Durkee, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Durkee, Oregon
|
|
|---|---|
Café in Durkee
|
|
 Durkee, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Durkee, Oregon
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Baker |
| Elevation | 2,651 ft (808 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1136236 |
Durkee is a small place in Baker County, Oregon, United States. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city does. Instead, it's managed by the county. Durkee has its own post office with the ZIP code 97905. You can find Durkee right off Interstate 84, a major highway. It's also known for being home to Oregon's only cement plant, the Ash Grove Cement Company plant, located nearby in Nelson. This plant is one of the biggest private employers in Baker County.
Durkee's History
Durkee has a long history! It started as a stagecoach stop called Express. By the 1860s, it was the only transfer point between Umatilla, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho. This made it a very important place for travelers.
A Busy Stop
Durkee grew because it was a useful stop for the railroad. Trains needed a place to get water, and Durkee had a water stop. It also became a telegraph station, which helped people send messages quickly. Later, it was a stop on Highway 30, which was the only paved road in the area at the time.
Community Growth
Even though the community was officially mapped out, or "plattted," in 1908, its population had already reached its highest point before then.
Education
In 1969, the local school in Durkee was quite small. It had only nine students attending classes.
