Sparta, Oregon

Sparta, Oregon
Sparta, Oregon is located in Oregon
Sparta, Oregon
Sparta, Oregon
Sparta, Oregon is located in the United States
Sparta, Oregon
Sparta, Oregon
Coordinates: 44°52′16″N 117°19′27″W / 44.87111°N 117.32417°W / 44.87111; -117.32417
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyBaker
Elevation
4,111 ft (1,253 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code(s)458 and 541
GNIS feature ID1136770[1]

Sparta is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon, United States.[1] It was named for Sparta, Illinois, by William H. Packwood, a prominent Oregon pioneer who visited the gold diggings at the Powder River there in 1871.[2]

By 1873, the population was 300 and the town had a general store, a hotel, a meat market, and a brewery; food came from the nearby Eagle Valley.[3]

The town was platted in 1872,[3] and the post office was established in 1872 and ran until 1952.[2] The post office was originally named "Gem" in 1871 and was moved about a mile east when it was renamed Sparta to match the established community.[1] The locale was also known as "Eagle City".[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Sparta". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 899–900. ISBN 978-0875952772.
  3. ^ a b Bailey, Barbara Ruth (1982). Main Street: Northeastern Oregon. Oregon Historical Society. pp. 20, 44. ISBN 0-87595-073-6.