Millican, Oregon

The store at Millican

Millican is an unincorporated community in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States on U.S. Route 20. It is approximately 25 miles (40 km) east of Bend and is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area.[1] Its elevation is 4,304 feet (1,312 m) above sea level.[2] As of August 2011, the population is four.

History

In the late 1880s, George Millican established a ranch in the area.[1] Millican's wife suggested that the town be named after him, and Millican post office was established in 1913.[1] George Millican sold his ranch in 1916.[1] In the early 20th century Millican's population was 60.[3]

In 1930, U.S. 20 was built north of the community, so Millican was moved to be next to the highway.[1] By this time, the town's population was one—the postmaster, Billy Rahn, who lived there from about 1922 to 1945.[1][3] When Rahn retired in 1942, the post office was closed.[1]

In 1946, Bill Mellin bought Millican and ran the gas station, store and post office.[1] The post office closed for good in 1953, but the store and gas station remained open for 30 more years.[1] In 1985, Mellin put the community up for sale.[1] In 1988, Mellin was murdered by a parolee from the Oregon State Penitentiary who worked for him in the store, making the town's population zero.[1][3] Mellin's wife and two of his children died before him, his daughter in a motorcycle accident and his son in a plane crash, and his wife, Helen, of a heart attack. He was survived by his stepdaughter, (Michela Maxwell), who died in a house fire in California in 2009, and four grandsons and three granddaughters. Mellin's granddaughter (Valerie Cornford)inherited the store which sat abandoned for many years. (The store was not abandoned, and was sold right after Mr Mellin's death.) ( Valerie Cornford was Mr Mellin's only granddaughter as Michela was a stepchild from Mrs. Helen Mellin's prior marriage to a naval officer. Michela is not a blood relative of Mr Mellin. Upon Helen's Death Michela received an inheritance. It was Mr Mellin's wishes that a restraining order be Enforced upon his death to protect the legal rights of his only descendant Valerie Cornford.)The will was contested by Michela, because Valerie had rewritten the will shortly before Mellin's murder naming herself as sole heir, but the will was upheld by the State of Oregon even though Mellin was suffering from severe Alzheimers at the time of his death. (Mr Mellin's was not afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. He ran Millican without assistance and was never diagnosed with said disorder.)Valerie obtained a restraining order keeping the family from coming to Millican after Bill's funeral and sold off everything of value, including many priceless antiques from the estate, after which she abandoned the property, which reverted to the State for auction. (Millican was not sold at auction by the state. Valerie protected all valuables and most of the antiques were given to Mr Mellin's brothers family.)

Later Eric Cooper bought Mellin's estate.[1] In 1999, Bruce and Tracy Resnick bought Millican with plans to donate the land to the Animal Rescue League, but they put the town up for sale in 2000.[1] The Murray family moved to Millican in 2002, bringing the town's population up to seven.[3] The Murrays rented the townsite and ran the store.[3] The Millican Store closed in 2005 when the Murrays moved on to run the cafe and gas station in Hampton, Oregon, further east.[1] In February 2009, the 75 acres (300,000 m2) on which Millican is located was for sale by the Resnicks, and had been since August 2008.[1] The townsite and store were purchased in the spring of 2010 and a caretaker now lives on site.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Borrud, Hillary (February 10, 2009). "Millican, what's left of it, is up for sale — again". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  2. ↑ "Millican". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Kershaw, Sarah (May 24, 2004). "Onetime One-Man Town Has Its Own Kind of Boom". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-02.

Coordinates: 43°52′44″N 120°55′12″W / 43.8790121°N 120.9200119°W / 43.8790121; -120.9200119

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