Rice, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rice, Oregon
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 Rice, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Rice, Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Wasco |
| Elevation | 1,010 ft (310 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
| Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey | |
Rice is a small place in Oregon that doesn't have its own city government. It's called an unincorporated community. You can find Rice in Wasco County, Oregon.
It's located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) northeast of a town called Dufur. Rice is also close to other places like Boyd and U.S. Route 197, which is a main road.
How Rice Got Its Name
Rice was named after a man named Horace Rice. He lived from 1829 to 1915. Horace Rice was a pioneer who traveled on the famous Oregon Trail. He settled in this area in the 1860s.
Horace Rice was the first person to plant a crop of wheat in the higher parts of Wasco County. Wheat is a grain used to make bread and other foods.
The Railroad Arrives
In 1905, a train line called the Great Southern Railroad came to the area. They built a train station near where Fifteenmile Creek and Dry Creek meet. This station was named Rice, after Horace Rice.
A Look Back at Rice's Past
At one time, Rice was an important place for farming. It had a very large building called a grain elevator. This elevator could hold 50,000 bushels of grain. A bushel is a way to measure dry goods like wheat.
The Rice-Union Elevator Company ran this large grain elevator. It helped farmers store and move their wheat. However, by 1980, there wasn't much activity left in Rice. It had become a very quiet place.
Rice Cemetery
The historic Rice Cemetery is a special burial ground in the area. Several members of the Rice family, including Horace Rice, are buried there. It's a place that holds a lot of history for the community.
