 |
|
| Oregon Parks and Recreation Department News |
|
|
| Subscribe to receive all our news releases for free by email the moment they come out. |
Lake County ranch listed in National Register Of Historic Places
November 19th, 2009
The David L. Shirk Ranch, 60 miles east of Lakeview, is Oregon's latest entry in the National Register of Historic Places.
Located on the west shore of Shirk Lake, the David L. Shirk Ranch encompasses 19 historic buildings and structures on 14.5 acres, including a residence, outbuildings, grave site, and irrigation and fencing systems. The property was recognized for its association with late-19th and early-20th century free-range ranching practices and as an exceptionally intact and well-constructed example of a period ranch.
David L. Shirk and his brother, William H. Shirk, became established as cattle ranchers in present-day Harney County in the late-nineteenth century after working as ranch hands in the mid-1880s. The Shirks were active participants in the settlement and development of the ranching industry in eastern Oregon, and became successful by employing the same stock and property management techniques used by larger operators. In the late-1870s and early-1880s, David L. Shirk began expanding his personal holdings in Lake County's Guano Valley. In 1883 Shirk purchased the property and scattered existing buildings to serve as a horse ranch, developing most of the ranch's current buildings and structures around 1910. He sold the property in 1914.
Oregon's State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the ranch's nomination in February 2009. Almost 2,000 historic Oregon properties are now listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings is online at www.oregonheritage.org (click on "National Register" at left of page).
Search the archives:
OPRD photos are available for download.
Direct general media inquiries to:
Chris Havel
Director's Office
chris.havel@state.or.us
(503) 986-0722
OR
Jean Thompson
Public Services Division
jean.thompson@state.or.us
(503) 986-0667
For information about the 2010 Oregon State Fair, visit the Press Room.
|
|
