BAKER, the largest city of eastern Oregon, U.S.A., about E. by S. of Portland, on the Old Oregon trail and the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad; it is the county-seat of Baker county. The Sumpter Valley railway connects at Prairie (8om. S.W.) with stage lines for various points. The population was in 1920, largely native white, and about 7,858 in 1930.
Baker lies in the beautiful valley of the Powder river, between the Cornucopia and the Elkhorn mountains, about 3,44oft. above sea-level. It is the centre of important mining, lumber, farming, dairying and live-stock interests and has a large wholesale trade. Its industries include creameries, sawmills, planing-mills and a cement plant.
The town was laid out in 1865, became the county-seat in 1868, and was chartered as a city in 1874. The county and the city were named after Edward Dickinson Baker (b. 181I in Lon don), who served in the Mexican War as colonel, was prominent in local politics and met his death at Ball's Bluff, Va., Oct. 21, 1861, while serving as colonel in the Federal army.