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The
City of Vale
The
origin of the name "Vale" has been lost, but the word "vale"
is poetic for valley and Vale does lie in a valley along a stream beneath
a butte and other low lying hills. The area was known by the early trappers
and the travelers or the Oregon Trail for its hot springs . It was about
a days travel from the crossing of the Snake River at Fort Boise and
a day’s journey to Farewell Bend. It was only a temporary stop for the
trail travelers. They would reach the Malheur crossing in late August
or early September and the dry and very dusty country had little appeal
for those heading for the green Willamette Valley. Once they had rested,
bathed, and washed clothes they were on the trail again.
The first settlements in the Vale area began during the time of the
Civil War and miners were the first settlers. When gold was discovered
in western Idaho and soon after in eastern Oregon, mines came eastward
over the Oregon Trail and the Dalles Military Road to reach the gold
country. Both of these routes crossed the Malheur River at the same
place.
Diaries in 1853, record that a trading post run by a Mr. Turner, had
been established on the trail where it crossed the Malheur River. He
freighted from the Willamette Valley in 1853 and 1854 and camped at
the hot springs during the summer and fall travel season.
Jonathan Keeney built a house and barn near the hot springs in
1863. It was called "Bulley Ranch" and had a bar room to dispense
whiskey to travelers. He also built a ferry across the Snake River at
Fort Boise the same year and sold his Vale property to Lewis B. Rinehart
in 1870.
Rinehart tore down Kenney's building and in 1872 built a stone house
on the land as a home and a hostelry. This became known as the "Stone
House" and served as a hotel, stage stop and even as a refuge from
Indians.
Other buildings soon followed and Vale became not only a stop on the
Oregon Trail but also as a stop for gold seekers and merchants going
from the gold mines in Jordon Valley and the gold mines near Baker City
and the main supply depot at The Dalles on the Columbia River.
While Vale was not the first community in the area, nor the largest,
the state legislature named it as the temporary county seat when Malheur
County was split off from Baker county on Feb. 17, 1887.
In the first election in 1888, to determine the county seat, Vale received
215 votes, Jordon Valley 202, Ontario 163, and Paris 146. Since no town
received a majority of the votes another election was held and Vale
received 459 votes compared to 138 for Jordon Valley . Ontario made
another bid for the county seat in 1900, and again Vale was the winner.
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