Crane, Oregon

Crane, Oregon
Census-designated place
Crane Post Office
Crane Post Office
Crane is located in Oregon
Crane
Crane
Location within Oregon
Crane is located in the United States
Crane
Crane
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 43°25′12″N 118°36′25″W / 43.42000°N 118.60694°W / 43.42000; -118.60694
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyHarney
Area
[1]
 • Total
10.42 sq mi (26.98 km2)
 • Land10.42 sq mi (26.98 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
4,131 ft (1,259 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total
116
 • Density11/sq mi (4.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
97732
Area code541
FIPS code41-16450
GNIS feature ID2611725[2]

Crane is an unincorporated town and census designated place in Harney County, Oregon, United States, northeast of Malheur Lake on Oregon Route 78. Its population was 116 at the 2020 census.[4]

The community is the location of Crane Union High School.

History

Crane was named for the prominent local features Crane Creek and Crane Creek Gap.[5] Crane Creek Gap is the pass between the Harney Basin and the drainage basin of the South Fork Malheur River.[5] Crane Creek is probably named for the sandhill crane, which was once abundant in eastern Oregon.[5] Crane post office was established in 1895 and discontinued in 1903.[5] When the Union Pacific Railroad[6] was completed from Ontario, Oregon, in 1916, the post office was reopened.[5]

Until the railroad was finished to Burns in 1924, Crane was an important livestock shipping point,[5] and the town was thriving with its five restaurants, four hotels, three garages, two general merchandise stores, a warehouse, a lumber yard, livery stables, a dance hall, a newspaper, a bank and a movie theater.[6] In the period 1927-1931, about 300 people lived in Crane.[7]

After a series of fires, the latest in 1938, however, the town never returned to its former prosperity.[6] As of 2011, the businesses in Crane included a post office, a gas station, which is combined with a café and tavern, a farm supply store, and a local realtor.[6]

Taylor Perse of Eugene Weekly stated that the community effectively reoriented itself around Crane Union High School.[8] The Associated Press wrote that the school became "Crane's sole reason for being".[9]

Geography

Crane is in eastern Harney County along Oregon Route 78 (Steens Highway), which leads northwest 29 miles (47 km) to Burns, the county seat, and southeast 64 miles (103 km) to U.S. Route 95 at Burns Junction.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Crane CDP has an area of 10.4 square miles (27.0 km2), all of it land. It is 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Malheur Lake and 26 miles (42 km) by road northeast of the main entrance to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

By 2001, the town had some residences, the school facility, a post office, and a combined gas station and store.[10]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020116—
U.S. Decennial Census[11][3]

As of the 2020 census, there were 116 people, 65 housing units, and 52 families. There were 110 White people, 1 person from some other race, and 5 people from two or more races. 4 people were Hispanic or Latino.[12]

The ancestry was 35.1% Irish, 27.7% German, 24.5% English, 21.3% Scottish, and 2.1% French.[12]

The median age was 56.5 years old. 22.3% of the population were older than 65, with 14.9% between the ages of 65 and 74, and 7.4% older than 85.[12]

The median household income was $31,389. 24.5% of the population were in poverty.[12]

Economy

As of 1989 residents typically did grocery shopping in Burns. The convenience store in Crane had some items, but not as wide of a selection compared to a supermarket.[13]

Education

Crane Union High School

Crane Union High School and Crane Elementary School are in Crane. The high school, which draws students from a large rural district, is a boarding school.[6] The high school is of the Harney County Union High School District 1J, while the elementary school is of Harney County School District 4.[14] Both school districts maintain separate boards of education. As of 2002, both districts hired the same person as superintendent and principal of both districts and both schools, respectively.[15]

In 2025, Mitch Siegner, a man quoted in an article about his son, an American football player at Oregon State University, by The Oregonian, stated that, in regards to the high school: "The school is the community in Crane. It's the heartbeat of the deal."[16]

Harney County is not in a community college district but has a "contract out of district" (COD) with Treasure Valley Community College.[17] TVCC operates the Burns Outreach Center in Burns.[18]

Healthcare

In 1989, Nellie Nix of The Bulletin described the catchment area of Harney District Hospital in Burns as being Harney County.[19] In 2005, Harney District Hospital provided a traveling doctor in a mobile trailer which visited Crane and other parts of the county.[20]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Crane has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Crane, Oregon
  3. 1 2 "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2020 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Crane CDP, Oregon". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 245. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Crane Rural Community: A Brief History". Harney County Economic Development. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ Flanigan, James (March 1, 1976). "At Crane, they board 'em". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. p. 12. - Clipping from Newspapers.com. There was an abbreviated version published: Flanigan, James (March 18, 1976). "Crane Union High students live on campus at Burns". The World. Coos Bay, Oregon. United Press International. p. 14. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Perse, Taylor (August 17, 2023). "School on the Range". Eugene Weekly. Eugene, Oregon. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Justice is unique in nation's last public boarding school". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. Associated Press. May 11, 1983. p. 2F – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Jarreau-Danner, B. Marie (October 12, 2001). "Oregon's most well-traveled students". Baker City Herald. Vol. 132, no. 111. pp. 1, 3.
  11. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  13. ↑ Rhiannon, Thea (April 23, 1989). "Teens become family at boarding school". The Bulletin. p. D-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Geography Division (December 18, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Harney County, OR (PDF) (Map). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022. ELM 03600 Harney County School District 4[...]SEC 03630 Harney County Union High School District 1J - Text list
  15. ↑ "Tiny district feels financial pinch". The Bulletin. April 30, 2002. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Clarke, Ryan (June 6, 2025). "'The heartbeat of the deal': How a small-town rodeo star found his way to Oregon State's football roster". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Oregon Community Colleges and Community College Districts" (PDF). Oregon Department of Community Colleges & Workforce Development. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Burns Outreach Center". Treasure Valley Community College. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  19. ↑ Nix, Nellie (December 12, 1989). "Hospital hopes to hire manager, create district". The Bulletin. p. B-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Presuch, Matthew (May 29, 2005). "Doctor does house calls for entire Oregon towns". Statesman Journal. Associated Press. p. 10C – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Crane, Oregon K ppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
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