Antelope is a ghost town in Oregon with quite an interesting history. The town was established in 1901, though was founded some years earlier in 1872. During the 1980s, Antelope was taken over by the Rajneesh Movement. Read on to learn about its fascinating history and people. Also, find out what’s happening in Antelope today.

The town of Antelope is located in Wasco County, Oregon, about 130 miles east of Portland. The town sits at an elevation of 2,685 feet. The landscape surrounding the town is very scenic, featuring wide open fields filled with abundant wildlife. The town has a long, rich history beginning in 1872, when Antelope was officially founded by Nathan Wallace. The City of Antelope originally operated as a stage and freight wagon road stop on the Old Dalles to Canyon City Trail. Although the town is said to have been founded in 1872, the history can be traced back to the early 1860s, when Howard Maupin arrived in 1863 to operate a horse ranch. He had then also become the caretaker of the stage station that was established by Henry Wheeler in 1864. It wasn’t long after that Maupin began raising cattle to provide meat for travelers.

In 1871, the first post office in Antelope was established. It was operated by Nathan Wallace, who had purchased the building, which used to be the Antelope stage station, from its original owner Howard Maupin. Though the post office was in operation in 1871, records indicate that the community was officially established in 1872.

By 1900, the town would see its peak population as it had become a notable stop along the Columbia Southern Railway route, which stretched 70 miles from Biggs, on the Columbia River, to Shaniko, which sits only a few miles north of Antelope. An old railroad timetable from September 9, 1900 shows a daily stagecoach run going from the train terminal in Shaniko to Antelope, including numerous other stops as well. 

In 1901, Antelope, Oregon was officially incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.

During the early 1980s, members of the Rajneesh movement moved into the area and purchased a 64,000-acre ranch then known as Rajneeshpuram. The Rajneesh outnumbered the original residents of Antelope and were able to take over the government of the city by outnumbering them with new voter registrations. On September 18, 1984 they voted to change the city’s name to “Rajneesh, Oregon.” Of course the vote passed.

During the time the Rajneesh inhabited the area, numerous acts of criminal and cult behavior were recorded, including a mass food poisoning attack known as the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack, along with an aborted plot to assassinate a U.S. Attorney.

Also in 1984, the Rajneesh took to the streets to recruit people from numerous U.S. cities, promising them free transportation, free food, and sex. Nearly 4,000 transients responded, but by 1985 only 200 had remained in Rajneeshpuram.

During the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack, 751 people were poisoned in the Dalles, Oregon, US when the Rajneesh deliberately contaminated numerous salad bars across ten local restaurants with salmonella. The group carrying out the poisoning was led by Ma Anand Sheela in an attempt to incapacitate the voting population of the city. They did this in hopes that it would make sure their own candidates would win the 1984 Wasco County elections. The incident was not only the first, but is one of the single largest bioterrorist attacks in United States history.

When the Rajneesh took over the town of Antelope, they killed thousands of sheep and destroyed numerous sheds. The Rajneesh had started to build a Utopian society, full of Rolls-Royces, a 145-room hotel, a boutique, casino, and an elegant restaurant. With all of this luxury though, came the demand of a 12-hour-a-day seven-day work week and total obedience to the Rajneesh.   

The Rajneesh Movement occupied Antelope, Oregon for several years. Ma Anand Sheela, the cult leader and spokeswoman of the movement, has been interviewed by numerous reporters, where she has spoken clearly of what happened, though denied almost all of the charges against her. Sheela is candid about her involvement with the Rajneesh Movement, but doesn’t hide the horrific crimes committed by the cult.

On November 6, 1985 the 34 remaining residents, which included mostly Rajneesh, had voted 34 to 0 to restore the town’s original name. In 1986 however, the original name of Antelope was restored. Prior, the U.S. Postal Service had never even recognized the town as Rajneesh.

If you find yourself in Oregon, and are a fan of quiet and eerie ghost towns, Antelope Oregon might be the place for you. While it’s not an entirely empty ghost town, there are only 46 remaining residents. The town is still beautiful, and photographers like to visit year after year.

After the Rajneesh left, the property reverted to ownership by the State of Oregon due to delinquent taxes. It was later sold to billionaire Dennis Washington in 1991 for $3.65 million. The ranch located 18 miles outside of Antelope is now operated by Young Life, and has been converted for use as a Christianb youth camp called “Washington Family Ranch.”

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