Located in eastern Oregon three miles north of Highway 20, in the extreme northeast corner of Harney County, approximately 85 miles west of Ontario and 45 miles east of Burns. Population: 22
Located on the Middle Fork of the Malheur River, Drewsey serves as the postal, shopping and social center for an area of over 500 square miles. The primary occupation is ranching or timber-related industry. Campsites and good fishing can be found on nearby Beulah and Warm Springs Reservoirs as well as on the Malheur. The area boasts excellent deer and antelope hunting and elk herds can be found in the Van area, approximately 22 miles to the northwest. There are also plentiful deposits of petrified wood and bone, fossil leaf prints, obsidian and cinnabar. The climate is moderate and seldom below zero in the winter; summer temperatures are in the low 90s.
Drewsey was founded in 1883 with the establishment of the post office, followed by the saloon, livery stables, hotel and a blacksmith shop in 1884. Originally a Pacific Livestock Company town where wranglers lived and caroused when out of work, the settlement was known for many years as "Gouge-Eye" due to the regular occurrence of street fighting. Drewsey is now a very quiet community offering the welcome chance to relax and unwind while sightseeing in the historic high desert country of eastern Oregon.
