Fort Rock, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fort Rock, Oregon
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View of Fort Rock from Fort Rock State Park
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 Fort Rock, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Fort Rock, Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Lake |
| Elevation | 4,331 ft (1,320 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (Pacific) |
| ZIP Code |
97735
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Fort Rock is a small community in Lake County, Oregon, in the United States. It's located southeast of the Fort Rock State Natural Area, which is a cool natural rock formation.
Contents
History of Fort Rock
The community of Fort Rock got its name from the nearby natural rock formation, Fort Rock. Ray Nash, who founded the town, chose the name. The Fort Rock post office opened in 1908. Josiah Thomas Rhoton was the first postmaster.
The Fort Rock Valley grew quickly for a short time. This happened during the "homestead period" before World War I. During this time, people could get free land from the government if they promised to live on it and farm it.
Today, not much is left from that busy time. Fort Rock is one of only two communities from the homestead era still around. The other one is Silver Lake.
Life in the Fort Rock Community
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The Fort Rock community is about one mile southeast of the Fort Rock State Natural Area.
For many years, Fort Rock had a general store. It had been open since the early 1900s and also sold gas. The store closed in May 2013. After some environmental cleanup, it reopened in 2017.
Fort Rock also has other important places for the community. These include a church, a Grange hall (a meeting place for farmers), a restaurant, and a tavern.
In 2012, the Rock View Apartments burned down. These apartments were only six years old. The land where they stood was later planned to be given to the Fort Rock Historical Society.
Today, the people of Fort Rock make a living in a few ways. They farm alfalfa, raise cattle, and welcome tourists. In 2023, about 134 people lived in the town.
Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum
Many old buildings in Fort Rock are now part of a special museum. It's called the Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum. This museum was started by the Fort Rock Valley Historical Society in 1988.
The museum is a collection of buildings from the homestead era. These buildings were moved here from other places nearby. They were moved to save them from being torn down or damaged.
The museum helps preserve history. It includes buildings like a church, a log cabin, a doctor's office, and a school. There are also other old cabins and houses to explore.
Climate in Fort Rock
Fort Rock has a climate with dry summers and cold winters. It's known as a dry-summer Mediterranean climate. Summers are warm, but nights can get very cold. This is because of large daily temperature changes.
Temperatures can drop below freezing at any time of the year. On average, there are about 260 days each year when the temperature reaches freezing or below. Even in July, about eight days can have freezing temperatures.
| Climate data for Fort Rock, Oregon, 1990–2020 normals, extremes 1948-present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 47.3 (8.5) |
53.9 (12.2) |
58.6 (14.8) |
66.8 (19.3) |
77.3 (25.2) |
81.3 (27.4) |
89.6 (32.0) |
88.8 (31.6) |
82.7 (28.2) |
73.5 (23.1) |
56.8 (13.8) |
44.5 (6.9) |
89.6 (32.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.6 (3.7) |
43.7 (6.5) |
48.5 (9.2) |
57.5 (14.2) |
66.5 (19.2) |
74 (23) |
84.4 (29.1) |
83.1 (28.4) |
75.7 (24.3) |
64.3 (17.9) |
48 (9) |
39.3 (4.1) |
60.3 (15.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.3 (−9.8) |
18.2 (−7.7) |
21 (−6) |
22.7 (−5.2) |
28 (−2) |
33.9 (1.1) |
35.8 (2.1) |
34.2 (1.2) |
28 (−2) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
19.1 (−7.2) |
14.6 (−9.7) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3.2 (−16.0) |
3.9 (−15.6) |
15.4 (−9.2) |
17.6 (−8.0) |
23 (−5) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
16.1 (−8.8) |
2.5 (−16.4) |
−1.1 (−18.4) |
−1.1 (−18.4) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.6 (41) |
0.9 (23) |
1.2 (30) |
0.6 (15) |
1 (25) |
1 (25) |
0.4 (10) |
0.5 (13) |
0.4 (10) |
0.7 (18) |
1.5 (38) |
1.9 (48) |
11.7 (296) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.4 (29) |
7.5 (19) |
5.3 (13) |
2.1 (5.3) |
0.7 (1.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
4.3 (11) |
9.8 (25) |
41.7 (105.6) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 68 |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
