Lawen is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States.[1] It has a post office with a ZIP code 97720.[2] Lawen lies along Oregon Route 78 just south of its interchanges with Oregon Route 205, U.S. Route 20, and U.S. Route 395 in Burns, the county seat. Lawen is just north of the East Fork Silvies River and Malheur Lake.[3]

In 2023, Taylor Perse of the Eugene Weekly described it as "a ghost town with a handful of rundown buildings."[4]

History

The namesake is Henry Lauen.[5]

Flooding in 1984 affected the region.[6]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lawen has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[7]

Government and infrastructure

There was a Lawen Post Office that started in 1891.[5] The Sunday Oregonian stated that the post office building "is thought to have been built about 1896".[8] In 1920 The Times-Herald stated opposition to a plan to close the post office.[9] The structure, in 1929, moved to the new location of the community from the old one.[8] The building had two stories. In 1984 flooding occurred that threatened the post office.[6] 1985 flooding also threatened the post office.[8]

Education

Lawen is in Harney County School District 4 (Crane School, grades K-8) and Harney County Union High School District 1J (Crane Union High School).[10][11] Crane Union opened in 1918 in Lawen and moved to Crane in 1920.[12]

Harney County is not in a community college district but has a "contract out of district" (COD) with Treasure Valley Community College.[13] TVCC operates the Burns Outreach Center in Burns.[14]

Lawen Elementary School

Previously Lawen had its own school district, Lawen Elementary School District, and its own school.[15] The school, which had grades 1-8, was a two room facility, described by The Daily Astorian as "tiny".[16] The school grounds had a septic tank, a well, a horse barn, and a bell tower. Some students rode on horses.[17]

In May 1984,[18] a flood from Malheur Lake went into the school property, with the septic tank and well affected.[16] The foundation was also damaged.[19] Therefore, students went to Crane Elementary on what was supposed to be a temporary basis. Circa 1985 it was anticipated that the waters itself would enter the school building. At the time, nine students had been at Lawen Elementary.[20] United Press International stated that possible repairs would have been "expensive".[19]

In 1985 there was an election on whether to merge the Lawen district into the Crane district, but voters turned down the proposal in a referendum. Five people voted against it and four people voted for it.[15] The Lawen school remained closed. In May 1987 another referendum was held, and voters this time favored the merger.[21] At the time there were 33 registered voters. Five voted in favor to close, three voted against it, and the remainder did not vote.[16] At the time of the vote, there were three Lawen area students attending the Crane School and one attending a school in Burns.[17] On May 31, 1988, seven voters voted in favor to consolidate Lawen into Crane, and four voted against.[19] In 1988 the Lawen district merged into the Crane district.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lawen, Oregon
  2. ^ "Lawen, Oregon". CD Light. 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  3. ^ "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 3, 2016 – via Acme Mapper.
  4. ^ Perse, Taylor (August 17, 2023). "School on the Range". Eugene Weekly. Eugene, Oregon. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Lawen". Burns, Oregon: Harney County Library. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Flooding inundates desert region". Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. Associated Press. August 20, 1984. p. 38 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Lawen, Oregon". Weatherbase. CantyMedia. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Braymen, Pauline (April 28, 1985). "Harney rancher warily watch rising lake". The Sunday Oregonian. p. A28 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Threaten to discontinue Lawen post office". The Times-Herald. Vol. 34, no. 3. November 20, 1920. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Harney County, OR" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1(PDF p. 2/3). Retrieved March 11, 2024. Lawen Ln (use the intersection of Lawen Lane and Steens Highway) - Text list - Compare to the highway map.
  11. ^ "Harney County Sheet 5 of 11" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 11, 2024. - Lawen indicated on the map. Compare with school district map.
  12. ^ Flanigan, James (March 1, 1976). "At Crane, they board 'em". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. p. 12. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Oregon Community Colleges and Community College Districts" (PDF). Oregon Department of Community Colleges & Workforce Development. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Burns Outreach Center". Treasure Valley Community College. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Manzano, Phil (March 27, 1985). "Voters kill most Oregon school measures". The Oregonian. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b c "School District Closed". The Daily Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. May 22, 1987. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b Reynolds, Barbara (May 21, 1987). "School dry victim of flooding". The Oregonian. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Braymen, Pauline (May 8, 1984). "Corps, county will study canal plan to drain Harney lakes". The Oregonian. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b c "Underwater district throws in the towel". The Bulletin. United Press International. June 28, 1988. p. A-3 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Durbin, Kathie (March 24, 1985). "Voters to decide 53 school district, college money measures Tuesday". The Oregonian. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b "Lawen School District merges with Crane". Statesman Journal. June 28, 1988. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.


Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawen,_Oregon
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