EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED
IN CROOK COUNTY SINCE 1882

1882 Crook County first created out of southern part of Wasco County.
Contained 8,600 square miles and had a population of 2,500.
1882 Governor appointed first county officers, County Court held first court session
1884 Prineville Volunteer Fire Department organized
1886 First Crook County Courthouse built - cost $5,474.00
1887 First Bank
1890 Electricity came to Prineville
1899 First telephone service
1902 First Crook County Fair
1903 Smallpox epidemic
1905 First high school opens
1909 First theater
Stone courthouse completed
1914 Jefferson county created from Crook County
1916 Deschutes County created from Crook County
1917 City of Prineville Railway construction began
1920 Ochoco Dam project completed
1922 Prineville fire - 20 businesses destroyed
1930 Lumber industry flourished between 1930 and 1940 and Prineville became nation's
largest shipping point of pine lumber
1932 Gymnasium on Fairview Street built with donated money and labor...a community
project
1934 Prineville Airport dedicated
1935 New Crook County High School opens with 135 enrollments
1938 Crooked River Grade School built at 1st and Fairview Streets
Iron Railing added to Courthouse entrance steps
1940 First dial telephones
1941 Courthouse remodeled...east and west step and entrances removed
1945 First Crooked River Roundup
1947 Ochoco Elementary School built
1949 First Lord's Acre Sale (Powell Butte)
1951 Les Schwab opened first tire store
1952 Worst flood in previous 50 years
1953 New Crook County High School built on Knowledge Street
1959 New Junior High built on SE Second Street extension
1960 First Crook County Rockhound Pow-Wow
1962 Crooked River Project, A.R. Bowman Dam dedicated
1963 Funds approved for new Post Office building, to be located on Court St.
U.S. Bank opens
1966 Ochoco Inn burned
1971 First Timber Carnival
1982 Hudspeth Sawmill closes
1984 Crook County Cowboys State Football Champs
1988 Crook County only Bellwether county in nation...has picked winner since 1882
Highway 26 added to "Access Oregon"
1989 Courthouse closure due to structural deterioration on 12/19/1989
1990 Courthouse repaired and reopened
1992 Pine Products Sawmill closure
1993 Oregon Trail Sesquicentennial Celebration
1994 Crook County looses Bellwether status
Ochoco Dam reclamation project begins
1995 Re-do Ochoco Dam reclamation project
1996 New Crook County High School built on Lynn Blvd.  Former high school becomes
Crook County Middle School; former middle school becomes Cecil Sly Elementary School
Hot Shot Memorial dedication in Ochoco Creek Park
1998 Ochoco Dam and Ochoco Creek flood damaged over 400 homes and was declared a national
disaster by President Clinton.
1999 New Library opened at Meadow Lakes Drive
2000 Hash Rock Fire
2001 BiMart Opened
2002 Prineville gets 5th stop light at corner of Hwy 26 and Combs Flat Road