Shown here framed against the Connley Hills to the south, the town of Fort Rock is the only remaining community of the dozen or more that sprang up during the homesteading years. Founded in 1908 with a post office, it gradually grew to became the largest trading center in the area. The town still has a post office in a tiny general store, and is home to the Fort Rock Homestead Village Museum. Of the other homestead era towns, very little physical evidence can be found to prove their existence. They quickly emptied as the homesteaders began leaving in 1917 and 1918—by 1921, only three of the original 13 post offices were still operating. Over the years, community buildings were gradually dismantled for their wood or moved and repurposed. Buildings that remained into the 1940s were finished off by the Army units who bivuaced there during WWII maneuvers.