Sheridan, Oregon, began campaigning to be the site of the first federal prison in Oregon in 1981. Then Senator Mark Hatfield and Congressman Les AuCoin worked to help get Sheridan selected as the site for the prison. Federal prison officials began looking at sites around Sheridan to build a proposed $50 million minimum and medium security prison in 1985. Plans called for the prison to be built on farmland south of the city. Some local residents opposed building the facility near Sheridan and created a group to fight the government. In August 1986, the location south of Sheridan was approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. These early plans called for a 250-person minimum security unit, a 550-person minimum security unit, with a total cost of $48 million. The Delphian School's campus was also a candidate for the location of the prison.