Riddle Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Riddle Brothers Ranch
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Riddle Brothers Ranch National Historic District
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 Location in Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Location | Harney County, Oregon |
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| Nearest city | Frenchglen, Oregon |
| Built | 1900–1950s |
| Architect | Benjamin, Frederick, and Walter Riddle |
| Architectural style | Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000614 |
| Added to NRHP | 1991 |
The Riddle Brothers Ranch is an old ranch in eastern Oregon. It's like a living museum! You can find it in Harney County, inside the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area. The ranch sits on both sides of the Little Blitzen River. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) takes care of it today.
Three brothers, Benjamin, Frederick, and Walter Riddle, built the original ranch buildings. Now, the ranch is an open-air museum. This means you can see old tools and items right where they were used. Visitors can explore the buildings, go hiking, or try fishing. But remember, you can't camp there. There are also many Native American archeological sites on the ranch land. These special sites are not open to the public. The Riddle Brothers Ranch is listed as a historic place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
A Look Back: History of the Ranch
Native American people lived around the Steens Mountain area for about 10,000 years. This was long before European explorers arrived in the early 1800s. The first explorers to write about the area were fur traders between 1826 and 1829. Peter Skene Ogden also explored the area a few years later. In 1845, Steven Meeks led a group of wagons through the area. He thought the snowy Steens Mountain was the Cascade Range.
In 1860, the United States Army sent Major Enoch Steen to protect settlers. He also checked if a road could be built to southeastern Oregon. His group named many places, including Steens Mountain. In 1864, Captain George B. Curry led soldiers through the area. They crossed a river during a big thunderstorm. Curry named the river Donder und Blitzen, which means "thunder and lightning" in German. Over time, it became known as the Donner und Blitzen River.
Settlers brought cattle to the area in 1872. Scott Catterson, a rancher, claimed the land and built the first cabin before 1900. The Riddle brothers later took over Catterson's claim. When the Riddle brothers arrived around 1900, there were many cattle and sheep grazing freely.
The three brothers, Walter, Frederick, and Benjamin, settled by the Little Blitzen River. They started raising cattle. The Riddles bought more land on both sides of the river. They ended up owning about 1,120 acres (4.5 square kilometers). They also gained control of all the water in the area. Without water, other ranchers couldn't use the nearby land.
The Riddle brothers lived on their ranch for 50 years. None of the brothers ever married. In 1952, Fred Riddle, the last brother, sold the ranch. He sold it to Rex Clemens, a lumberman from Philomath. Clemens continued to raise livestock there for over 30 years. In 1986, the Bureau of Land Management bought the ranch from Rex's wife, Ethel Clemens. Since then, the BLM has kept the ranch as a historic site. In 1991, the Riddle Brothers Ranch became a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2003, BLM archaeologists found the first of 48 ancient sites on the Riddle property. These sites are known together as the Mortar Riddle Site.
What the Ranch Looks Like
The Riddle Brothers Ranch National Historic District covers about 1,120 acres (4.5 square kilometers). A large part of this land, about 850 acres (3.4 square kilometers), is also part of the Donner und Blitzen Wild and Scenic River system.
The ranch is mostly meadow land. It gets water from a system of ditches. The plants in the meadow include both native and non-native types. Native plants are like redtop and tufted hairgrass. Non-native plants include Timothy-grass and Kentucky bluegrass. Along the Little Blitzen River, you'll find trees like black cottonwood, alder, and willow. On the higher slopes, you'll see sagebrush and Western juniper trees.
Buildings and Structures
There are eight old buildings and other historic structures at the ranch. They are grouped into three main areas. The main ranch area has a house, a bunkhouse (where workers slept), a barn, a root cellar (for storing food), a chicken coop, a storage shed, and a blacksmith shop. There are also corrals made from willow and juniper branches.
Another group of buildings includes a house, a root cellar, and a stone storage building. The third area has a log house surrounded by a split rail fence. The Riddle brothers built all these structures themselves. They used logs, wood siding, hand-cut shingles, and local stone. Sadly, Walter Riddle's ranch house was destroyed by a wildfire in 1996.
The Bureau of Land Management has worked to save the ranch. They want visitors to understand what life was like for pioneer ranch families. The BLM has fixed and restored the main buildings. They made sure the repairs kept the old look of the buildings.
There are also some newer buildings at the ranch. The BLM has an office building and some corrals next to the main ranch. There's also a small cabin for a caretaker and a public toilet.
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- Frederick Riddle's ranch house
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- Riddle Brothers' barn
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- Blacksmith shop
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- Old farm equipment
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- Willow branch corral
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Fun Things to Do at the Ranch
About 550 people visit the Riddle Brothers Ranch every year. Visitors love exploring the old ranch buildings. You can also go hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and take photos. Seeing the old buildings helps you imagine how pioneer ranchers lived. Just be careful not to touch or move any old items or buildings.
The Frederick Riddle house, Benjamin Riddle house, the bunkhouse, and the ranch barn are popular for photographers. They were all built by the Riddle brothers using local materials. Hikers can reach the Steens Mountain Wilderness from Cold Spring Road, north of the ranch. You can also hike across the land to the Little Blitzen Gorge, east of the ranch.
The Levi Brinkley Memorial Trail leads to where the Little Blitzen and Donner und Blitzen rivers meet. The Fred Riddle Trail, built in 2017, connects the Little Blitzen Trail and Cold Springs Road. The Little Blitzen River is a great place for catch-and-release fishing for Redband trout. This river, along with 850 acres (3.4 square kilometers) of the ranch, is part of the Donner und Blitzen Wild and Scenic River system. This means even more fun things to do along the river!
Discovering Ancient History: The Mortar Riddle Archeological Site
Long ago, the Riddle Brothers Ranch area was a perfect place for Native American people to live. It had a steady water supply, plenty of firewood, lots of game animals, and many edible plants. Because of these good conditions, people might have lived here for as long as 1,400 years!
In the summer of 2003, archaeologists from the Bureau of Land Management started looking for ancient sites at the ranch. In their first year, they found 42 arrowheads and spear points. They also found 89 stone tools, including many mortars. Mortars are often found at old sites, but finding so many in one spot is rare! Because of this, the site was named the Mortar Riddle Site.
In 2004, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee joined the BLM team. They dug in new areas. By the end of that year, they had found 65 mortars and over 200 arrow and spear points. The oldest points might be as old as 6,000 years! In the second year, archaeologists also found United States Army buttons. This shows that the people living here had contact with the U.S. military. The site was likely left sometime between the 1840s and 1880s.
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- Open excavation pit
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- Site excavation work
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- Screening artifacts
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- Archeology volunteers
By 2005, archaeologists had found 48 ancient sites on the Riddle property. Volunteers from the Oregon Archaeological Society have also helped the BLM and University Wisconsin–Milwaukee archaeologists. These dig sites are very fragile, so they are not open to the public.
How to Get There
To reach the Riddle Brothers Ranch from Burns, Oregon:
- Take State Highway 78 southeast for about two miles.
- Turn right onto State Highway 205.
- Travel south for about 60 miles (97 km) to Frenchglen, Oregon.
- Continue on State Highway 205 through Frenchglen for nine miles (14 km) to "P" Hill.
- Then, turn left onto the Steens Mountain Loop Road.
- The turnoff to the Riddle brother's ranch is about 18 miles (29 km) from the State Highway 205 junction.
Because the ranch is in a remote area, it's a good idea to call the Bureau of Land Management's Burns Office before you go. This way, you can make sure the ranch is open. The road to the ranch can be rough, especially when it's wet. In 2016, the road was improved a lot. The BLM suggests using a vehicle with high clearance (meaning it sits higher off the ground). Also, remember that cell phone service does not work in the Riddle Brothers Ranch area. However, local police officers visit the ranch regularly.
Caretakers are usually at the ranch. It's typically open for vehicles from June to September, Wednesday to Sunday, from 9 AM to 5 PM, if the weather is good. If the road is closed to vehicles, you can park at the ranch gate. Then, you can walk about 1.25 miles (2 km) to the main buildings. You can always access the ranch by foot, bicycle, or horseback. There is a public toilet at the ranch, but you must bring your own drinking water. Camping is not allowed on the property. Visitors must leave by 5 PM when the caretaker locks the gate. If you want to camp nearby, the South Steens Campground is only three miles away.
