Owyhee, Oregon

Owyhee, Oregon
Owyhee, Oregon is located in Oregon
Owyhee, Oregon
Owyhee, Oregon
Owyhee, Oregon is located in the United States
Owyhee, Oregon
Owyhee, Oregon
Coordinates: 43°47′42″N 117°03′19″W / 43.79500°N 117.05528°W / 43.79500; -117.05528
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyMalheur
Elevation
2,195 ft (669 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code541
GNIS feature ID1136607[1]
Coordinates and elevation from Geographic Names Information System[1]

Owyhee is an unincorporated community in Malheur County, Oregon, in the United States.[1] It lies along Oregon Route 201 between Adrian and Nyssa, near the confluence of the Owyhee and Snake rivers.[2]

According to Oregon Geographic Names, the community is named after the river, which was likely named after Hawaii, known as Owyhee before 1800. In 1826, two Hawaiians taking part in the second expedition of Peter Skene Ogden to Snake River country were killed by Snake Indians. It is probable that the river was named in recognition of these two men.[3]

  1. ^ a b c "Owyhee". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  2. ^ Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. p. 83. ISBN 0-89933-347-8.
  3. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 735. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.