Harney County, OR

Steens Mountain is in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a large fault-block mountain, It stretches some 50 miles north to south, and rises from alongside the Alvord Desert at elevation of about 4,200 feet to a summit elevation of 9,733 feet.

The mountain was once known as a sacred place by Native Americans who lived on its slopes. Later, the area became known as Steen’s Mountain, named after the Army Cavalry Major, who defeated and removed the Native American population from the mountain during the Snake Indian Wars. Today, in recognition that no man can own such a place, the name dropped the ownership apostrophe and became Steens Mountain.