401:, designed to acquire public lands at little or no cost to the road company's investors. Nevertheless, the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road Company claimed a total of 875,196 acres (3,541.79 km) of public land. The company was able to patent 235,568 acres (953.31 km) before lawsuits ended the fraud. Legal disputes kept the ownership of these lands in question for decades, preventing honest settlers from claiming land grants for farms and ranches. In addition, the company paid no taxes while the land claims were disputed. At the same time, the value of the land and its timber, minerals, and grazing potential continued to increase as the property rights were passed from one investor group to the next. Finally, newspaper reports of the fraud compelled Congress to investigate. This led to a major court case, known as the
374:, over the Warner Mountains to Camp Warner (west of the present day community of Plush). From Camp Warner the Oregon Central Military Road went across Warner Valley east crossing north of Beaty's Butte, across the south end of Catlow Valley. The road crossed Steen's Mountain through Long Hollow (near the present day community of Fields) going on to Camp C. F. Smith on Whitehorse Creek. From Camp C. F. Smith the Oregon Central Military Road continued northeast to the Owyhee River crossing (present day Rome)where it connected to an existing wagon road from Winnemucca, Nevada.
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Military Wagon Road were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places on 8 November 1974. Despite this designation, both are very difficult to find. A marker was placed at the east end of the Stone Bridge in 1975; however, the causeway itself is only visible when the water level in the adjoining lakes drops to a low level. Some sections of the military road have become part of Oregon's modern road network while crude dirt roads follow the route in other places; however, most of the original road has completely disappeared.
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of land for every mile of road they built, every odd numbered section in a swath covering three miles (5 km) on either side of the road. As ten-mile (16 km) sections of road were completed, the companies could claim up to thirty sections of land along the route as payment. Once the tracts were
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The Stone Bridge was the first large structure built in the south-central part of Oregon. It was constructed between 16 May and 24 July 1867 by forty men from the 23 Infantry
Regiment under the supervision of Captain James Henton. The site chosen for the bridge was a narrow marsh that connects Hart
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in 1909. The company sold a total of 340,000 acres (1,400 km). Many of the properties included a separate lot in the town of
Lakeview along with the rural land purchase. Many buyers bid on land without actually seeing it. As a result, the company was able to sell thousands of acres of dry,
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and the State of Oregon did not have a tax base sufficient to support road construction so the government financed the military road projects with land grants. Private companies were specifically chartered to construct the roads. Congress allowed the construction companies to claim three sections
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visited Camp Warner. Crook directed that the camp be moved to the Honey Creek site west of the lakes. To get the Army's wagons and equipment across the Warner wetlands, forty men under the command of
Captain James Henton were assigned to build a bridge across a narrow, marshy channel between Hart
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awarded land grants to the State of Oregon to pass on to companies constructing military wagon roads. The roads were intended to facilitate the movement of Army units within the state and promote settlement along the routes. Congress eventually authorized the construction of five military wagon
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The Army abandoned the crossing in 1874 when it closed Fort Warner and left the area. In the meantime, the Oregon
Central Military Wagon Road had begun using the Stone Bridge to cross the Warner Lakes. However, the road company never maintained it. After the military road was abandoned, local
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The Stone Bridge and the Oregon
Central Military Wagon Road were historically important projects undertaken by the United States Government and the State of Oregon. Because it is a unique military and transportation history site, the Stone Bridge and an adjacent section of the Oregon Central
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ranchers used the causeway as a cattle crossing for many years. Eventually, the causeway settled into the soft marshy ground, disappearing beneath the water. Today, the Stone Bridge is completely underwater except during periods of drought. As a result, it is very difficult to find.
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By 1869, the Indian raids in south-central Oregon had ended and a treaty had been signed. With no Indian raiders left in the area, Fort Warner was abandoned in 1874. While the fort is gone, the Stone Bridge the Army built to cross the Warner wetlands still exists.
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405:. That case was decided by the United States Supreme Court on 6 March 1893. As a result, the United States Government was able to reclaim the unpatented lands; however, title to patented lands remained in private hands.
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Lake and Crump Lake. Shortly after the bridge was begun a second detachment was sent ahead to construct the new fort. The bridge was completed that summer and the soldiers moved into the new camp, which was named
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on the east side of the lakes. The camp was sited poorly and its construction was hasty. As a result, the men had a very difficult winter, losing one sergeant who froze to death during a snow storm.
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As a result, road surveyors laid out routes designed to pass through as much well watered, desirable land as possible. For example, when the Oregon
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and entered the Warner Valley, crossing over the Warner Lakes at the Stone Bridge between Crump Lake and Hart Lake. The road continued south of Hart
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The Oregon
Central Military Wagon Road was a circuitous 420-mile (680 km) wagon trace designed to capture government land grants rather than link destinations. Today,
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and dumping them into the marsh. When it was completed, the causeway was probably several feet above the water level and was wide enough for wagons to pass over it.
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In 1865, the Army decided it needed a fort near the Warner Lakes to facilitate the interdiction of Indian raiding parties passing through the area. Army scouts from
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684:"Unblushing Land Frauds; The President Sends Information to Congress How Big Chunks of the Public Domain Have Been Stolen by Wagon Road Companies in Oregon"
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roads in Oregon. The first military road was approved by
Congress on 2 July 1865. Known as the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road, it was to run from
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worthless land during their week-long auction. As a result, very few purchasers ever lived on their property or received economic benefits from it.
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568:, National Register of Historic Places, United States Park Service, United States Department of Interior, Washington, D.C., 13 August 1974.
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441:(also known as the Willamette Pass Highway) follows the first leg of the Oregon Central military road from Eugene over the Cascades to
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759:, Annual Reports of the Department of the Interior for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1898: Indian Affairs, Washington, D.C., p. 552.
747:, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Seattle, Washington, 2000.
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selected a site along Honey Creek on the west side of the Warner Lakes in what is today Lake County, Oregon. In 1866, a unit of the
612:, Fremont National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lakeview, Oregon, 1981, p. 14.
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640:, Oregon State Office, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Portland, Oregon, 17 September 2009.
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to claim property along the route. However, most of the Oregon Central roadway was nothing more than a rudimentary trail.
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on the east side of the Pueblo Valley. From there the road follows Crooked Creek northeast, passing near what is now
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which was completed in 1872. The wagon road eventually became the subject of scandal and litigation ending with a
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667:, Oregon State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Oregon, Salem, Oregon, 17 September 2009.
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it into 14,000 lots and parcels. The property was finally sold in a nationally advertised auction held in
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decision in 1893. The Stone Bridge and the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road were listed together on the
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805:, National Register of Historic Places, www.nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com, 24 September 2009.
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Lake and Crump Lake, two large lakes at the southern end of the seventy-mile long chain of lakes and
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in 1974. Today, the Stone Bridge is located on land claimed by the State of Oregon under
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University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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757:“Decision of Court in relation to Military Road through the Klamath Reservation”
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776:, The Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, 2005
705:, United States Supreme Court decision, Washington, D.C., decided 6 March 1893.
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In the spring of 1867, the 14th Infantry was replaced by a company of the
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Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
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793:, David Rumsey Map Collection, Rand McNally and Company, 3 October 2009.
703:"United States v. California & Oregon Land Co., 148 U.S. 31 (1893)"
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List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
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List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
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rights. The wagon road adjacent to the Stone Bridge is owned by the
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Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
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National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form
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At that point, the original road headed south through northern
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In reality, the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road was a giant
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National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Oregon
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Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
564:"Stone Bridge and the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road",
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United States versus the California and Oregon Land Company
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McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Stone Bridge",
803:"Stone Bridge and the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road"
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to establish the fort. The 14th Infantry came by way of
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Bureau of Land Management - Oregon Central Military Road
714:"The Deadliest Indian War in the West", Gregory Michno
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and followed Drews Creek through the north end of the
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in 1867. It crosses the marshy channel that connects
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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723:"The Wars for the Pacific Northwest", Peter Cozzens
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Stone Bridge and Oregon Central Military Wagon Road
408:Eventually, the land passed into the hands of the
1379:Transportation buildings and structures in Oregon
926:List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state
370:. The Oregon Central road meandered through the
278:The Stone Bridge is actually a quarter mile long
1409:Buildings and structures in Lake County, Oregon
1318:National Register of Historic Places portal
745:Rocks and Hard Places: Historic Resources Study
433:Route of the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road
390:that the road was complete. This allowed the
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739:Beckham, Stephen Dow and Florence K. Lentz,
503:. From there it ran along Jordan Creek to
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392:Oregon Central Military Wagon Road Company
52:Stone Bridge during low water period, 1967
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1359:Trails and roads in the American Old West
866:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
606:"Camp Warner Moved to Honey Creek – 1867"
35:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
661:"Oregon History: Uncle Sam's Handiwork"
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388:United States Secretary of the Interior
382:On 12 January 1870, Oregon's Governor,
358:to Fort Klamath. It then followed the
290:boulders and smaller rocks from nearby
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1374:Historic trails and roads in Idaho
1281:National Historic Preservation Act
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192:Oregon Central Military Wagon Road
131:Primitive causeway and wagon trace
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286:. It was constructed by hauling
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741:"The Dalles-Boise Military Road"
1384:Causeways in the United States
1234:Federated States of Micronesia
880:Architectural style categories
631:"Oregon Central Military Road"
366:, claiming large parts of the
350:, it turned south through the
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16:United States historic place
314:Between 1865 and 1869, the
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1265:American Legation, Morocco
410:Oregon Valley Land Company
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249:. In February, General
208:United States Government
128:Architectural style
590:Oregon Geographic Names
275:known as Warner Lakes.
210:and is administered by
1203:Minor Outlying Islands
1186:Lists by insular areas
900:Keeper of the Register
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378:Scandal and litigation
336:United States treasury
316:United States Congress
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104:42.35467°N 119.83885°W
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247:23 Infantry Regiment
228:14 Infantry Regiment
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1122:Rhode Island
1117:Pennsylvania
1097:North Dakota
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73:Nearest city
1253:Other areas
1213:Puerto Rico
1047:Mississippi
962:Connecticut
491:, entering
256:Fort Warner
240:Camp Warner
236:Fort Harney
218:Camp Warner
182:in eastern
180:Lake County
107: /
95:119°50′20″W
83:Coordinates
63:Lake County
1343:Categories
1162:Washington
1082:New Mexico
1077:New Jersey
952:California
532:References
414:subdivided
360:Williamson
232:Fort Boise
176:Crump Lake
92:42°21′17″N
1172:Wisconsin
1137:Tennessee
1042:Minnesota
1017:Louisiana
495:near the
483:and then
458:Drews Gap
332:Civil War
172:Hart Lake
123:1867-1872
1328:Category
1157:Virginia
1107:Oklahoma
1087:New York
1062:Nebraska
1052:Missouri
1037:Michigan
1027:Maryland
1012:Kentucky
992:Illinois
967:Delaware
957:Colorado
947:Arkansas
826:Archived
634:Archived
520:See also
412:, which
341:patented
280:causeway
273:wetlands
204:riparian
164:causeway
143:74001689
58:Location
1274:Related
1177:Wyoming
1152:Vermont
1057:Montana
997:Indiana
977:Georgia
972:Florida
942:Arizona
932:Alabama
468:today.
454:Chemult
1112:Oregon
1067:Nevada
1007:Kansas
982:Hawaii
937:Alaska
873:Topics
288:basalt
284:bridge
184:Oregon
67:Oregon
61:Rural
1244:Palau
1142:Texas
1022:Maine
987:Idaho
425:Route
325:Idaho
162:is a
120:Built
1198:Guam
1147:Utah
1102:Ohio
1002:Iowa
399:scam
362:and
330:The
174:and
158:The
152:1974
138:No.
1345::
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928::
858:e
851:t
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