It lies north of U.S. Route 20 between Burns and Buchanan near the site of historic Fort Harney.

[2] The community, county, and nearby geographic features such as Harney Lake are named for William S. Harney, a military officer popular in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-19th century.

The fort and the land around it were abandoned as military property in 1889.

Meanwhile, the civilian community had developed about 2 miles (3 km) south of the fort, along Rattlesnake Creek.

This Harney County, Oregon state location article is a stub.