Gym Photography Project - Jordan Valley

Jordan Valley is named for Michael Jordan. It could explain Jordan Valley’s strong tradition in basketball throughout the years.

Okay, it isn’t named for THAT Michael Jordan. Rather it was named for Michael Jordan the prospector; a member of a party of prospectors traveling the area in the 1860’s who settled along an isolated creek suitable for camping. Somehow party member Michael Jordan earned the naming rights and the town of Jordan Valley came to life.

For some reason, I have always been fascinated with Jordan Valley. It feels so lonely out there in eastern Oregon. An isolated outpost of cowboys and ranchers surrounded by forbidding mountains and intimidating terrain.

It was also the Jordan Valley Mustangs of the early 2000’s that helped pique my interest in small school basketball. I returned to Oregon in 2001 and took in my first state tournament since 1997 the following year in 2002.

I had never heard of Jordan Valley. Never seen it on a map nor ever given it second thought. But when I saw the map the tournament organizers put on the wall in the Baker City gymnasium lobby with all the towns labeled, I was instantly intrigued. Their location, combined with the fact that they were making their fifth straight state tournament trip in 2002 made them one of my favorite towns.

The city of Jordan Valley lies in a lush valley along Jordan Creek in Owyhee country. It is rugged and unforgiving land surrounded by the volcanic terrain of the high desert and numerous mountain peaks, capped with snow.

The aforementioned miners arrived with about 60 mules onto a creek in 1863. The place was suitable for camping but before unpacking his mule, one of the prospectors shoved his pan in the dirt and unearthed about 100 different colors. Other members of the party scrambled to put their pans in the ground and within an hour all members of the party had a dazzling display of rocks.

Within 12 days, the laws of the district were made and adopted, claims located, and the creek was named Jordan after Michael Jordan, one member of the party. A few years later, Jordan was scalped by the Indians on the banks of this same stream. [1]

During the 1890s and after, the need for low-wage but experienced shepherds in other parts of the “ION” region—southwestern Idaho, southeastern Oregon, northern Nevada—brought Basque herders from northern Spain to Harney and Malheur counties. These men encouraged younger brothers to come to the region to work, and many Basques eventually brought their wives and children. By the early 1900s, the former freight stop of Jordan Valley had become an outpost of Basque culture, with restaurants, fraternal lodges, and a large, stone-walled pelota, the Basques’ open-air handball court. [2]

Jordan Valley has steadily lost population over since the 1920’s and today counts a population of around 300 people. Many are local ranchers living on vast swaths of land outside the town. Beef is a major product for Jordan Valley along with grain, hay and sheep.

Jordan Valley currently ranks tied for 16th all-time in state tournament trips with 10. They are tied with Cove, Butte Falls and Athena/McEwen.

The creation of the “B” classification in 1974 made Jordan Valley an instant powerhouse at that level. The Mustang made three-straight trips to the state tournament from 1975-1977, culminating with their first-ever state championship in 1977.

It wasn’t until 1990 that Jordan Valley reappeared at the state tournament, when they captured third after losing to eventual state champion Condon in the semifinals.

Eight years later, the Mustangs began their run of six straight state tournament trips, one of only three schools to accomplish that feat in small school basketball history. The Mustangs captured the 2001 state championship and finished second in 2002.

The Mustangs have been tantalizingly close in the past seven years, advancing to within one win over Baker City four times.

Reader Angie has passed along photos taken by her daughter earlier this year.
According to Angie, in the early part of the 2000’s, a new gymnasium was built adjacent to the old gym.

The old gym, which is still used for a variety of events, had a ton of character and reminds me very much of a gym used in the 40’s and 50’s. The stage was located at center court as opposed to the end line and there is a retaining wall separating the fans and bleachers from the floor.



It’s hard to tell but it appears that there is a restraining line just inside the out of bounds line, similar to what is done at Adrian and very likely at other small school gyms throughout the state.

I love the beat up look of the floor, the retaining wall and bleachers. This gym has so much character and oozes tradition. I can imagine this gym on a Friday night in the late 90’s when Jordan Valley was building towards a state championship, packed to the rafters with townsfolk and ranchers, out of towners and visiting fans. Where would they all sit?



On the topic of seating, where did the teams sit? There is absolutely no room in the traditional seating spots for the teams to sit. They must have had to sit on the end lines. Anyone with any input on this, I would love to know!

One thing Angie notes about the photos is just how bright her daughter was able to make it look. She must have had a nice new camera because according to Angie, these photos are not indicative of how dark the gym is.

As Angie pointed out, the new gym was constructed sometime in the early part of the 2000’s. There is quite a bit more space and it is brighter facility. There doesn’t appear to be that much more seating from the photos but the angle and photos can be deceiving. There is a clear space for the benches in the new facility and the added space on the sidelines means there is no need for the famed “restraining line.”



Gone are the retaining wall and the stage and Jordan Valley now has a really nice, modern basketball facility.

Jordan Valley has definitely upgraded the gym to a more spacious facility. The new gym still has the charm of a small school gymnasium and it will definitely create it's own traditions and history as the years go by.

The school has already attempted to keep the past alive by posting the many bracket boards on the walls around the gyms. Brackets for state championships and district championships take up the majority of the space on the wall and speak to earlier times while inspiring current and future athletes to continually strive to add to the collection.

While researching Jordan Valley, I came across several great websites with infomation and photos. First, the city website has many terrific shots including a link to some archived photos.

And finally, think the old west is long gone? Think again, here is a story from Oregonlive regarding cattle barons operating in Eastern Oregon and terrorizing rural ranches.

The most interesting part of the story to me? The date. Not 1909. It was 100 years later, in 2009.

The Wild West lives on.