Metolius
Jefferson County, 97741
Many people know about the Metolius river because it bubbles full grown from the earth near Camp Sherman. Fewer people know about the actual town of Metolius that lies about twenty miles northeast of Camp Sherman. When the Oregon Trunk rail road won the great race up the Deschutes river in 1911 they built a depot and roundhouse and the town of Metolius sprang to life. Railroads were important economic drivers in central Oregon so the town prospered. A major downtown fire in 1920 was the beginning of the downturn for the town. Drought followed and then the Great Depression leaving only a handful of residents. In the 1960's an irrigation system coming from the Deschutes river made farming prosperous. Today although agriculture and tourism are factors, Metolius is mostly a bedroom community for Madras.