Malheur County

MALHEUR COUNTY

Origin/meaning

Malheur County’s name is French for “misfortune.” Legend has it that French trappers and traders were attacked by native American Indians near a river. Members of the party were killed and wounded, and those misfortunes led the French to name the river Malheur, or loosely translated, “unhappy river.”

Nearly 94 percent of the county, in the southeastern corner of Oregon, is rangeland - two-thirds of which is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. The livestock on the seal represents the county’s agricultural character.

The outline of the county borders includes the major roads that crisscross the county and Lake Owyhee.

The county was created in 1887, another fact noted on the seal, and the wagon train represents the travelers who passed through the county on their way West.

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