Charles Conkling, E. R. Jackman, and John Scharff’s Steens Mountain in Oregon's High Desert Country provides a sweeping visual and historical portrait of the massive fault-block mountain that dominates the remote southeastern corner of the state. The narrative deeply maps the stark, dramatic topography of this isolated inland geography, contrasting the sheer, glacier-carved drops of Kiger Gorge with the expansive, arid alkali flats of the Alvord Desert lying directly in its eastern rain shadow. By chronicling the region's sprawling cattle ranches, rugged Basque sheepherders, and resilient wildlife, the authors illustrate how early inhabitants and ecosystems adapted to the severe climate of Harney County. Ultimately, the book captures the unyielding beauty of the Great Basin environment, showcasing a drastically different geographic facet of the Pacific Northwest far removed from its famously wet coastal timberlands.

Harney County (Or.) Pictorial works, Illustrated works, Oregon Harney County, Oregon Steens Mountain, Steens Mountain (Or.)

Harney County / E.R. Jackman Harney historical highlights / E.R. Jackman The Indians / E.R. Jackman The marshlands / E.R. Jackman "Where the blackbird swings and the mallard feeds" / E.R. Jackman Thousands of acres of birds / John Scharff Birds of the refuge / John Scharff Horseback geology / E.R. Jackman Erosion and change are normal / E.R. Jackman The Steens Mountain gorges / E.R. Jackman The source of laughter / John Scharff Ordeal by climate / E.R. Jackman The plants / E.R. Jackman Sheep on the mountain / John Scharff Men around the mountain / John Scharff and E.R. Jackson. Peter French, builder ; Bill Brown, horseman and eccentric ; Henry Miller, self-made millionaire, stodgy and thorough ; Joe Fine, a picture of a westerner ; Bill Hanley, famous philosopher ; The Smyth family ; John Devine, a rancher in the Spanish mold Catlow Valley / John Scharff Mountain mammals / John Scharff. The beaver ; Mule deer The worth of solitude / E.R. Jackman