The Harney Basin was the largest of many depressions in which lakes formed in southeastern Oregon during the late Pleistocene.

Remnants of an ancient lake that reached as far north as Burns are at the center of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, south of the city.

Since the arrival of Euro-Americans in the 19th century, cattle ranching and other forms of agriculture have dominated land use in the area.

In 1930, logging in the mountains north of Burns led to the creation of Hines, a lumber company town, and the timber industry remained important to the local economy until the 1990s.

Annual events include a migratory bird festival, the county fair, and a country music jamboree.

[6] Scattered in the 19th century by clashes with white settlers and soldiers and through forced removal to distant reservations, some of the Paiutes eventually returned to Harney County.

Early settler, merchant, and county commissioner George McGowan named the city after the Scottish poet Robert Burns.

In 1928, the Edward Hines Lumber Company acquired from the U.S. Forest Service the rights to cut timber in the Blue Mountains near Seneca, north of Burns.

[11] After winning the timber contract, the Hines Company built the 52-mile (84 km) Oregon and Northwestern Railroad between Burns and Seneca.

[10] Cattle ranching in the region began as early as the 1860s and expanded after passage of the Desert Land Act of 1877.

The basin is part of the High Lava Plains, a region dominated by erupting volcanoes in the late Miocene, five to ten million years ago.

[23] The average first and last occurrences of freezing temperatures are September 2 and June 21, respectively, allowing a growing season of 72 days.

Pelicans, ducks, and raptors are among the birds frequenting the Harney Basin wetlands, a stopping place on the Pacific Flyway.

Named for a former manager of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the festival includes tours of the wetlands and nearby ranches as well as classes in topics such as birdhouse building, Harney County archeology, and bird sketching.

[31] In June, the High Desert Fiddlers host the Country Music Jamboree at the Harney County Fairgrounds on the edge of Burns.

At other times of the year, the High Desert Fiddlers gather on Fridays at various locations around the city to hold public jam sessions including folk, country, bluegrass, and other music played on instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and hammered dulcimer.

[32] The Harney County Historical Museum in Burns offers displays of relics, documents, and photographs from the region's past.

Established in 1960 at the site of a former brewery, laundry, and wrecking yard, the museum is open five days a week (Tuesday through Saturday) from April through September and at other times by appointment.

[1] The city's public works department, consisting of a director and four full-time workers, maintains the water lines, sewers, and streets of Burns.

The tribe has its own police, court, and health and other services, including a tribal community center.

[46] Formed in 1903 by the Ladies Afternoon Club, the Harney County Library has grown from an initial collection of 12 books to more than 30,000 items in 2013.

Library offerings include public computers, wireless Internet, video conferencing equipment, meeting spaces, and public programs, as well as books, magazines, newspapers, audio books, videos, DVDs, and access to Interlibrary Loan.

[48] In 2006, five members of the Times-Herald staff formed Survival Media LLC, which bought the newspaper from its former out-of-state owners.

[34] Haney County Senior & Community Services Center operates the Dial-A-Ride, which provides a local bus route between Burns and Hines.

[57] Emergency medical services include AirLink Critical Care Transport and Life Flight Network via helicopter or airplane to the nearest appropriate treatment center.