Coon Town, Oregon
 | The truthfulness of this article has been questioned. It is believed that some or all of its content may constitute a hoax. |
Coon Town is a former settlement in Harney County, Oregon.
Coon Town, Oregon | |
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| Founded by | Sylvester 'Coon' Smith |
History
Coon Town had its beginnings when a wagon freight stop was established on the homesteading property of Sylvester Smith, or Coon Smith as he was nicknamed, in the 1880s or 1890s. He was said to have gotten this nickname because he loved to tell stories of hunting raccoons. The town hit its peak in the early 1900s with a school, livery stable, and one building of which no one can decide what it was. It’s been called a saloon, general store, hotel, part of the livery stable and among much more over the years. Although the town grew to a size to warrant one, it never did have a post office. However, there was a petition for one named Happy not too far away in the hills just south, but it was declined. The town went into decline in the 1920s when wagon freight became obsolete. The livery stable was torn down and the lumber was hauled off for use in the construction of the General store in nearby Diamond, Oregon. The general store went out of existence in the 1960s. Today what remains of Coon Town is the old building of which no one knows the former purpose. Other than commercial space (indicative from the false front it bears) the school remains. Sometime in the recent past, a couple of local ranchers cut the school in half with a hacksaw and dragged it up a hill for use as a hunting cabin. The school still remains there.
References
The recollections of a few oldtimers.
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