Antelope, Oregon

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Antelope, Oregon
City [1]
Antelope Oregon post office.jpg
Post office and abandoned building in Antelope
Wasco County Oregon Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Antelope Highlighted.svg
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 44°54′41″N120°43′25″W / 44.91139°N 120.72361°W / 44.91139; -120.72361
Country United States
State Oregon
County Wasco
Incorporated 1901
Government
 •  Mayor Rodney Shanks[ citation needed ]
Area
[2]
 • Total
0.46 sq mi (1.19 km2)
 • Land0.46 sq mi (1.19 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[3]
2,667 ft (813 m)
Population
 (2020) [4]
 • Total
37
 • Density80.26/sq mi (30.96/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (Pacific)
ZIP code
97001
Area code 541
FIPS code 41-02250 [5]
GNIS feature ID2409714 [3]
Website cityofantelope.us

Antelope (known as Rajneesh from 1984 to 1986) is a city in rural Wasco County, Oregon, United States. Antelope had an estimated population of 47 people in 2012. [6] [1]

Contents

The city was established in 1872 at a stage and freight wagon road stop on the old Dalles to Canyon City Trail. It was incorporated as the City of Antelope in 1901.

In the early 1980s, hundreds of members of the Rajneesh movement moved in and built a small city in previously unoccupied land they purchased. The Rajneeshees effectively took over the government of the city by outnumbering the original residents with new voter registrations. On September 18, 1984, a vote was held, and the city was renamed Rajneesh, Oregon. By 1985, after several of the Rajneesh movement leaders were discovered to have been involved in criminal behavior (including a mass food poisoning attack and an aborted plot to assassinate a U.S. Attorney), leader Rajneesh left the country as part of a plea deal for federal immigration fraud charges, and the Rajneesh commune collapsed. On November 6, 1985, the city voted to revert to the name Antelope.

History

The Antelope Valley was probably named by European-American members of Joseph Sherar's party, who were packing supplies to mines in the John Day area. [7] Sherar became known as the operator of a toll bridge across the Deschutes River, on a cut-off of the Barlow Road. [8] In the early 19th century, the area supported many pronghorns, which are not true antelopes, but are often called "pronghorn antelopes". [7]

19th century beginnings

In the mid-19th century, Antelope began as a station along the wagon road connecting The Dalles on the Columbia River with gold mines near Canyon City. After about 1870, the wagon road became known as The Dalles Military Road. [9] The road crossed the Deschutes River on Sherar's Bridge. [10]

The historic Antelope School building, which currently houses municipal offices and various community functions including the annual harvest dinner event Antelope Schoolhouse (Wasco County, Oregon scenic images) (wascDA0063).jpg
The historic Antelope School building, which currently houses municipal offices and various community functions including the annual harvest dinner event

The Antelope post office was established in 1871, with Howard Maupin, founder of Maupin, Oregon, as the first postmaster. [7] The town's population peaked around 1900, [11] shortly after the Columbia Southern Railway completed a 70-mile (110 km) rail line from Biggs, on the Columbia River, to Shaniko, a few miles north of Antelope. [12] The railroad timetable for September 9, 1900, lists a daily stagecoach run from the train terminal in Shaniko to Antelope and beyond. [12] Antelope was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on January 29, 1901.

Rajneesh movement takeover

A plaque at the Antelope post office commemorates local resistance to the Rajneeshee movement AntelopePlaque.jpg
A plaque at the Antelope post office commemorates local resistance to the Rajneeshee movement

Rajneeshpuram, a farming and meditation commune founded by the Rajneesh movement, followers of Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh, was established near the town in 1981. The town attempted to disincorporate in April 1982 to avoid a takeover by the Rajneesh followers, who registered to vote in Antelope en masse and rejected the measure. The Rajneeshees gained a majority on the town council following the November 1982 elections and resignation of two other members. [13] On September 18, 1984, the city was renamed "Rajneesh". [14]

The organization collapsed in 1985 following the discovery by the authorities of criminal activities, such as a bioterror attack a year prior that exposed non-Rajneeshees in Wasco County to salmonella to prevent them from voting. On November 6, 1985, the remaining residents, which included both original residents and some remaining Rajneeshees, voted 34 to 0 to restore the original name, and it was subsequently restored in 1986. [1] The U.S. Postal Service had never recognized the change of name. [7]

Subsequent to the collapse of the commune, the property reverted to ownership by the State of Oregon for non-payment of taxes, and was sold to Montana billionaire Dennis Washington in 1991 for $3.65 million. [15] Currently, the ranch, 18 miles (29 km) from Antelope, [16] is operated by Young Life, a Christian parachurch organization, as a Christian youth camp known as "Washington Family Ranch". [17]

The events of the mid-1980s that involved the Rajneesh group were the subject of the 2003 Forensic Files TV series episode "Bio Attack", and the 2018 Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country .

Geography

The closed Antelope Cafe 2017-07-15 Antelope 07.jpg
The closed Antelope Café

Antelope, in Wasco County in north-central Oregon, is along Oregon Route 218 just north of its intersection with Oregon Route 293. [18] By highway, the city is 34 miles (55 km) northeast of Madras and 143 miles (230 km) east of Portland. [19] Antelope Creek, in the Deschutes River watershed, flows by Antelope. [18]

The city is 2,654 feet (809 m) above sea level. [3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.48 square miles (1.24 km2), all of it land. [20]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Antelope has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa).

Climate data for Antelope, Oregon, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1924–present
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)70
(21)		72
(22)		78
(26)		90
(32)		98
(37)		108
(42)		107
(42)		109
(43)		101
(38)		91
(33)		76
(24)		72
(22)		109
(43)
Mean maximum °F (°C)57.6
(14.2)		59.1
(15.1)		66.1
(18.9)		75.5
(24.2)		84.4
(29.1)		91.7
(33.2)		98.8
(37.1)		98.3
(36.8)		92.6
(33.7)		79.9
(26.6)		65.1
(18.4)		56.0
(13.3)		100.4
(38.0)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)42.9
(6.1)		46.1
(7.8)		52.8
(11.6)		58.7
(14.8)		68.4
(20.2)		75.7
(24.3)		87.3
(30.7)		86.5
(30.3)		78.2
(25.7)		63.5
(17.5)		49.7
(9.8)		41.6
(5.3)		62.6
(17.0)
Daily mean °F (°C)34.2
(1.2)		36.2
(2.3)		41.1
(5.1)		45.6
(7.6)		53.6
(12.0)		60.2
(15.7)		68.9
(20.5)		68.3
(20.2)		61.2
(16.2)		49.8
(9.9)		39.5
(4.2)		32.7
(0.4)		49.3
(9.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)25.6
(−3.6)		26.2
(−3.2)		29.4
(−1.4)		32.5
(0.3)		38.9
(3.8)		44.6
(7.0)		50.5
(10.3)		50.1
(10.1)		44.1
(6.7)		36.0
(2.2)		29.3
(−1.5)		23.8
(−4.6)		35.9
(2.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C)10.1
(−12.2)		11.2
(−11.6)		18.6
(−7.4)		22.3
(−5.4)		27.1
(−2.7)		33.8
(1.0)		40.2
(4.6)		39.6
(4.2)		32.3
(0.2)		22.8
(−5.1)		14.6
(−9.7)		8.0
(−13.3)		0.5
(−17.5)
Record low °F (°C)−27
(−33)		−22
(−30)		5
(−15)		11
(−12)		13
(−11)		25
(−4)		29
(−2)		30
(−1)		20
(−7)		8
(−13)		−7
(−22)		−20
(−29)		−27
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm)1.50
(38)		1.29
(33)		1.22
(31)		1.52
(39)		1.99
(51)		1.04
(26)		0.34
(8.6)		0.34
(8.6)		0.50
(13)		1.23
(31)		1.76
(45)		1.81
(46)		14.54
(370.2)
Average snowfall inches (cm)2.0
(5.1)		1.0
(2.5)		0.7
(1.8)		1.0
(2.5)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.2
(0.51)		1.2
(3.0)		3.6
(9.1)		9.7
(24.51)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)10.99.79.79.79.76.32.52.73.87.910.312.195.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)2.01.60.60.20.00.00.00.00.00.10.92.47.8
Source 1: NOAA [21]
Source 2: National Weather Service [22]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890 184—
1900 24935.3%
1910 175−29.7%
1920 19913.7%
1930 136−31.7%
1940 90−33.8%
1950 60−33.3%
1960 46−23.3%
1970 5110.9%
1980 39−23.5%
1990 34−12.8%
2000 5973.5%
2010 46−22.0%
2020 37−19.6%
source: [5] [11] [4]
Sign on the entrance to Antelope reading "City of Rajneesh", circa 1985 Rajneesh City (Antelope).jpg
Sign on the entrance to Antelope reading "City of Rajneesh", circa 1985

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 46 people, 28 households, and 10 families residing in the city. The population density was 96 inhabitants per square mile (37.1/km2). There were 43 housing units at an average density of 90 per square mile (34.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White (42 people), 2.2% Native American (1 person), 2.2% Asian (1 person), and 4.3% from two or more races (2 people). [5]

There were 28 households, of which 11% (3 households) had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21% (6 households) were married couples living together, 4% (1 household) had a female householder with no husband present, 11% (3 households) had a male householder with no wife present, and 64% (18 households) were non-families. About 61% (17 households) of all households were made up of individuals, and 46% (13 households) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.64 and the average family size was 2.70. [5]

The median age in the city was 62 years. About 15% of residents (7 people) were under the age of 18; 2% (1 person) were between the ages of 18 and 24; 11% (5 people) were from 25 to 44; 30.3% (14 people) were from 45 to 64; and 41% (19 people) were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52% (24 people) male and 48% (22 people) female. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasco County, Oregon</span> County in Oregon, United States

Wasco County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,213. Its county seat is The Dalles. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who live on the south side of the Columbia River. It is near the Washington state line. Wasco County comprises The Dalles Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherman County, Oregon</span> County in Oregon, United States

Sherman County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,870, making it the second-least populous county in Oregon after nearby Wheeler. The county seat is Moro, and the largest city is Wasco. The county is named for William Tecumseh Sherman, a Union general in the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dalles, Oregon</span> City in the United States

The DallesDALZ; formally the City of The Dalles and also called Dalles City, is an inland port and the largest city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city in Oregon along the Columbia River outside the Portland Metropolitan Area. The Dalles is 75 miles east of Portland, within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maupin, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Maupin is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. Located on the Deschutes River, much of the city's economy is related to the river through outdoor activities, such as fishing and rafting. The population was 418 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaniko, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Shaniko is a city located in Wasco County, Oregon, United States, on U.S. Route 97 and about 8 miles (13 km) north of Antelope. The population was 30 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tygh Valley, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Tygh Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 224 at the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warm Springs Indian Reservation</span> American reserve in Oregon, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 197</span> Highway in Oregon and Washington

U.S. Route 197 (US 197) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 2.76 miles of its 69.93 miles are within the state of Oregon. The highway starts in rural Wasco County in Central Oregon at an intersection with US 97. US 197 travels north as a continuation of The Dalles-California Highway No. 4 through the cities of Maupin, Tygh Valley, and Dufur to The Dalles. Within The Dalles, the highway becomes concurrent with US 30 and intersects Interstate 84 (I-84) before it crosses over the Columbia River on The Dalles Bridge into Washington. The highway continues through the neighboring city of Dallesport in Klickitat County and terminates at a junction with State Route 14 (SR 14).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajneeshpuram</span> 1981–1985 religious intentional community in Oregon, US

Rajneeshpuram was a religious intentional community in the northwest United States, located in Wasco County, Oregon. Incorporated as a city between 1981 and 1988, its population consisted entirely of Rajneeshees, followers of the spiritual teacher Rajneesh, later known as Osho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajneesh movement</span> Persons inspired by the Indian mystic Osho

The Rajneesh movement is a religious movement inspired by the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931–1990), also known as Osho. They used to be known as Rajneeshees or "Orange People" because of the orange they used from 1970 until 1985. Members of the movement are sometimes called Oshoites in the Indian press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Anand Sheela</span> Indian-born Swiss woman (born 1949)

Ma Anand Sheela is an Indian-Swiss woman who was the spokesperson of the Rajneesh movement and a convicted criminal. In 1986, she was convicted for attempted murder and assault for her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack</span> Deliberate Salmonella contamination in Oregon, US

In 1984, 751 people suffered food poisoning in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, due to the deliberate contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants with Salmonella. A group of prominent followers of Rajneesh led by Ma Anand Sheela had hoped to incapacitate the voting population of the city so that their own candidates would win the 1984 Wasco County elections. The incident was the first and is still the single largest bioterrorist attack in U.S. history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot</span> Assassination plot in Portland, Oregon

In 1985, a group of high-ranking Rajneeshees, followers of the Indian mystic Shree Rajneesh, conspired to assassinate Charles Turner, the then-United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. Rajneesh's personal secretary and second-in-command, Ma Anand Sheela, assembled the group after Turner was appointed to investigate illegal activity at the followers' community, Rajneeshpuram. Turner investigated charges of immigration fraud and sham marriages, and later headed the federal prosecution of the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack in The Dalles, Oregon.

Charles H. Turner was an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. Prior to his presidential appointment as U.S. Attorney, Turner worked under his predecessor, Sidney I. Lezak, for 14 years. He was appointed as Lezak's replacement by President Ronald Reagan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Sherar</span> American bridge and hotel owner; road builder

Joseph Sherar was a 19th-century wagon road builder who, with his wife, Jane, owned and operated a Deschutes River toll bridge and a nearby stagecoach station and hotel in Wasco County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The bridge and buildings were slightly downstream of Sherars Falls, the river's lowermost waterfall, and a traditional fishing spot for the native inhabitants of the region.

Bakeoven is an unincorporated community in Wasco County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is southeast of Maupin and northwest of Shaniko along Bakeoven Creek, a tributary of the Deschutes River.

Criterion is an historic unincorporated community in Wasco County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies along U.S. Route 197 between Maupin and Madras. Nearby is Criterion Summit, which at about 3,360 feet (1,020 m) above sea level is the highest point along the highway between The Dalles to the north and Redmond to the south. In the late 19th century, the route over the summit was a wagon road linking The Dalles to Lakeview and California.

South Junction is an unincorporated community in Wasco County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies at the west end of South Junction Road on the east bank of the Deschutes River across from the mouth of the Warm Springs River. The road connects South Junction with Shaniko Junction to the northeast, where U.S. Route 97 and U.S. Route 197 intersect.

Philip John Toelkes, also known as Swami Prem Niren and Philip Niren Toelkes, is an American lawyer and follower of Rajneesh who served as the second mayor of Rajneeshpuram from 1985 until the commune's disbandment in 1986. He also served as the personal lawyer of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Antelope Oregon". Official City of Antelope Oregon Website. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  2. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Antelope, Oregon
  4. 1 2 "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "U.S. Census website". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 10, 2013. (As of 2018-06-14, the archive is not functioning to provide the cited information and the original link is not a dead link.)
  6. ↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 27. ISBN   0-87595-277-1.
  8. ↑ Jette, Melinda (2004). "Sherar's Hotel & Toll Bridge, c. 1910". The Oregon History Project. Oregon Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Regional History". Oregon Paleo Lands Institute. 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ Corning, Howard McKinley, ed. (1989) [1956]. Dictionary of Oregon History (2nd ed.). Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort Publishing. p. 241. ISBN   0-8323-0449-2.
  11. 1 2 Moffatt, Riley Moore (1996). Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850–1990. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 206. ISBN   978-0-8108-3033-2.
  12. 1 2 Culp, Edwin D. (1978). Stations West: The Story of the Oregon Railways. New York: Bonanza Books. pp. 100–101. OCLC   4751643.
  13. ↑ Senior, Jeanne (December 15, 1982). "Council hands control of Antelope to Rajneeshee". The Oregonian. p. C1. Retrieved September 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Incorporation of Rajneeshpuram opens door to development (part 9 of 20)". OregonLive.com. Retrieved June 9, 2018. Sangeet also became city attorney for Antelope, Rajneeshpuram's nearest neighbor, which was taken over by sannyasins and renamed Rajneesh. Sangeet is an acharya.
  15. ↑ Egan, Timothy (October 20, 1995). "Antelope Journal;Oregon Ranch With a Troubled Past Faces a Dubious Future". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  16. ↑ Abbott, Carl. "Rajneeshees". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Washington Family Ranch". Young Life. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  18. 1 2 Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2008. p. 76. ISBN   978-0-89933-347-2.
  19. ↑ "Antelope Community Profile". Infrastructure Finance Authority. 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  20. ↑ "U.S. Gazetteer: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  21. ↑ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Antelope 6 SSW, OR". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  22. ↑ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pendleton". National Weather Service. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

Further reading

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