The Old Schoolhouse of Friend, Oregon

08 November 2022

The town of Friend once marked the end of a railroad that connected The Dalles to the rest of Oregon and Southern Washington.

Built in the early 1900s, the decline of the railroad in the 1930s ultimately lead to Friend becoming a ghost town.

Very little still remains of what Friend once was. Compared to a small cemetery and a few brick foundations, the old schoolhouse is surprisingly well preserved. Even the “ladies and gents” seperate outhouses are still standing.

Despite having become a ghost town, Friend lacks the isolation of a place like Millican. The area around the town is now used as farm land.

Unfortunately, any evidence of the railroad itself is long-gone or hidden by overgrowth today.