In 1909, the "Oregon Valley Land Company" conducted a week-long auction to dispose of land grants acquired from the construction of the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road in 1865 and 1869. The auction was advertised nationwide. The rural parcels also included a separate town lot in Lakeview. Thousands of people came to Lakeview for the auction, but others purchased plots sight-unseen. During the auction, a total of were sold in approximately 14,000 parcels. Few buyers moved onto the land they purchased. Lake County used part of the taxes they collected from the sale to finance a new county courthouse. The new brick courthouse was built in the center of town, replacing the wooden building serving as the county court since 1876.