Sparta, Oregon was a thriving community in the late 1800s. It was named for Sparta, Illinois by Robert Packwood, an Oregon pioneer, in 1871. It had a general store, a hotel, a meat market, and a brewery. There were about 300 residents and over a thousand Chinese laborers working on the ditch system that irrigates Eagle Valley. It's called a ghost town, but I think even the ghosts left decades ago. The only things still there are the general store, which is a private residence now, and a ramshackle old stone home. You won't see anything that would indicate that there was a town on Sparta Road. It is worth the drive because it takes you over a nice ridge with 360 degree views of several mountain ranges.
Eagle Caps from Sparta Road
The old general store
Blue Mountains from Sparta Road
Sheep Mountain from Sparta Road
A wider look at the Blue Mountains
Sparta Butte
Blue Mountains
Eagle Caps from Sparta Road
The old stone house
Another view of Sparta Butte
The old stone home
The leading edge of a snowstorm on Sparta Road
Another look at Sheep Mountain
More Sparta Butte
Sparta Butte from a different angle
The subtle sunset colors were too pretty to convert