Condon
Having seen Condon on a list of ghost towns, we were surprised to roll into town (coming up from Mitchell) and find the place alive and well. Agriculture is king here and the most glorious days are gone, but Condon is doing just fine, thank you.
This sign says a lot about Condon. First and foremost, you are Welcome! Yes, the sign is home-made and the paint is fading, but the landscaping is excellent.
Not every town has an active theatre group, but Main Street Condon boasts the Liberty Playhouse
Not far down Main street from the Playhouse is the Library. I often stood in the middle of Main street to take these pictures. Traffic did not seem to be a problem.
This beautiful tan stone shows up around town in several places. My photo does it no justice. I suspect it comes from a nearby quarry.
Big art for a little town. If I remember right this silhouette display is 126 feet long! Cut from plate steel, it graces the Wheeler county fair grandstand and depicts the agricultural enterprises in the area. For some ranching silhouettes check out Merrill.
We are from the Willamette Valley, and Glennette is an avid gardener. We were surprised to see this little vest-pocket park complete with flowers in the high desert.
Brick commercial buildings commonly graced the downtowns of Oregon towns after about 1890. By then the earlier wood buildings had all burned or otherwise been destroyed.
The Condon Hotel was built in 1920 and is still going strong. Stanley's Steakhouse is a focal spot in town. Check it out at www.hotelcondon.com.
This massive grain elevator occupies the highest ground in town, attesting to the importance of agriculture in the area.
Even the graveyard is sparsely settled, but the vast openness of the high desert sky is certainly inspiring.
There is a new use from the old force of the wind in Condon. Heading north out of Condon you will see these huge wind machines turning free wind into valuable and renewable electricity.
