Double-O Ranch Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Double-O Ranch Historic District
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Blacksmith's cabin at Double O Ranch site
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 Location in Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Location | Malheur National Wildlife Refuge |
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| Nearest city | Burns, Oregon |
| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1880 |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001502 |
| Added to NRHP | October 25, 1982 |
The Double-O Ranch Historic District is a special place in southeastern Oregon. It is located near Harney Lake in Harney County. This ranch once covered a huge area, more than 17,000 acres (about 69 square kilometers). A famous cattle rancher named Bill Hanley owned it. He was also known as a "Bull Moose" progressive, which means he was part of a political movement that wanted to make society better.
In 1941, the United States Government bought most of the Double-O Ranch property. They added it to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is a protected area for animals. Today, two old buildings from the Double-O Ranch are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important to history.
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The Ranch's Early Days
The Double-O Ranch is in the Harney Basin of southeastern Oregon. Long ago, about 9,800 years ago, this area had a very large lake. It covered about 255,000 acres (1,030 square kilometers). This lake and its wetlands were full of birds, animals, and plants. These provided lots of food for the first people living there.
About 3,500 years ago, small villages started to grow around the lake. But about 1,400 years ago, long dry periods began. This caused the lake and its wetlands to shrink.
Even though we don't have written records, Native Americans used these wetland areas for thousands of years. They were there long before European settlers arrived. By the early 1800s, the Northern Paiute people lived in the Harney Basin.
Fur trappers from the Hudson's Bay Company were the first Europeans to visit this area. Peter Skene Ogden explored here in 1826. Other fur trapping groups came in the 1830s. Later, in the late 1850s, military groups explored the area.
The Double-O Ranch was started in 1875 by Amos W. Riley and James A. Hardin. It was one of the first permanent settlements in Harney County. In June 1878, during the Bannock War, the original ranch buildings were burned. This was done by a war party of Bannock and Paiute people. A big battle of that war happened near Silver Creek in October 1878. This was on the northern edge of the Double-O Ranch.
After the war, Riley and Hardin rebuilt the ranch. They ran it until 1903. Then, they sold it to William "Bill" Hanley. Hanley already owned land nearby. He made the Double-O property much better. He also greatly increased the number of cattle. The ranch became a rustic place for his many guests to relax.
Who Was Bill Hanley?
William "Bill" Hanley moved to eastern Oregon in 1879. He first bought land near Burns, Oregon. In 1903, he bought the Double-O Ranch for $6 an acre. Over time, Hanley made it one of the biggest cattle ranches in the county. It was also a special place for his guests to enjoy the quiet and wide-open spaces of southeastern Oregon.
The Double-O was one of five ranches Hanley owned. His ranches covered over 25,000 acres (about 100 square kilometers) of private land. His Bell-A Ranch was near Burns. It was smaller, about 6,700 acres (27 square kilometers). But it was known as one of the best ranch estates in the western United States. His Double-O Ranch was over 17,000 acres (69 square kilometers). At the Double-O, it was 8 miles (13 kilometers) from the ranch gate to the main house. Hanley also used thousands of acres of public land for his cattle. In 1913, The New York Times newspaper said Hanley's cattle operation covered 200,000 acres (810 square kilometers). He even started a company to promote his land and help Harney County grow.
Hanley knew other powerful cattle ranchers in eastern Oregon. These included Peter French, who owned the huge P Ranch. There was also John Devine, who started the White Horse Ranch. And Henry Miller, whose company controlled over 1 million acres (4,000 square kilometers) in California, Oregon, and Nevada.
Hanley was a forward-thinking person. He became famous for his ranch hospitality. He would host guests at his Bell-A Ranch. Or he would take them to the rustic Double-O Ranch to enjoy the outdoors. His friends included important politicians like Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and William Jennings Bryan. He also hosted rich business leaders like James J. Hill, who owned a big railroad. Hanley also welcomed famous writers, poets, painters, sculptors, and humorists. In 1914, he ran for the United States Senate. He ran as a progressive "Bull Moose Party" candidate but did not win.
Part of a Wildlife Refuge
The Malheur Migratory Bird Refuge was created in 1908. Over the years, this refuge grew. It came to include 81,786 acres (331 square kilometers) around Malheur Lake. In the 1930s, the P Ranch and Sod House Ranch were added to the refuge. This added another 64,717 acres (262 square kilometers). In 1940, the refuge's name officially changed to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
In 1941, the United States Government bought 14,751 acres (60 square kilometers) of Double-O Ranch land. They paid $118,000 to the Hanley family. This land was added to the wildlife refuge. It helped protect shorebird homes and important nesting areas for waterfowl. The Double-O Ranch included the lower Silver Creek area and several lakes. These provided water to irrigate the property.
The ranch's riverbanks, lake shore wetlands, and grassy meadows were perfect homes for migratory birds. These birds travel along the Pacific Flyway. Some natural warm springs made the lakes a winter home for birds that don't migrate. Many birds nested at the Double-O Ranch. These included wild swans, Canada geese, great white egrets, herons, pelicans, and many kinds of ducks.
The Double-O Ranch was important in the history of cattle ranching in the western United States. Because of this, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The historic district covers 10 acres (4 hectares). Only two of the original ranch buildings are still there. Both are located at Double O Station. This is a year-round field station run by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Remaining Buildings
After the original Double-O Ranch buildings burned in 1878, Riley and Hardin rebuilt the ranch. Many buildings were constructed between 1879 and 1903. However, only two of those buildings remain today. No buildings from the time Bill Hanley owned the ranch are left. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service added three newer buildings in the 1950s. These help with running the refuge.
The two historic buildings still standing are a log cabin and a blacksmith's shop. Both were built in the 1880s. In 1982, when the historic district was created, the cabin was in good shape. But the blacksmith's shop was partly falling down.
The log cabin was where the blacksmith lived. It is a 1 1/2-story building made of hand-cut logs. The logs are squared and fit together tightly. The cabin is 16 feet (4.9 meters) by 24 feet (7.3 meters). It has a wooden floor and a cedar shingle roof. There is a porch on the south side that covers the main door. On the north side, there is another door and two windows. The cabin was repaired in 1979. This project replaced the doors, windows, and roof. The porch and fireplace were also fixed. A hidden concrete foundation was placed under the building.
The blacksmith's shop is a single-story log building. It does not have a foundation. The building is about 15 feet (4.6 meters) by 19 feet (5.8 meters). The only door is on the north side. It has two windows, one on the east end and one on the west end. A board floor was added in 1903.
There are three other modern buildings in the historic district. One is a home for a refuge employee who lives there all year. This home was moved to its current spot in 1954. A large garage was built in 1955. A pump house was added sometime in the 1950s. These newer buildings are not considered historic.
Where to Find the Double-O Ranch
The Double-O Ranch Historic District is inside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. This is in southeastern Oregon. The site is now called Double O Station. It is about 5 miles (8 kilometers) east of Harney Lake. The Double O Station is 4,134 feet (1,260 meters) above sea level.
The Double-O Ranch is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Burns, Oregon, if you travel in a straight line. To get there from Burns, you go east on Oregon Route 78 for 2 miles (3.2 kilometers). Then, turn south on Oregon Route 205. Follow Route 205 for 20 miles (32 kilometers). After that, turn west onto Double-O Road. The Double-O Ranch Historic District is at Double-O Station. It is about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from the turn off Route 205.
