Geologic

Ruggs' geologic history echoes that of other areas in the region. Ruggs is geologically situated within the Columbia Basin, a region overlain with loess soils and rugged basaltic foothills that were the product of glacial floods and Columbia River Basalt Group lava flows. Basalt is the major bedrock underlying the canyons and plateaus surrounding Ruggs.^[5][6]

Ruggs is situated close to where the Columbia Basin and Blue Mountain ecological provinces end and begin, respectively. The Columbia Basin Ecological Province is mainly a hilly upland that slopes up from north to south and that is dissected by numerous dendritic-pattern drainages. This ecological region is further subdivided into the northern ancient lake basin and the southern silty uplands. Soils in the area typically consist Bakeoven-Morrow complex, Lickskillet stony loam, Lickskillet-Rock outcrop, Morrow silt loam, and Onyx silt loam. The Columbia Basin Ecological Province merges with the Blue Mountain Ecological Province close to an elevation of around 3,500 feet (1,067 m).^[7][8][9][5]

Columbia Basin.

Native Americans

Ruggs served as part of a broader area where local Native American tribes seasonally inhabited. Native Americans lived and traveled between the Columbia Gorge and the Blue Mountains for more than 10,000 years prior to European-American settlement. Local newspapers record visits between local Native Americans and settlers in the present-day Ruggs area in the late 1800s, including a visit by Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt (Chief Joseph) of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce. "Old Blind Jim" and his small tribe known as the Columbia River Renegades frequented the area. Jim was of royal Columbia tribe heritage and his tribe fished salmon and hunted berries, elk, bear, and other wild game in the Blue Mountains during summer.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Pioneer Settlement

The Rhea and Wright families settled in the area in 1864 and 1873, respectively. The Elijah W. Rhea family lived on Rhea creek approximately 12 miles upstream from the confluence of Rhea and Willow creeks. The Albert Wright family settled further upstream on Rhea Creek. Local history and newspaper records indicate that Daniel Taylor Spencer established a store here in 1872. That store, however, was eventually relocated to nearby Heppner in 1873.^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]} Orin E. Farnsworth arrived to the area circa 1874 and settled in a nearby area known as "Midway."^[14][18]

The Rugg Family

Postal Service

Newspaper records suggest that the Ruggs area at one point had its own post office known as "Midway" on the aforementioned Wright family's property.^[59]

Elected Officials

Ruggs has no elected officials. In 1963, however, local press reported that a letter was addressed to the “Mayor of Ruggs” and subsequently delivered to Mary Wright of the community. This article stated that the event "rather nonplussed Mary in the unincorporated little village [and] she called Doris Ball and asked if they should hold an election. They decided that Mary should go ahead and take care of the letter, which indicates that if an election were held at Ruggs, she might win the mayoralty." The report noted that the letter arrived in Ruggs from a student interested in the history of the area and "Mrs. Wright—the 'one-woman Chamber of Commerce'—sent a booklet on the county and wrote all the dope about Ruggs."^[60]

Hunting

Location hunting includes Ruggs Ranch, a wild bird and big game hunting outfitter.

Ornithology

Ruggs was the focal point for the annual Ruggs-Hardman Christmas Bird County started in 1967 by local high school students. The count mirrored the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. Reports from the 1978 count indicated that at least 3,300 bird species were counted within a 17-mile radius from Ruggs.^[68][69]

Agriculture

The grain elevator (pictured) at Ruggs has its origins in 1930. That year the Morrow County Grain Growers (MCGG) was formed to more effectively handle the selling of locally grown wheat. MCGG went into the wheat storage business in 1932 and built several local grain elevators in Ruggs and nearby Ione, McNab, Heppner, Paterson, Lexington, and North Lexington.^[14] One claim to fame for the community is that Ruggs was home to first ever buffalo herd in Oregon owned by Harold and Mary Wright. The couple also kept llamas.^[70]