Sumpter, Oregon
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 44° 44.631 W 118° 12.180
11T E 404763 N 4955199
History sign in Sumpter, Oregon
Waymark Code: WM2V54
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 12/23/2007
Views: 17
History sign near northern end of Sumpter, Oregon.
Marker Name: Sumpter, Oregon
Marker Text: The bustling boom town of Sumpter streched from here westward to Powder River at the peak of the mining boom. The mining camp was named for Fort Sumter, South Carolina, by five ex-Confederate soldiers who discovered gold near here in 1862. The Sumpter Valley Railroad reached Sumpter in 1896 and the town began to boom until at one time it had 3,500 people. On August 13, 1917 the dreaded fate of many mining towns occurred, fire raged through the town and destroyed eleven city blocks including nine brick buildings. The fire and dwindling returns from gold mining ended the boom.
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