Peaceful Valley Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Peaceful Valley Ranch
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Peaceful Valley Ranch in 2018
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 Location in North Dakota
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Medora, North Dakota |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1885 |
| Built by | Lamb, Benjamin F.; Burgess, George |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000731 |
| Added to NRHP | July 13, 1994 |
The Peaceful Valley Ranch is a historic ranch located about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Medora, North Dakota. It sits within the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. This ranch started in 1885 when Benjamin Lamb bought the land and built the first buildings.
At first, it was a working ranch, mainly raising horses. Later, the Olsen family turned it into a dude ranch, a place where guests could stay and experience ranch life. Eventually, the National Park Service bought the ranch. It became part of the Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area, which later grew into the national park we know today. The ranch is now a central part of the park's South Unit. It offers great views of the Little Missouri River in the unique badlands area.
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History of Peaceful Valley Ranch
The first person from Europe to live permanently in the Peaceful Valley area was Eldridge G. (Gerry) Paddock. He was a guide for the Northern Pacific Railway and for George Armstrong Custer. Paddock built a small cabin near the ranch site in 1883.
Early Ranch Owners
In 1885, Paddock's son, Billy, sold the land rights to Benjamin S. Lamb. Lamb was a 22-year-old rancher. He was involved in the local cattle ranching community.
In 1890, Lamb sold the buildings to Joe Caughtin and Tom McDonahue. They then sold the ranch to George and Nettie Burgess between 1896 and 1898. The Burgesses officially claimed the land around the ranch in 1906.
The Olsen Family and the Dude Ranch Era
The Burgesses sold the ranch to Harry W. Olsen and his brother Carl in 1915. Carl Olsen eventually took over the ranch. He raised horses, cattle, turkeys, and chickens, and grew crops to feed them.
By 1918, Carl began to run the ranch as a "dude ranch." This meant he welcomed guests who wanted to experience life on a ranch. The nearby petrified forest was a popular attraction for visitors. In 1922, the ranch officially became known as Peaceful Valley Ranch.
Becoming a National Park Site
Carl Olsen strongly supported the idea of creating a national park in the Little Missouri badlands. In 1928, the ranch hosted Stephen Mather, who was the director of the National Park Service. Mather visited to see if the area was suitable for a national park.
In 1936, the Olsen family sold the ranch to the National Park Service. This purchase helped create the main part of what would become the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
A group called the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had already set up a camp nearby in 1934. They built roads in the area to help with job creation during tough economic times. The ranch then became the main office for the new park area. It kept this role even after 1947, when the area was officially named Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park.
When a new visitor center was built in 1959, the ranch lost most of its office duties. It was used as a home for park staff until 1965. In 1967, the ranch started being used by a company that offered horseback riding tours. In 1978, the park was renamed Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The horseback riding tours continued until 2014.
There was a plan in the early 1960s to tear down the ranch buildings and replace them with a new, more "authentic" ranch display. However, this plan was never carried out, and the original buildings remained.
About Peaceful Valley Ranch Today
The ranch has nine main buildings. The most important is the main ranch house. It is a 1-1/2 story building made of wood, built by Benjamin Lamb. The house has enclosed porches on the front and north sides. It also has a log addition at the back. The roof has distinct dormer windows.
North of the main house is a one-story log lodge. This building was made for the guests who stayed at the dude ranch. To the east, there is a log barn built in 1905, which is another important old building. The other buildings were built by the Park Service to help visitors. The ranch also has a large area with corrals for horses.
The area around the ranch has signs of even older history. There are ruins of a dugout structure. This may have been used by trappers before the ranch was built.
The main house at Peaceful Valley Ranch is one of only two original structures left in the park from the early settlement of western North Dakota. The other is the Maltese Cross Cabin. What makes the Peaceful Valley Ranch house special is that it is still on its original site. It's also unusual because it's made of wood frames. Most buildings in the area at that time were built with logs.
Peaceful Valley Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 13, 1994. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
