Robert Murray, whose grandfather settled in the valley east of Unity in 1861, told the author in 1968 that the first post office in the area was at Tucker Swamp on Job Creek on the freight road to Baker, about one-and-a-half miles from the present site. This was apparently not a convenient place for the settlers who were all ranchers throughout the valley, so they had a meeting to decide where to move it and what to name it. They all agreed on the location and were so pleased with their agreement that they decided to call it Unity. Unity post office was established in September 1891, but the compiler has been unable to identify any previous post office in the immediate area. In 1884, the OR&N established a station named Unity seven miles north of Durkee. This was a long way from the town and had no connection. The name was later changed to Caton.

Take Highway 7 south of Baker City to Highway 245. Head south and then westerly on 245, then east on Highway 26 to Unity. Unity Reservoir is located along Highway 245 before the junction of Highway 26.

SPOTLIGHT