Jordan Valley was founded along the Skinner Toll Road. Among its earliest settlers was John Baxter, who established an inn, store, and post office in his cabin in 1867. The town served as a rest stop for miners journeying to nearby boomtowns like Silver City and DeLamar in present-day Idaho. Officially incorporated in 1911, Jordan Valley thrived while neighboring boomtowns dwindled after the mines faltered in 1875, thanks to its transition to cattle ranching. As of 2020, Jordan Valley has 179 residents.

In 1865, Silas Skinner began constructing a toll road by hand, to aid in the transport of supplies for miners and the shipment of precious metals to the West Coast. The Toll Road opened on May 19, 1866, linking Silver City to Chico, California, and eventually to San Francisco, enabling freight to travel between Silver City and Chico in just a week.

During its peak, the Skinner Toll Road was one of the West’s most important routes, rich in legend and history. Stations lined the road, spaced ten to fifteen miles apart to serve travelers and their stock. While some were simple one-room shelters, others resembled fortresses set against the sprawling ranchland, each offering essential services and refuge in the rugged landscape. Here, weary travelers could find provisions and perhaps a discreet bottle of whiskey.

During its mining days in the late 1800’s, Jordan Valley did not have a church and only hosted visiting missionary priests from Boise and Baker. In 1914, Irish and Basque settlers began building St. Bernard’s Catholic Church from local stone. Oscillating between having an appointed priest and being a missionary church, St. Bernard’s has gone through a number of renovations, the most recent of which occurred in 2016.

Jordan Creek is a 99 mile tributary to the Owyhee River. It generally flows west from near Silver City, Idaho, in the Owyhee Mountains to near Rome in the Oregon High Desert. See the Silver City ride guide.

It was in this creek that gold placers was first discovered in 1863, leading to the rush of growth in the area during the heyday of gold and silver mining. Today, Jordan Creek is used for irrigation by local ranches.

Education access in rural areas has needed an adventurous spirit over the last century. And in places like Jordan Valley, where ranching families live miles away from the nearest town, education is still a journey full of challenges. The Pleasant Valley Elementary School has been educating students since at least the early 1900’s, and continues to serve roughly 10 students grades kindergarten through 8th.

At mile 13, you’ll cross over what’s known as a feeder canal. Used for irrigation, these canals have been constructed to move water from one source to another within the system. This particular feeder canal moves water from Jordan Creek to Antelope Reservoir, nearly 15 miles away.

Originating from the Pyrenees Mountains in northern Spain and southwest France, Basque immigration to the U.S. peaked from the late 1880s to the mid-1920s. They brought with them their traditional games, customs, and celebrations, including the popular handball game, pelota. In Jordan Valley, Basque immigrants constructed this pelota fronton, or handball court, in the spring of 1915, using local stone. Restored in 1997 and commemorated with a Basque Fall Festival, this court stands as Oregon’s sole remaining Basque handball court today.

At this point, to your left is Jordan Valley’s most prominent geographical landmark,a blunt plateau called Pharmacy Hill. During the Great Depression, Dr. W.W. Jones, Jordan Valley’s community doctor, paid to have the rock face painted in bold white letters, advertising his office building. The word
“Pharmacy” stood out and the hill remains known as Pharmacy Hill.

From the parking area, if you ride 0.1 miles north on the main road, on your left hand side will be Jordan Valley Cemetery. Here you will find gravesites from the late 1800s.