Maupin History

Perry Maupin arrived at the present townsite of Maupin in 1872. He realized the possibilities of the location and constructed a ferry, which he operated from the west side of the Deschutes to the mouth of Bakeoven Creek. He continued to operate the ferry for five years, during which time he built the first house in Maupin.

The next settlers were ‘Deacon’ and Eli Hinman, and uncle and nephew. Eli filed on a homestead at the present site of Maupin and after he received his patent he sold to E.D. Dufur in December 1890. Mr Dufur sold to Mrs Isabella Slusher, later the wife of W.H. Staats. She sold to J.O. Elrod who platted the town but later turned the property back to Mrs Staats, who filed the plat in Wasco Co records in May 1910, signed by W.H. & Isabella Staats.

In 1889 Jim Brown, a stockman, established a ferry service, hiring J.H. Chastain Sr a millwright and carpenter to do the construction work, but the high water of 1903 washed the dock and ferry away. J.H. Chastain had also built a ferry that summer for R. B. Darnall, near the Oregon Truck depot at Cambrai. After the death of my Darnall in 1905, W.H. Hunt purchased the Darnall holdings and thereafter Maupin was known as ‘Hunt’s Ferry’. Mr. Hunt’s ferry washed away in 1911, but he built a new one which served the people until the building of the (first) bridge in 1912.

W.H. Staats started the first store in Maupin. Mr Staats was also the first postmaster of Maupin and named the town at the suggestion of Mrs Olivia Confer. At the time the railroads were building up the Deschutes and the Oregon Trunk Railroad is credited with laying its rails into Maupin a few days ahead of the Union Pacific Railroad. At this time Maupin grew rapidly; Staats built a 30’ x 60’ store and a 20’ x 60’ warehouse which he then sold to R.E. Wilson who conduced business up to the the big 1921 fire.