Grant

Formed October 14, 1864 (21^st county)

Grant County (7,233), Canyon City (658), John Day (1,663)

A stucco and stone Modern and Art Deco structure built in 1952 serves Grant County.  The courthouse is on Humboldt Street at Adams Drive.  United States Highway 395 passes one block to the east of the facility.  Burns, Bear, McNeil & Schneider provided the designs.  A Judicial Facility was attached in 1997.  There was an 1865 courthouse also in Canyon City which has been the only county seat.  The county was formed on October 14, 1864 from Wasco and Umatilla counties as the 21^st county.  Grant County is named for Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Josephine County.  The county seat is named for Canyon Creek. 

Grant County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Grant and Harney counties.  Grant County is in eastern Oregon.  Pendleton, Oregon is north and Portland, Oregon is northwest of the county.  The county center is 5.6 miles Northeast of Canyon City nearer John Day.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Umatilla, Union, Baker, Malheur, Harney, Crook, Wheeler, and Morrow counties. 

The area of the county is 4529 square miles.  It is 7 out of 36 in the state.  It ranks 33 out of 36 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1.6 persons per square mile making it 33 out of 36 in the state.  Grant County has 59.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 26 goes east to west in the county from Baker County to Wheeler County.  United States Highway 395 enters from the north, Umatilla County, and exits to the south, Harney County.  The county is shaped like a city building landscape lying on its eastern side.  Canyon City is located in the southern third of the county.  John Day is located directly north of the county seat in the county.  Canyon City is the county seat and John Day is the largest city.  Canyon City is 9.1% of the county population while John Day is 23.0% of the county population.