual Precipitation: 12.97"
Economy: Agriculture, food processing, forest products, manufacturing, recreation, aggregate production and wind power generation, tourism
Related Resources
Incorporated Cities
Points of Interest
Pendleton Round-Up, Happy Canyon Indian Pageant and Wild West Show, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton County Historical Society, McNary Dam and Recreation Area, Echo Museum and Historic Area, Hat Rock, Battle Mountain and Emigrant Springs State Parks, Weston Historic District, Frazier Farmstead Museum, North Fork Umatilla Wilderness Area, Tollgate-Spout Springs Recreation Area, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Tamastslikt Cultural Center and Wildhorse Casino
History and General Information
Umatilla County is named after the Umatilla River or “Ímatalam Wána” (Sahaptin language), which bears the name of an Indigenous village at its mouth and the people who lived there. The county traces its creation in 1862 to the regional gold rushes, which spawned the riverport of Umatilla City and brought colonists raising livestock to the lush grasslands.
The county expanded after the railroad arrived in 1881, along with the development of dry land wheat farming. Irrigation has been key to economic diversification and growth, most recently in the Hermiston area, where the desert now yields lush watermelons and other products.
Recreation, primarily in the Blue Mountains, and tourism at events like the Pendleton Round-Up rodeo, are also important to the local economy.
County Officials
Commissioners: Chair John Shafer (2027); Dan Dorran (2029), Cindy Timmons (2027); Dist. Atty. Daniel R. Primus (2029); Sheriff Terry Rowan (2029); Assess. Rachael Reynolds; Surv. David Krumbein; Financial Mgr. Robert Pahl; Admin. Serv. Director Dan Lonai