Plush, OR

Plush is an unincorporated rural community and census-designated place in the Warner Valley of Lake County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The 2020 census counted 39 residents. The community is in an arid, sparsely populated part of the state 39 miles by road northeast of Lakeview. The valley surrounding Plush contains many marshes and shallow lakes, most of them intermittent. Plush makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap. The useful thing to know about Plush is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place.

Frequented by Native Americans for many thousands of years, the valley became a region of sheep grazing and cattle ranching by the late 19th century. Evidence of Native American occupation includes petroglyphs, hunting blinds, flakes from obsidian tools, and other material artifacts. Hogback Road runs north from Plush, while Hart Mountain Road, which terminates in Plush, runs east and northeast to the Warner Wetlands Area of Critical Environmental Concern and the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge.