Union County

Buffalo Peak is a challenging 18-hole, links style golf course in the city of Union. (Photo courtesy of The Observer).

The Grande Ronde Valley lies at the central core of Union County, and is the largest and most populated region. It is an oval shaped fertile plain some 35 miles long and 15 miles wide. The Blue and Wallowa Mountains rise up dramatically on either side of the valley.

From 1840 through the 1870's, more than 300,000 emigrants passed eastward through the Grande Ronde Valley, so called because of its oval shape, on what became known around the world as the Oregon Trail. In 1861, settlers arrived in the valley to stay, many of them returning eastward from their homesteads in the Willamette Valley.

The coming of the railroad in 1884 rearranged the location of towns, populations, industries and roads, some towns, most notable La Grande, flourished. Today Union County has a population of 25,110 of which 11,904 encompass the labor force. With a diversified economic base consisting of manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, and education and health services, Union County is poised for continued business growth. In addition, the boundaries of Union County include 1,300,480 acres of fertile soil, timbered slopes, grazing land, and snow-capped mountain peaks.

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