What to See in Heppner - Top Sights and Attractions

Building in Heppner, Oregon. The Morrow County Courthouse is a building in Heppner in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built in 1902–03, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It was among the early commissions of architect Edgar M. Lazarus.

Built on the site of an earlier courthouse made of wood, the two-story building is made of locally quarried dark blue basalt and lighter trim stone from quarries near Elgin and Baker. Features include a hip roof, a central entrance pavilion, and a domed cupola with clock faces on three sides.

The courthouse site is elevated above much of the rest of the city, and this saved the building from severe flood damage in 1903. County officials had moved into the building in March, and in June much of Heppner was destroyed and 247 people killed by a flash flood on Willow Creek, which bisects the city.^[1]

Willow Creek Dam is a dam in Morrow County of the U.S. state of Oregon, located just east of Heppner's city limits. It was the first major dam in the United States constructed of roller-compacted concrete.

The dam's drainage basin is 96 square miles (250 km2) of arid rolling hills in the lower basin but with headwaters in the northern Umatilla National Forest. The dam's original purpose was primarily to store water for flood control, but also to serve recreation, fish and wildlife, and irrigation uses. The dam impounds Willow Creek to create Willow Creek Lake.

The lake level can be a maximum of 2,113.5 feet (644.2 m) elevation and a minimum of 2,063.0 feet (628.8 m) for a total usable storage capacity of 9,765 acre-feet (12,045,000 m3).^[2]

Historical landmark in Heppner, Oregon. The Gilliam and Bisbee Building is an historic commercial structure in Heppner in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built in 1919 for the Gilliam and Bisbee Hardware Company to replace a building destroyed by fire in 1918, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

The two-story rectangular building measures 50 by 143 feet (15 by 44 m), and it has a full basement. The foundation and walls are made of concrete. The front facade is of tan-colored brick paired with darker brown brick above the storefront, its window pairs, and its decorative horizontal corbel courses. Strong vertical elements include pilasters that extend above the roof line and are topped with imitation chimney caps.

Originally, the first floor contained retail space, a stock room, a business office, a plumbing shop, a freight elevator (which served both floors and the basement), stairways, and perhaps a leased office. An open display space for farm implements occupied the second floor, also the likely site of a restroom.

Members of the Gilliam and Bisbee families, arriving in the 1860s, were among the earliest settlers in the region. Two members of the second generation, Timothy Bisbee and Frank Gilliam, both involved in stock raising, became brothers-in-law in 1882 and by 1889 were in business together as the Gilliam and Bisbee Hardware Company. Subsequent generations of both families worked in the store through the late 1950s.

In 2019, the Howard and Beth Bryant Foundation restored and renovated the Gilliam & Bisbee Building into an event center, apartment-like suites, and a conference room. This project, now owned and operated by the Heppner Community Foundation, is a gathering place for the community and private events. The 7,000 square foot second floor contains 4 brand new suites each with personal 1.5 baths and a coffee bar. There is an adjacent large common area with a kitchen, lounging area, and giant gathering table, making it the perfect place for families to spend time together, or for small parties. The 4,000 square foot first floor includes a large event center with an occupancy of 350 guests. Additionally, there is an adjacent lobby area and industrial kitchen. The event stage includes a state-of-the-art sound system for live music or a DJ, and a projector and screen for event presentations.^[3]

Hotel. The Heppner Hotel is a building in Heppner, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Designed by architect John V. Bennes and built in 1919, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

When it opened in 1920, the 48-room hostelry was the city's only hotel. A flash flood along Willow Creek destroyed one former hotel in 1903, and fire destroyed the other in 1918. Originally named the Hotel St. Patrick, it was soon renamed the Heppner Hotel.

Measuring 62 by 126 feet (19 by 38 m) at ground level, the hotel covers nearly all of the downtown lot on which it rests. As of 1982, it was the largest and tallest commercial structure in the city.

The three-story building is made of hollow clay tile and concrete with stucco facades and frameless windows. The west facade of the ground floor had a narrow central bay for the main entrance, and it was flanked by structural bays and bay windows opening on interior commercial space. The architecturally plain hotel had little exterior or interior decoration; however, the rooms on the second and third floors were capacious, and three-fourths of them had private baths.^[4]