Union County, Oregon
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 21 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1974. Most listings are in or near La Grande, Union, Cove.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Oregon is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Union titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP16 of 21 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
21 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Administration Building, Eastern Oregon State College (Additional Documentation) | La Grande | 1980 |
| Anthony, John, House | La Grande | 1988 |
| Anthony-Buckley House | La Grande | 1985 |
| Ascension Episcopal Church and Rectory | Cove | 1974 |
| Dry Creek School | Summerville | 2000 |
| Eaton, Abel E., House | Union | 1977 |
| Elgin City Hall and Opera House | Elgin | 1980 |
| Foley Building | La Grande | 1985 |
| Hot Lake Resort | La Grande | 1979 |
| Hudelson, A.B. and Son, Building | North Powder | 1999 |
| La Grande Commercial Historic District | La Grande | 2001 |
| La Grande Neighborhood Club | La Grande | 1988 |
| Liberty Theater | Lagrande | 1999 |
| Methodist Episcopal Church of Union | Union | 2025 |
| Oregon Trail: La Grande to Hilgard Segment | La Grande | 2021 |
| Roesch Building | La Grande | 1996 |
| Slater Building | La Grande | 1983 |
| Stange, August J., House | La Grande | 1996 |
| Townley, W. J., House | Union | 1980 |
| U.S. Post Office and Federal Building | La Grande | 1979 |
| Union Main Street Historic District | Union | 1997 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBUnion was formed in 1864 (1864-10-14) from Baker.
UNION created from BAKER. Southwest portion of UNION overlapped the northeast corner of GRANT.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusUnion County population from 1870 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1870 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,552 | 6,650 | 16,070 | 16,636 | 17,399 | 17,962 | 18,180 | 23,921 | 24,530 | 26,196 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS17 cemeteries and 5 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 17 of 17 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Ackles Cemetery |
| Calvary Cemetery |
| Cove Cemetery |
| Elgin Cemetery |
| Galloway Cemetery |
| Grandview Cemetery |
| Highland Cemetery |
| Hilgard Cemetery |
| Hillcrest Cemetery |
| Indian Creek Cemetery |
| Island City Cemetery |
| Mount Pleasant Cemetery |
| Pine Grove Cemetery |
| Rugg Cemetery |
| Starkey Cemetery |
| Summerville - Imbler Cemetery |
| Union Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 5 of 5
| Name |
|---|
| Cabin Creek |
| Camp Carson |
| Elk Flat |
| Indian Valley |
| Looking Glass |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Union County, Oregon
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