Ashwood, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashwood, Oregon
Unincorporated community
The community's church
Ashwood, Oregon Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Ashwood, Oregon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Jefferson
Named for	Ash Butte and early settler Whitfield T. Wood
Elevation	2,526 ft (770 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	97711
Area code(s)	541
Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey

Ashwood is a fascinating ghost town located in Jefferson County, Oregon, in the United States. It's about 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Madras. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and it's no longer a busy community.

Ashwood got its name from two things: a nearby hill called Ash Butte, which has lots of volcanic ash, and an early settler named Whitfield T. Wood, who moved there in the 1870s. The Ashwood post office first opened in 1898.

A Look at Ashwood's History

The land around Ashwood was first home to Native American groups like the Sahaptin and Northern Paiute people. In the 1850s, the Sahaptin people had to move to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Later, in the 1870s, the Northern Paiute people also faced big changes to their way of life.

Settlers and Ranching

After the Native American groups moved, settlers began to arrive in the Ashwood area. They started raising animals like cattle and sheep. By 1900, sheep ranching became very important. This was because a railroad in nearby Shaniko made it easy to ship wool to other places.

The Gold and Silver Rush

In the 1910s, Ashwood became a boomtown because people found gold and silver there. A boomtown is a place that grows very quickly when a valuable resource, like gold, is discovered. The Oregon King Mine was a very important mine during this time.

However, the gold and silver didn't last forever. When the minerals started to run out, people in Ashwood went back to ranching and agriculture (farming) as their main ways to make a living.

Cool Rocks to Find

Ashwood is a popular spot for rockhounds. Rockhounds are people who love to search for interesting rocks and minerals. The area has many cool finds, including:

• Petrified wood: This is wood that has turned into stone over millions of years.
• Jasper: A type of quartz that comes in many colors.
• Thundereggs: These are round, rock-like formations that often have cool crystal patterns inside. Thundereggs are even Oregon's state rock!

Ashwood's Climate

Ashwood has a type of weather called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means the summers are warm but not super hot, and they are also very dry. The average monthly temperature never goes above 71.6°F (22°C).

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