Orodell, Oregon

Orodell, also known as Oro Dell, is an unincorporated historic locale in Union County, Oregon, United States, on the Grande Ronde River at the northwest edge of La Grande.^[1] It is considered a ghost town.^[2] Either Charles Fox or Stephen Coffin started the first sawmill in the Grande Ronde Valley there in the summer of 1862, after a joint stock company between Coffin and other local settlers failed to materialize in 1861.^[2][3][4]

A townsite was platted in 1868.^[2][3][5] Orodell post office was established in 1867 and named by taking part of the Greek word oros, meaning "a mountain", and combining it with the English word "dell".^[2] The post office closed in 1878, and although the place is still known as Orodell, there has not been a community there for many years.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Orodell". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. May 22, 1986. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1164152. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [First published 1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 731. ISBN 9780875952772. OCLC 53075956. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Deumling, Dietrich (1972-05). The roles of the railroad in the development of the Grande Ronde Valley (masters thesis). Flagstaff, Arizona: Northern Arizona University. pp. 15–16. OCLC 4383986. 
4. ^ An Illustrated history of Union and Wallowa counties. Western Historical Publishing Company. 1902. pp. 138. OCLC 16675525. 
5. ^ Bailey, Barbara Ruth (1982). Main Street: Northeastern Oregon. Oregon Historical Society. p. 25,46. ISBN 0875950736. 

Coordinates: 45°20′34″N 118°06′49″W / 45.3429101°N 118.1135533°W / 45.3429101; -118.1135533