Dufur, Oregon
175 NE Third St
PO Box 145
Dufur Oregon 97021
541-467-2349
Fax: 541-467-2353
dufurcity@ortelco.net

HISTORY

The town of Dufur was founded by Andrew J. Dufur, Jr., a successful raiser of stock. Mr. Dufur was from Hugenot descent. While the town received its post office in 1878, the earliest records show church meetings in 1862. The pioneer-era families included George H. and Barbara Barnett (1853), and William R. and Nancy Jane Benefiel Menefee (1852). The Menefee family first settled on a Donation Land Claim in Yamhill County, then in 1855 settled at Dufur where he farmed and was a Justice of the Peace. He also constructed the first water system for Dufur. The City of Dufur, incorporated in 1893.

SPOTLIGHT

Bluegrass Music once a month people from all over gather at the Dufur Grange Hall to play music. The atmosphere is casual, and it's a lot like "Prairie Home Companion". The first Sunday of the month from 2-6PM, you will find people gathered to share singing, guitar strumming, fiddle playing, and banjo picking good times. There is always a feast of homemade pies. Everyone is invited to this event, and there is no admission charge. Donations for pie are accepted.

The Annual Dufur Threshing Bee is held the second weekend of August. Each year since 1971, the citizens of Dufur have staged a threshing bee, to honor their history, celebrate the crop just harvested, and share with their neighbors the pleasures and rewards of working together as a community. Visitors can see horse-drawn antique harvesting equipment being used in the fields. This is the only threshing event in the country that uses horse-drawn machinery, and demonstrates every step of the process from cutting standing wheat to sewing up bags for shipping.

The Threshing Bee offers working demonstrations of authentic horse-powered and steam-driven combines and other farming equipment. In the late 1800s, harvesting a wheat crop was no small matter. It took teams of 32 horses to move some of the harvesting equipment. Farmers would hire in harvest crews, and everyone worked long hours to get the job done. Farmers' wives' labored to feed the crews, sometimes spending all day in portable cook shacks preparing meals for as many as 30 men. The Dufur Threshing Bee recreates this community wide event, with fun, races, contests, an antique tractor pull, and more. For information contact: (541) 467-2349.