Antelope, Oregon

---

title: "Antelope, Oregon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cities-in-oregon", "cities-in-wasco-county,-oregon", "populated-places-established-in-1871", "rajneesh-movement", "1871-establishments-in-oregon"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope,_Oregon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
official_name	Antelope, Oregon
settlement_type	City
image_skyline	Antelope Oregon post office.jpg
image_caption	Post office and abandoned building in Antelope
image_map	Wasco_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Antelope_Highlighted.svg
mapsize	250px
map_caption	Location in Oregon
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	United States
subdivision_type1	State
subdivision_name1	Oregon
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Wasco
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Rodney Shanks
established_title	Incorporated
established_date	1901
area_total_sq_mi	0.46
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	1.19
area_land_sq_mi	0.46
area_land_km2	1.19
area_water_sq_mi	0.00
area_water_km2	0.00
population_footnotes
population_as_of	2020
population_total	37
population_density_km2	30.96
population_density_sq_mi	80.26
timezone	Pacific
utc_offset	-8
timezone_DST	Pacific
utc_offset_DST	-7
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft	2667
website	cityofantelope.us
postal_code_type	ZIP code
postal_code	97001
area_code	541
blank_name	FIPS code
blank_info	41-02250
blank1_name	GNIS feature ID
blank1_info	2409714
unit_pref	Imperial
::

|official_name = Antelope, Oregon |settlement_type = City |nickname = |motto = |image_skyline = Antelope Oregon post office.jpg |imagesize = |image_caption = Post office and abandoned building in Antelope |image_flag = |image_seal = |image_map = Wasco_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Antelope_Highlighted.svg |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location in Oregon |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = United States |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = Oregon |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Wasco |government_type = |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = Rodney Shanks |established_title = Incorporated |established_date = 1901 |area_magnitude = |area_total_sq_mi = 0.46 |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = 1.19 |area_land_sq_mi = 0.46 |area_land_km2 = 1.19 |area_water_sq_mi = 0.00 |area_water_km2 = 0.00 |population_footnotes = |population_as_of = 2020 |population_total = 37 |population_metro = |population_urban = |population_density_km2 = 30.96 |population_density_sq_mi = 80.26 |timezone = Pacific |utc_offset = -8 |timezone_DST = Pacific |utc_offset_DST = -7 |coordinates = |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_ft = 2667 |website = cityofantelope.us |postal_code_type = ZIP code |postal_code = 97001 |area_code = 541 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 41-02250 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 2409714 |footnotes = |pop_est_footnotes = |unit_pref = Imperial

Antelope (known as Rajneesh from 1984 to 1986) is a city in rural Wasco County, Oregon, United States. Antelope had an estimated population of 47 people in 2012.

The city was established in 1872 at a stage and freight wagon road stop on the old Dalles to Canyon City Trail. It was incorporated as the City of Antelope in 1901.

In the early 1980s, hundreds of members of the Rajneesh movement moved in and built a small city in previously unoccupied land they purchased. The Rajneeshees effectively took over the government of the city by outnumbering the original residents with new voter registrations. On September 18, 1984, a vote was held, and the city was renamed Rajneesh, Oregon. By 1985, after several of the Rajneesh movement leaders were discovered to have been involved in criminal behavior (including a mass food poisoning attack and an aborted plot to assassinate a U.S. Attorney), leader Rajneesh left the country as part of a plea deal for federal immigration fraud charges, and the Rajneesh commune collapsed. On November 6, 1985, the city voted to revert to the name Antelope.

History

The Antelope Valley was probably named by European-American members of Joseph Sherar's party, who were packing supplies to mines in the John Day area. Sherar became known as the operator of a toll bridge across the Deschutes River, on a cut-off of the Barlow Road. In the early 19th century, the area supported many pronghorns, which are not true antelopes, but are often called "pronghorn antelopes".

19th century beginnings

In the mid-19th century, Antelope began as a station along the wagon road connecting The Dalles on the Columbia River with gold mines near Canyon City. After about 1870, the wagon road became known as The Dalles Military Road. The road crossed the Deschutes River on Sherar's Bridge. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Antelope_Schoolhouse_(Wasco_County,Oregon_scenic_images)(wascDA0063).jpg" caption="The historic [[Antelope School]] building, which currently houses municipal offices and various community functions including the annual harvest dinner event"] ::

The Antelope post office was established in 1871, with Howard Maupin, founder of Maupin, Oregon, as the first postmaster. The town's population peaked around 1900, shortly after the Columbia Southern Railway completed a 70 mi rail line from Biggs, on the Columbia River, to Shaniko, a few miles north of Antelope. The railroad timetable for September 9, 1900, lists a daily stagecoach run from the train terminal in Shaniko to Antelope and beyond. Antelope was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on January 29, 1901.

Rajneesh movement

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/AntelopePlaque.jpg" caption="A plaque at the Antelope post office commemorates local resistance to the Rajneeshee movement"] ::

Rajneeshpuram, a farming and meditation commune founded by the Rajneesh movement, followers of Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh, was established near the town in 1981. The town attempted to disincorporate in April 1982 to avoid a takeover by the Rajneesh followers, who registered to vote in Antelope en masse and rejected the measure. The Rajneeshees gained a majority on the town council following the November 1982 elections and resignation of two other members. On September 18, 1984, the city was renamed "Rajneesh".

The organization collapsed in 1985 following the discovery by the authorities of criminal activities, such as a bioterror attack a year prior that exposed non-Rajneeshees in Wasco County to salmonella to prevent them from voting. On November 6, 1985, the remaining residents, which included both original residents and some remaining Rajneeshees, voted 34 to 0 to restore the original name, and it was subsequently restored in 1986. The U.S. Postal Service had never recognized the change of name.

Subsequent to the collapse of the commune, the property reverted to ownership by the State of Oregon for non-payment of taxes, and was sold to Montana billionaire Dennis Washington in 1991 for $3.65 million. Currently, the ranch, 18 mi from Antelope, is operated by Young Life, a Christian parachurch organization, as a Christian youth camp known as "Washington Family Ranch".

The events of the mid-1980s that involved the Rajneesh group were the subject of the 2003 Forensic Files TV series episode "Bio Attack", and the 2018 Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/2017-07-15_Antelope_07.jpg" caption="The closed Antelope Café"] ::

Antelope, in Wasco County in north-central Oregon, is along Oregon Route 218 just north of its intersection with Oregon Route 293. By highway, the city is 34 mi northeast of Madras and 143 mi east of Portland. Antelope Creek, in the Deschutes River watershed, flows by Antelope.

The city is 2654 ft above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.48 sqmi, all of it land.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Antelope has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa).

|location = Antelope, Oregon, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1924–present |single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 70 |Feb record high F = 72 |Mar record high F = 78 |Apr record high F = 90 |May record high F = 98 |Jun record high F = 108 |Jul record high F = 107 |Aug record high F = 109 |Sep record high F = 101 |Oct record high F = 91 |Nov record high F = 76 |Dec record high F = 72

|Jan avg record high F = 57.6 |Feb avg record high F = 59.1 |Mar avg record high F = 66.1 |Apr avg record high F = 75.5 |May avg record high F = 84.4 |Jun avg record high F = 91.7 |Jul avg record high F = 98.8 |Aug avg record high F = 98.3 |Sep avg record high F = 92.6 |Oct avg record high F = 79.9 |Nov avg record high F = 65.1 |Dec avg record high F = 56.0 |year avg record high F = 100.4

|Jan high F = 42.9 |Feb high F = 46.1 |Mar high F = 52.8 |Apr high F = 58.7 |May high F = 68.4 |Jun high F = 75.7 |Jul high F = 87.3 |Aug high F = 86.5 |Sep high F = 78.2 |Oct high F = 63.5 |Nov high F = 49.7 |Dec high F = 41.6 |year high F =

|Jan mean F = 34.2 |Feb mean F = 36.2 |Mar mean F = 41.1 |Apr mean F = 45.6 |May mean F = 53.6 |Jun mean F = 60.2 |Jul mean F = 68.9 |Aug mean F = 68.3 |Sep mean F = 61.2 |Oct mean F = 49.8 |Nov mean F = 39.5 |Dec mean F = 32.7 |year mean F =

|Jan low F = 25.6 |Feb low F = 26.2 |Mar low F = 29.4 |Apr low F = 32.5 |May low F = 38.9 |Jun low F = 44.6 |Jul low F = 50.5 |Aug low F = 50.1 |Sep low F = 44.1 |Oct low F = 36.0 |Nov low F = 29.3 |Dec low F = 23.8 |year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 10.1 |Feb avg record low F = 11.2 |Mar avg record low F = 18.6 |Apr avg record low F = 22.3 |May avg record low F = 27.1 |Jun avg record low F = 33.8 |Jul avg record low F = 40.2 |Aug avg record low F = 39.6 |Sep avg record low F = 32.3 |Oct avg record low F = 22.8 |Nov avg record low F = 14.6 |Dec avg record low F = 8.0 |year avg record low F = 0.5

|Jan record low F = -27 |Feb record low F = -22 |Mar record low F = 5 |Apr record low F = 11 |May record low F = 13 |Jun record low F = 25 |Jul record low F = 29 |Aug record low F = 30 |Sep record low F = 20 |Oct record low F = 8 |Nov record low F = -7 |Dec record low F = -20

|precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 1.50 |Feb precipitation inch = 1.29 |Mar precipitation inch = 1.22 |Apr precipitation inch = 1.52 |May precipitation inch = 1.99 |Jun precipitation inch = 1.04 |Jul precipitation inch = 0.34 |Aug precipitation inch = 0.34 |Sep precipitation inch = 0.50 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.23 |Nov precipitation inch = 1.76 |Dec precipitation inch = 1.81 |year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in |Jan precipitation days = 10.9 |Feb precipitation days = 9.7 |Mar precipitation days = 9.7 |Apr precipitation days = 9.7 |May precipitation days = 9.7 |Jun precipitation days = 6.3 |Jul precipitation days = 2.5 |Aug precipitation days = 2.7 |Sep precipitation days = 3.8 |Oct precipitation days = 7.9 |Nov precipitation days = 10.3 |Dec precipitation days = 12.1

|Jan snow inch = 2.0 |Feb snow inch = 1.0 |Mar snow inch = 0.7 |Apr snow inch = 1.0 |May snow inch = 0.0 |Jun snow inch = 0.0 |Jul snow inch = 0.0 |Aug snow inch = 0.0 |Sep snow inch = 0.0 |Oct snow inch = 0.2 |Nov snow inch = 1.2 |Dec snow inch = 3.6 |year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in |Jan snow days = 2.0 |Feb snow days = 1.6 |Mar snow days = 0.6 |Apr snow days = 0.2 |May snow days = 0.0 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.0 |Oct snow days = 0.1 |Nov snow days = 0.9 |Dec snow days = 2.4

|source 1 = NOAA |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00350197&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Antelope 6 SSW, OR |access-date = April 15, 2023 |source 2 = National Weather Service |url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=pdt |publisher = National Weather Service |title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pendleton |access-date = April 15, 2023

Demographics

|1890= 184 |1900= 249 |1910= 175 |1920= 199 |1930= 136 |1940= 90 |1950= 60 |1960= 46 |1970= 51 |1980= 39 |1990= 34 |2000= 59 |2010= 46 |2020= 37 |footnote=source: | align = right | align-fn = center ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Rajneesh_City_(Antelope).jpg" caption="Sign on the entrance to Antelope reading "City of Rajneesh", circa 1985"] ::

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Antelope had a population of 37. The median age was 56.3 years, 16.2% of residents were under the age of 18, and 29.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 236.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 244.4 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 20 households in Antelope, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 15.0% were married-couple households, 65.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 50.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 33 housing units, of which 39.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 55.0% were owner-occupied and 45.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 8.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.

::data[format=table title="Racial composition as of the 2020 census{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A02250&in=state%3A41|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 28, 2026|df=mdy}}"]

Race	Number	Percent
White	35	94.6%
Black or African American	0	0%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0	0%
Asian	0	0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0	0%
Some other race	1	2.7%
Two or more races	1	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	5	13.5%
::

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 46 people, 28 households, and 10 families residing in the city. The population density was 96 PD/sqmi. There were 43 housing units at an average density of 90 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White (42 people), 2.2% Native American (1 person), 2.2% Asian (1 person), and 4.3% from two or more races (2 people).

There were 28 households, of which 11% (3 households) had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21% (6 households) were married couples living together, 4% (1 household) had a female householder with no husband present, 11% (3 households) had a male householder with no wife present, and 64% (18 households) were non-families. About 61% (17 households) of all households were made up of individuals, and 46% (13 households) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.64 and the average family size was 2.70.

The median age in the city was 62 years. About 15% of residents (7 people) were under the age of 18; 2% (1 person) were between the ages of 18 and 24; 11% (5 people) were from 25 to 44; 30.3% (14 people) were from 45 to 64; and 41% (19 people) were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52% (24 people) male and 48% (22 people) female.

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The biographical article must mention how they are associated with Antelope, whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited, unless it is well-known. · alphabetical by last name please · All others will be deleted without further explanation

• H. L. Davis (1894–1960) – Pulitzer Prize winning novelist

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2409714
3. "Population Estimates". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. "Antelope Oregon".
5. McArthur, Lewis A.. (2003). "Oregon Geographic Names". Oregon Historical Society Press.
6. Jette, Melinda. (2004). "Sherar's Hotel & Toll Bridge, c. 1910". [[Oregon Historical Society]].
7. (2013). "Regional History". Oregon Paleo Lands Institute.
8. (1989). "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binford & Mort Publishing.
9. Culp, Edwin D.. (1978). "Stations West: The Story of the Oregon Railways". Bonanza Books.
10. Senior, Jeanne. (December 15, 1982). "Council hands control of Antelope to Rajneeshee". The Oregonian.
11. "Incorporation of Rajneeshpuram opens door to development (part 9 of 20)". OregonLive.com.
12. Egan, Timothy. (October 20, 1995). "Antelope Journal;Oregon Ranch With a Troubled Past Faces a Dubious Future". The New York Times.
13. Abbott, Carl. "Rajneeshees". Portland State University.
14. "Washington Family Ranch". Young Life.
15. (2008). "Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer". DeLorme.
16. (2009). "Antelope Community Profile". Infrastructure Finance Authority.
17. "U.S. Gazetteer: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau.
18. "U.S. Census website ". U.S. Census Bureau.
19. Moffatt, Riley Moore. (1996). "Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850–1990". Scarecrow Press.
20. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
22. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
23. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
24. Swindler, Samantha. (September 22, 2025). "How one of Oregon’s smallest cities is moving past its wild, infamous history". The Oregonian.

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