Mitchell, Oregon

Mitchell, Oregon, in Wheeler county, is 67 miles NE of Bend, Oregon. Mitchell is home to the World Famous Annual Painted Hills Festival!  The Painted Hills Festival is held every Labor Day Weekend.  Mitchell is the Gateway to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument which is comprised of the Sheep Rock Unit in Dayville, Oregon (about 35 miles east of Mitchell), the Painted Hills Unit (located 9 miles northwest of Mitchell) and the Clarno Unit about 8 miles west of Fossil, Oregon (Fossil is about 40 miles northwest of Mitchell).  The Monument is one of North America’s most significant paleontological research areas.  Mitchell is flanked by three new wilderness areas.  The Ochoco Divide of the Ochoco Mountains is located 16 miles West of Mitchell, in the Ochoco National Forest. 

Mitchell was named for John Hipple Mithell, former U.S. senator from Oregon and for many years prominent in the political history of the state. The name was suggested by W.W. "Brawdie" Johnson, the first postmaster and the post offie was established in Aopriul 1973. J.H. Mitchell was senator from Oregon in 1873-79, 1885-97, and 1901-05. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1835, came to Oregon in 1860, and died in Portland December 8, 1905. In 1884, the town of Mitchell experienced its first catastrophe. Water rushed over the bluff above the community, carrying boulders and mud. In March 1885, I.N. Sargent platted the townsite of Mitchell. It was incorporated in 1893. About half the town was consumed by fire in August 1899. It was rebuilt. On July 11, 1904, it was almost destroyed by a cloudburst; two lives were lost. On September 25, 1904, it was visited by another flood, but the damage was slight.
Source: Oregon Geographic Names, Lewis A. McArthur & Leis L. McArthur, Seventh Edition, c. 2003, p. 652

Mitchell was established in the 1860’s as a stage stop along the Dalles-Boise Military Road, and named in 1873 for John H. Mitchell, a former Oregon Senator. Oregon’s historic Dalles Military Road, where wagons toiled to Oregon’s first goldfields, U.S. Cavalry kept outposts, and Native tribes defended their ground, is the Main Street! One of the town’s noteworthy events involves the Mitchell Bank, which still stands – It was the last bank in the entire U.S. to close its doors during the Great Depression – and was also the only bank in the county to still pay a 2 cent dividend! Mitchell is also home to a Black Bear named Henry, who was rescued by one of the town's residents.  Since Henry was declawed as a cub, he could not be returned to the wild, and today is a main attraction for tourists and visitors.
Source: www.mitchelloregon.us

Population:  Approximately 175 (2009)
Incorporated:  1891
Land area:  1.18 Square Miles
GP:  44.56 N and 120.15 W
Elevation:  2787’

Average annual precipitation: 11.570"
Monthly Avg. Low: 24°F     
Monthly Avg. High: 86°F
Hottest Month July               
Coldest Month January
Driest Month July                 
Wettest Month May

Source: Oregon Climate Service

City of Mitchell
Address: PO Box 97,
Mitchell, Oregon 97750
Phone: 541-462-3121
Fax: 541-462-3121

Mitchell School District
(541) 462-3311

Fitzgerald Nursery
Mitchell, Oregon
(541) 462-3682

Oregon Hotel
104 E. Main
Mitchell, OR 97750
(541) 462-3027

Sky Hook Motel
Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3569

Redwood Bench & Table
208 Hwy 26, Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3232

Rustic Art
208 Hwy 26, Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3232

Cannon's Tire Center
Hwy 26, Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3298

Mitchell Assembly of God
(541) 462-3551

Missionary Baptist Church
Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3914

Bridge Creek Cafe
Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3434

Little Pine Cafe
Mitchell, Oregon
(541) 462-3733
http://littlepinecafe.com

Sidewalk Cafe
Mitchell, OR
(541) 462-3469