HARNEY COUNTY LIBRARY
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HARNEY COUNTY LIBRARY

CLAIRE McGILL LUCE
WESTERN HISTORY ROOM

New! Search our DIGITAL ARCHIVES
RESEARCH
ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION
NEWSPAPERS AND MICROFILM
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
FEATURED TOPICS IN LOCAL HISTORY
Settlements, Post Office Locations and Schools
Historic Houses and Buildings
Lost Meek Wagon Train of 1845 and Elliott Cutoff of 1853
Ranch History including P Ranch, Double-O-Ranch, Riddle Brothers Ranch
Notable Pioneers including Bill Brown, Peter French, and Bill Hanley
Early Military Camps and Battles
Burns Paiute Tribal History and Culture
Basque Heritage and Culture
Edward Hines Lumber Company
Sagebrush Symphony Orchestra of Mary V. Dodge
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Steens Mountain
Water Resources Management/Flood Events
Harney County Fair, Rodeo and Race Meet
and much more.....







CLAIRE McGILL LUCE
Claire Isabel McGill Luce was an accomplished businesswoman and philanthropist born in Andrews, Harney County, Oregon. Best known as the wife of Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce, III, she worked her way up the corporate ranks from humble beginnings. Although much of her adult life was spent traveling the world in business, humanitarian and philanthropic pursuits, the experiences of her girlhood in rural Oregon were never forgotten.
In 1969, Luce heard that a new library was being planned for Burns and determined to preserve the history of the county she loved. The next year, she wrote George Hibbard, a friend in Burns, that she had
“found faith and courage in a place of ghosts, Harney City, from my Grandfather who never experienced comfort and security, but whose door was never locked, and whose meager table was freely shared by every stranger. I am forever grateful to Harney County.”
It was Luce's goal to encourage the local community not only to appreciate its rich history but to preserve it for future generations. Her vision culminated in the addition of the Claire McGill Luce Western History Room to the Harney County Library in 2006. The research room was funded in part from a $30,000 endowment Luce established at the library shortly before her death on June 22, 1971. The collection holds hundreds of local oral histories, photographs, microfilm, and special collections of books on regional and local history.

Search the SAGE online library catalog to discover books and publications archived in the Western History Room
Search SAGE Library Catalog

Picture
 Images of America: Harney County

Compiled by staff using photos from the combined collections of the Claire McGill Luce Western History Room, the Harney County Historical Museum and local families, this book depicts the varied facets of life in Harney County from a bygone era.
 All royalties from sales of this book directly benefit the non-profit Harney County Library Foundation

To view more titles in the Images of America series, visit Arcadia Publishing.


Harney County Story Map

Map

Hours​

Monday
10 AM to 6 PM
Tuesday
10 AM to 6 PM
Wednesday
10 AM to 6 PM
Thursday
10 AM to 6 PM
Friday
10 AM to 6 PM
Saturday
Noon to 4 PM
Sunday
Closed

Contact Us

​80 West "D" Street
​Burns, OR 97720

541-573-6670

  • About Us
    • Contact Library
    • Support the Library >
      • Bricks for Books
    • The HCL Foundation
    • Advisory Board
    • FAQ
    • Policies >
      • Bulletin Board Policy
      • Internet Use Policy
      • Patron Rules
      • Collection Development
      • Photography Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Social Media Policy
      • Weapons Policy
    • Subscribe to Newsletter!
  • News & Events
    • Bird Festival - Beginners Leathercraft Lab
    • March Programs
    • Fine Free
    • Events Gallery
    • Little Free Libraries
    • Recorded Programs
    • Program Feedback Form
  • Kids
    • Virtual Story Time
    • Kids Learn at Home
    • Story Time
    • Field Trips
  • Teens
    • Paracord Bracelet
    • Teens Learn at Home
  • Western History Room
    • Research
    • Individual & Family Histories
    • Oral History Collection
    • Newspapers & Microfilm Collection
    • Special Collections
    • Photo Galleries
    • Copyright Information
    • Contact Western History Room Staff
  • Resources + Services
    • Library Services
    • Free Digital Services >
      • Hoopla
      • Library2Go
    • Research and Learning
    • Coyote Cinema
    • Takeout From HCL
    • Seed Library >
      • Seed Library Catalog
      • Seed Library Gallery
  • Blog