Travels with the Original Easyrider®
2016 Edition

Travels to several Oregon Ghost towns in
Sherman and Gilliam County

Klondike, Oregon
Webfoot, Oregon
Fairview, Oregon
Ajax, Oregon
Gwendolen, Oregon
Clem, Oregon
Mikkalo, Oregon
Olex, Oregon

And Cottonwood Canyon State Park

Memorial Day Weekend
May 28, 2016


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Olex is an unincorporated community in Gilliam County, Oregon, United States, at
an elevation of 1,020 feet. It is located on Oregon State Route 19 about halfway
between Condon and Arlington, at the bottom of the Rock Creek Grade.

Olex was named for Alex Smith, a local resident; the name was misspelled in
transmission. The Olex post office operated from 1874 to 1976. Olex is the
birthplace of Oregon politician Earl Snell.

Olex Cemetery: Guess we need to return to find this place. Earliest listed burial
listed is 1866 although many of the graves are unmarked. Traveling South on Highay
19 turn left onto Rock Creek Road and travel 1 mile when it turns into Upper Rock
Creek Road for the last 0.1 mile. At the Olext Post Office, drive South for 0.5
miles. The cemetery will be on the side hill on the left side of the road.

There is also an elementary scool in Olex that we missed.




The Jeremiah Crum Flour Mill, 1885...aptly named....



Olex is located on Rock Creek at the mouth of Juniper Canyon, about five miles
northeast of Mikkalo. The post office at Olex was established October 27, 1874.
James H. Butler was first postmaster of this office, intended to be named for
Alex Smith, a local pioneer settler. The enthusiasm of the petition writer was
better than his handwriting, and authorities at Washington misread "Alex" into
"Olex," a clerical error which was allowed to remain. On October 31, 1959, Olex
was designated a rural station of Arlington, and was discontinued on August 31, 1976.

There is an abandoned schoolhouse just off the highway, and a cemetery.

In 1931, the family of Frank and Daisy Weatherford moved from Arlington to the
Weatherford Ranch two miles west of Olex, to a house built around the turn of the
century by Frank's grandfather, W. W. Weatherford.










The Tip Mobley Homestead, 1869, still occupied but obviously not the
original home. Currently the Wilde Ranch. Obviously a working ranch
with hard working people but like every town we visited today, we saw
no one..... but I'm guessing our presence did not go unnoticed by the
townsfolk.

















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