Valley Falls, Oregon
| Valley Falls, Oregon | |
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| Unincorporated area | |
Valley Falls store and gas station
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 Valley Falls, Oregon
Valley Falls, Oregon
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| Coordinates: 42°29′03″N 120°16′55″W / 42.48417°N 120.28194°WCoordinates: 42°29′03″N 120°16′55″W / 42.48417°N 120.28194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Lake |
| Elevation | 4,327 ft (1,319 m) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
Valley Falls is a small unincorporated community in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The settled area is located at the junction of U.S. Route 395 and Oregon Route 31. The community is named for a small falls on the Chewaucan River just north of the occupied site. East of Valley Falls, the cliff face of Abert Rim overlooks the community.
The area around Valley Falls was occupied by Native Americans for up to 11,000 years prior to the arrival of white settlers. Archaeological evidence shows that the peak period for use by native tribes was between 2,000 and 500 years ago. During that period, the people who lived in the Valley Falls area were probably ancestors of the Klamath and Modoc peoples. Most of these Native Americans lived in pit-houses along the shore of Abert Lake, just north of Valley Falls. There are also a number of ancient petroglyphs near Valley Falls. The Abert Lake Petroglyphs, at the foot of Abert Rim, are thought to be over 10,000 years old.
In 1832, John Work led his Hudson's Bay Company trapping brigade through the Valley Falls area. Work recorded the visit in his journal. In 1843, Captain John C. Fremont explored the area around Valley Falls. Fremont name Abert Rim and nearby Abert Lake after the head of the United States Army's topographical engineers, Colonel John J. Abert.
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