Fossil is a city in and the county seat of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. The name was chosen by the first postmaster, Thomas B. Hoover, who had found some fossil remains on his ranch. As of the 2020 census, Fossil had a population of 447.

History

The Fossil post office was established on February 28, 1876, on Thomas Benton Hoover's ranch along Hoover Creek. He named the place Fossil after finding fossils in a clay-like rock formation on his ranch. In 1881, Hoover and Thomas Watson opened a store near the confluence of Butte and Cottonwood creeks and moved the post office to the store. When the city was incorporated in 1891, Hoover became the first mayor.

After creating Wheeler County in 1899, the Oregon Legislature chose Fossil as the temporary county seat. A county-wide election held in 1900 to determine the permanent county seat yielded 436 votes for Fossil, 267 for Twickenham, and 82 for Spray.

Winlock W. Steiwer and George S. Carpenter founded Steiwer & Carpenter Bank, the first bank in the city and the county. By the early 20th century in addition to the bank, Fossil had a flour mill, a blacksmith shop, a drug store, a jewelry and optical store, a livery stable, and three stores with general merchandise. In the 1920s, William Jennings Bryan was one of the guest speakers at a Chautauqua meeting in Fossil. Later in the decade the John Day Valley Coal & Oil Company drilled an exploratory oil well within the city limits, but it was not successful. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Fossil is located in north-central Oregon at the intersection of Oregon Route 19 with Oregon Route 218. Butte Creek, a tributary of the John Day River, flows through the city. The Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is west of the city along Route 218. The city is about northwest of Spray and about south of Condon along Route 19.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fossil had a population of 447. The median age was 57.4 years. 13.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.

There were 228 households in Fossil, of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.8% were married-couple households, 25.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 27.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 389 || 87.0%

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| Black or African American || 0 || 0%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 19 || 4.3%

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| Asian || 3 || 0.7%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0%

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| Some other race || 2 || 0.4%

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| Two or more races || 34 || 7.6%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 21 || 4.7%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 473 people, 224 households, and 124 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 265 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.4% White, 2.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

For more than 30 years, the American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) of Oregon has held motorcycle rallies in the area in late May. Golf tournaments are held each year at a six-hole golf course at Kinzua, near Fossil.

Museums and other points of interest

thumb|Fossil Museum

Fossil is the site of the only public fossil field in Oregon. The field is located behind Wheeler High School, where fossils of animals and plants such as the Metasequoia can be found. After the initial discovery of the fossil field in 1949 or 1950, access was free and unrestricted until 2005, when a small interpretive center was constructed, and a collection limit of three fossils was established in exchange for a $3 entry fee. The basic entry fee per person in 2011 is $5.

The Oregon Paleolands Institute (OPLI) headquarters and exhibition hall are in Fossil, near the courthouse. OPLI is an educational, community-based non-profit that offers tours, hikes, and workshops related to the region's geology and paleontology.

Education

It is in the Fossil School District 21J. Wheeler High School and Fossil Elementary School are in Fossil. In the 2011−12 school year, about 50 students were enrolled in grades 7 through 12 and about 35 in kindergarten through grade 6.

The county is not a part of a community college district.

Notable people

  • Bill Bowerman, coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. resided in Fossil during his boyhood, and prior to his death in 1999. He was a direct descendant of Thomas Benton Hoover, who established the Fossil post office.

See also

  • Thomas Benton Hoover House

References

  • Entry for Fossil in the Oregon Blue Book