Rogue River Ranch
Rogue River Ranch | |
Location | Curry County, Oregon, USA |
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Nearest city | Agness, Oregon |
Coordinates | 42°43′07″N 123°52′54″W / 42.71864°N 123.88154°W |
Built | 1903–1930s |
Architect | George Billings |
Architectural style | Common wood frame |
NRHP reference No. | 75001581 |
Added to NRHP | 1975 |
The Rogue River Ranch is a pioneer farm complex in
History
Archeological evidence shows that
In 1887, Tom Billings filed an official homestead claim on the north shore of the Rogue River at the mouth of Mule Creek. The following year, Tom transferred the claim to his older brother, George. In 1894, Tom and his wife, Anna, had their first child, a daughter named Marial. The settlement at Mule Creek was named Marial, after her.[2][3]
In 1903, George Billings constructed a large two-story house and established the Billings Trading Company at Marial. Billings also ran a boarding house for travelers and local miners. Over time, the trading post became the center of commercial and social life for residents of Marial, who eventually number around 100 people. In 1907, Billings sold his property on the west side of Mule Creek, an area called Douglas Bar, to the Red River Mining and Milling Company. The next year, Billings built a barn on his remaining property. The building eventually became known as the tabernacle. Billings hosted dances and church services in the tabernacle. The Red River Mining Company closed in 1912, and Billings re-acquired the property on the west side of the creek. In 1931, Billings sold his 70-acre (280,000 m2) ranch to Stanley Anderson for $5,000.[2]
The Bureau of Land Management established the Rogue River Ranch National Historic Site and converted the main house into a museum. The museum has displays on Native American history, the local mining era, the Billings homestead period, and the development of the Anderson family farm. The Rogue River Ranch museum is open to visits from May to October.[2]
The Rogue River Ranch offers visitors the opportunity to experience the rich heritage of the Rogue River canyon area. Because the ranch played an important role in the commercial and social development of the local area, the Rogue River Ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 29 December 1975. This historic ranch covers 700 acres (2.8 km2). There are four historic buildings on the property and six non-contributing structures.[1][4][5]
Structures
There are four ranch buildings open to the public. They are the tackhouse, the blacksmith shop, the tabernacle, and the main house museum. There is also a caretaker's house, a large barn, and several minor farm buildings that are not open to the public.[2]
The main house was built in 1903. It sits on a gentle slope facing Mule Creek. The house is a two-story, wood-frame structure. The lumber for the house was all cut by hand from
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* Historic main house
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* Tabernacle building
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* Ranch tackhouse
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* Blacksmith shop
The other ranch buildings are also wood-frame structures with wood-lap siding. The Bureau of Land Management renovated the Tackhouse in 2008. The project replaced badly rotted framing members that had made the entire structure unsound.[6]
Location
Rogue River Ranch National Historic Site is located in the Rogue River canyon in southern Oregon. The ranch is at the mouth of Mule Creek on the north shore of the Rogue River at an elevation of approximately 420 feet (130 m) above sea level. It is an isolated property, surrounded by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The ranch is a major stop over point along the wild section of the Rogue River, which has been officially designated a National Wild and Scenic River.[1][7]
The Rogue River Ranch is 45 miles (72 km) northwest of
The ranch can also be reached by boating down the Rogue River or by hiking the Rogue River canyon trail. The ranch is 22 river miles from Grave Creek Bridge (which is 8 miles (13 km) north of Galice), or 23-mile (37 km) along the canyon trail. Most people make the float trip in two days. The canyon hike from Grave Creek usually takes three days.[1][2]
Because the Rogue River Ranch is a popular stopping point for boater floating down the Rogue River and hikers trekking the Rogue River canyon trail, the Bureau of Land Management maintains a
References
- ^ a b c d e "Rogue River Ranch", Oregon State Office, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Portland, Oregon, 11 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Rogue River Ranch National Historic Site", Medford District Office, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Medford, Oregon, August 2004.
- ^ a b McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003.
- ^ "Rogue River Ranch", National Register of Historic Places, www.nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com, 12 March 2009.
- ^ "Rogue River Ranch" Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Historical Places Database, www.hpdb.org, Oakland, California, 12 March 2009.
- ^ "Rogue River Ranch Tackhouse Reconstruction", contract solicitation HAQ082042, Medford District, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Medford, Oregon, 25 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Historic Sites - Rogue River Ranch", Oregon State Office, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior, Portland, Oregon, 11 March 2009.