Whitney was named for a pioneer in the county, C.H. Whitney. The community of Whitney had a post office from 1901 to 1943.[2]
Founded as a logging town and platted in 1900,[3] Whitney was the primary station on the narrow gaugeSumpter Valley Railway.[3][4] The Oregon Lumber Company built the first sawmill. It burned down in 1918, causing the town to severely decline. It was rebuilt in 1939 by the Oregon Lumber Company to harvest some nearby newly purchased timber stands.[5] The Nibley Lumber Company built a second sawmill in 1910–11 on the south side of town.[6] It was a picturesque ruin well into the 21st century, but as of 2008 was completely gone. Logging declined in the area in the 1940s, which caused the town and the railroad to fade.[3]