Oregon Historic Sites Database

Search Menu

Site Information small logo

Oregon Historic Sites Database

Scanned Document Links

Inventory Form
NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address:2499 Highway 201 historic name:Owyhee Grocery
Nyssa, Malheur County (97913) current/other names:The Rock Store
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:building height (stories):1.0 total elig resources:1 total inelig resources:3
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1933 second date:2020 date indiv listed:05/16/2025
primary orig use: COMMERCIAL: General orig use comments:Service Station and Grocery Store with Living Quarters
second orig use:
primary style: Late 19th/20th Amer. Mvmts: Other prim style comments:Roadside Commercial
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Stone:Other/Undefined siding comments:River rock amd petrified wood
secondary siding: Round Log
plan type: Service Station architect:
builder:
comments/notes:
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Not associated with any surveys or groupings.
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 05/16/2025
ILS survey date:
RLS survey date:
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
Owyhee Grocery, now known as The Rock Store, was constructed for James P. Langton in 1933 at the intersection of OR-201 and Owyhee Avenue, serving as a vital connection between Nyssa to the north, Adrian to the south, and the Owyhee Dam to the southwest. Initially established as a service station, the store has evolved into a self-service fuel station, convenience shop, and restaurant. The building displays multiple characteristics of early twentieth-century commercial roadside architecture, including an eye-catching primary façade to attract passing motorists, a deep setback from the roadway, and ample surface parking for automobiles. Built on a concrete slab foundation, the single-story building has an irregular footprint covering approximately 3,600 square feet. The structural system consists of 2” x 4” studs supporting the walls. The gable roof is clad in composite shingles on the northwest side and metal on the southeast. The building’s primary (northeast) façade, which features a parapeted gable, is clad in a visually striking combination of irregularly coursed petrified wood and volcanic rock in varying sizes, shapes, and colors. The volcanic rock, which includes basalts, ignimbrites, and rhyolites, has a rough texture and displays shades of earthy browns, grays, and reddish hues. The petrified wood fragments have a glassy yet rugged texture with jagged edges and contrasting blends of amber, dark brown, reddish-brown, gray, and cream tones. The primary façade’s fenestration consists of a central arched doorway flanked by one rectangular window opening and one doorway to each side. The interior includes a sales counter, store shelving, coolers, a kitchen, indoor seating, restrooms, and an office. Over time, two noncontributing resources—modern fuel pumps and a pylon sign displaying fuel prices—have been added to the property, and additions have been constructed off the northwest and southeast façades. These additions are comparatively small in scale, are set back from the primary façade, and do not detract from the building’s original character or compete visually with its primary façade. The original petrified wood and rock exterior remains intact, preserving the building’s authentic and enduring character.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
Owyhee Grocery is significant at the local level under Criterion A for its contributions to regional commerce between 1933 and 1937 and under Criterion C as an excellent example of 1930s commercial roadside architecture in Malheur County. Under Criterion A, the store played a crucial role in the economic development of the Owyhee area following the completion of the Owyhee Dam in 1932. As a central hub for dam workers, residents, and tourists, Owyhee Grocery provided essential goods and services in a region with limited commercial options. This economic role was particularly vital until 1937, when a shift in traffic patterns and the local economy, spurred by the construction of the Amalgamated Sugar Company's factory in nearby Nyssa and incentives for sugar beet farming, reduced the store's prominence as a local commercial hub. Under Criterion C, Owyhee Grocery is a significant example of 1930s roadside commercial architecture in Malheur County. The building’s orientation toward OR-201 and Owyhee Avenue maximizes vehicular access, and its deep setback provides ample pull-in parking. Furthermore, its use of visually distinctive materials such as petrified wood and volcanic rock, likely sourced locally, captures the character of the regional landscape as well as the attention of passing motorists. As the only known building in Malheur County (and possibly the state of Oregon) to employ petrified wood so prominently in its design, Owyhee Grocery is both a unique representation of regional identity and a significant example of 1930s commercial roadside architecture, justifying its listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Acock, Jeff. "Union Pacific Marsing Branch." TrainWeb. Accessed May 27, 2024. http://www.trainweb.org/highdesertrails/up/Marsingbranch.html. Braner, Sarah. “What Is Petrified Wood, and How Does Wood Turn to Stone?” Chemical & Engineering News, June 14, 2024. https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/What-petrified-wood-how-does-wood-turn-to-stone/102/i18. Brennan, Patrick. Background Brief on Roads and Highways. Legislative Committee Services, State of Oregon. June 2008. https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lpro/Publications/2008RoadsHighways.pdf. C. Blokker to The Western Loan and Investment Company. Malheur County, Oregon. Deed 100876. September 5, 1935. Clifford W. Farmer to Myrtle Langton. Malheur County, Oregon. Deed 111566. August 16, 1937. Decatur Chamber of Commerce. “The Petrified Wood Gas Station.” Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.decaturtx.com/life-in-decaturthe-petrified-wood-gas-station. Delbert J. Rice and Eileen V. Rice to John McAlister and Dema E. McAlister. Malheur County, Oregon. Deed Book 104, pg. 343. January 18, 1956. Don & Julie Sweet (previous owners) in discussion with Tyler Simpson, May 2024. Don C. Linville and Virginia M. Linville to Walter J. Ronfeld and Ileen L. Ronfeld. Malheur County, Oregon. Contract of Sale. May 2, 1972. Donald Sweet and Julie M. Sweet to Jimmy Simpson and Janice F. Simpson. Malheur County, Oregon. Warranty Deed 99-4457. May 17, 1999. Elliott, William S., Foster, J. Doug. “Petrified Wood of Southwestern Oregon: Implications for Cenozoic Climate Change.” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 402, (2014): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.03.004. Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. “Roadside Architecture.” Accessed October 25, 2024. http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.arc.041.xml#:~:text=Roadside%20architecture%20refers%20to%20businesses,U.S.%2030%2C%20and%20U.S.%2040. ExploreNorth. “U.S. Highway 287, Florida to Alaska.” Accessed October 16, 2024. https://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/us287.html. Federal Highway Administration. “What is the Longest Road in the United States?” Updated June 27, 2017. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/longest.cfm. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Beet Growers Get $5.50 First Payment.” November 19, 1936. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Building Boom Is On!” April 14, 1910. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “California Buys Succor Creek Rocks for Gardens; Varieties Are Many.” May 17, 1934. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Decoration Day.” May 26, 1938. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Farmers Busy Planting Crops.” April 1, 1937. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “James Langton Purchases Cafe.” February 25, 1932. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Langton Builds New Roadhouse.” August 10, 1933. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Langton Turkey Shoot Held Sunday Afternoon.” December 24, 1936. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Langton’s Building Home.” September 4, 1941. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Little News of Nyssa.” April 12, 1934. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Little News of Nyssa.” December 14, 1933. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Nature Paints Harvest on Owyhee; Settler-Pioneers at Work.” August 31, 1933. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “New Men, New Shovels Make Good Dirt Fly.” November 23, 1933. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Nyssa Leads.” May 11, 1911. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Nyssa-Buhl Extension.” June 15, 1911. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Owyhee Grocery Store Purchased.” April 14, 1949. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Owyhee Notes.” October 1, 1936. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Owyhee.” December 12, 1946. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Owyhee.” October 22, 1953. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Owyhee.” September 29, 1955. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Seed Corn Viewed.” August 5, 1937. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Spring Building Opens with Work on Cafe Addition.” March 10, 1932. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Street Improvements.” April 14, 1910. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Sugar Company Will Pay All the Freight.” October 15, 1936. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Sunset Valley.” July 8, 1943. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Turkey Shoot Will Be Held Sunday.” November 23, 1933. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). “Work To Start Within 10 Days.” September 30, 1937. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). March 20, 1913. Gate City Journal (Nyssa, Oregon). October 24, 1930. Jackle, John A. and Sculle, Keith A. Remembering Roadside America, Preserving the Recent Past as Landscape and Place. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press, 2011. John McAlister and Dema E. McAlister to Don C. Linville and Virginia M. Linville. Malheur County, Oregon. Deed 103776. August 29, 1960. Kason Industries, Inc. “About Us.” Accessed October 30, 2024, https://www.kasonind.com/index.php/about. Kason Walk-In Hardware. Kason, 2016. Liebs, Chester H. Main Street to Miracle Mile: American Roadside Architecture. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1985. Internet Archive. Living Places. “Nyssa City.” Accessed October 16, 2024. https://livingplaces.com/OR/Malheur_County/Nyssa_City.html. “Malheur County Authorization Notice #235746” (Malheur Environmental Health, Vale, Oregon, February 8, 2019). “Malheur County Building Permit # 541-19-000833-STR” (Malheur Building Department, Nyssa, Oregon, 2019). Morning Oregonian (Portland, Oregon). “New Oregon Incorporations.” September 26, 1904. Myrtle I. Langton to Delbert Rice. Malheur County, Oregon. Deed Book 86, pg. 63. June 28, 1949. National Park Service. Frequently Asked Questions. Last updated September 24, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/pefo/faqs.htm#:~:text=Petrified%20wood%20is%20valuable%20scientifically,reconstructions%20for%20the%20Triassic%20Period. Oregon Department of Transportation. “Extended History.” Accessed October 16, 2024. https://www.oregon.gov/odot/regions/pages/history.aspx. Oregon Discovery. “Petrified Wood: Formation, Identification, & Where to Find?” Accessed May 16, 2024. https://oregondiscovery.com/petrified-wood. The Rock Store. “Our Roots.” Accessed October 30, 2024. https://rockstoreco.com/pages/about-us. Rule Sales & Service. Invoice # 98364. Dated November 6, 1998. Safe Rack. “The Evolution of the Gas Pump.” June 28, 2020. https://www.saferack.com/evolution-gas-pump/. Siddall, Ruth. “First I was Afraid, I was Petrified…A Short History of Scary Silicified Log Cabins.” Orpiment Blog. April 13, 2017. https://orpiment.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/first-i-was-afraid-i-was-petrified-a-short-history-of-scary-silicified-log-cabins/. State Historic Preservation Office. Jordan Valley Historic District. November 21, 2022. State Historic Preservation Office. 317 A Street East. November 19, 2022. University of Oregon Bureau of Municipal Research and Service. Population of Oregon Cities, Counties, and Metropolitan Areas, 1850 to 1957: A Compilation of Census Counts and Estimates in Oregon. Information Bulletin No. 106. University of Oregon: Bureau of Municipal Research and Service, 1958. https://digital.osl.state.or.us/islandora/object/osl%3A22664/datastream/OBJ/view. Utah Rails. “Oregon Short Line Railway (OSLRy) (1881-1889).” Last modified July 7, 2016. https://utahrails.net/up/oslry-1881-1889.php. Walker, Mike. “Petrified Wood Building.” Atlas Obscura (blog). December 1, 2022. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/petrified-wood-building. Walter J. Ronfeld and Ileen L. Ronfeld to William P. Brown and Donna B. Brown. Malheur County, Oregon. Contract of Sale. August 16, 1976. Wells, Gail. “The Oregon Coast-Railroads and Highways.” Oregon History Project. 2014. https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/narratives/the-oregon-coastforists-and-green-verdent-launs/transforming-the-economy/railroads-and-highways/. The Western Loan and Investment Company to J. P. Langton. Malheur County, Oregon. Deed 108857. March 6, 1937. William P. Brown and Donna B. Brown to Donald Sweet and Julie M. Sweet. Malheur County, Oregon. Warranty Deed 99-3060. July 29, 1984. William P. Brown and Donna B. Brown to Willis V. Netz and Joanne Netz. Malheur County, Oregon. Contract of Sale. March 31, 1980. Willis V. Netz and Joanne Netz to William P. Brown and Donna B. Brown. Malheur County, Oregon. Foreclosure and Bill of Sale. June 29, 1984.