4 minute read
Eagle Rock Ranch
from LAND Spring 2021
10,466± Acres in Grant County, Oregon
Property ID: 10236569
Historic, expansive and abundant, Eagle Rock Ranch incorporates 10,466 acres of self-sustaining ranching and recreation. Stunning views of the Strawberry Mountains are the backdrop to wide open vistas and thick mountain timber. Loosely bounded by Highway 26 and the John Day River to the south, the ranch climbs from 3,100 to 5,000 feet to offer varied landscape and unrestricted privacy. From hidden highland plateaus, the ranch is still just a short distance from the amenities of the city of John Day, including Blue Mountain Hospital and the Grant County Regional Airport which offers a 5,220-foot asphalt runway.
The ranch’s John Day River offers abundant fishing opportunities and irrigation for lush fields. Year-round creeks and springs fill more than 80 ponds, providing watering holes for endless wildlife including trophy elk, deer, waterfowl and upland game birds.
The natural water is supplemented by some of the most senior water rights in Grant County, yielding ample hay for the cattle and harvest.
The entire operation is supported by two homes, six shops/barns, pivots, wheel lines, flood irrigation and extensive graveled roads throughout the property.
Improvements
The ranch home (North Residence) consists of 2,859 square feet and was built in 1997 on the periphery of a lush, irrigated hay field.
The wrap-around porch on the home’s east and south sides provides a magnificent view of the Strawberry Mountains, the property’s impressive rimrocks and John Day to the west.
This single-level home has an open kitchen, dining room and living room with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus a 418-square-foot, two-car attached garage.
The original ranch house (South Residence) was built in the 1930s. It consists of 1,937 square feet with a 662-square-foot finished basement. Quaint and wellappointed, the home has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room and office.
Behind the South Residence is a stone-walled, partly underground root cellar.
Water
Water abounds on Eagle Rock Ranch. Fed by numerous creeks and springs, more than 80 ponds provide an oasis for cattle and wildlife.
The main branch of the John Day River, the fourth longest freeflowing river in the contiguous United States, flows 1.8 miles through the property. Fishing is abundant year round, with steelhead and salmon in the spring, trout and smallmouth bass throughout the year.
Grub Creek runs 1.5 miles through the higher elevations of the ranch and flows year round.
Large springs supply cisterns for both houses as well as water for the barns, shops and cattle feed lots.
The property holds 293 acres of permitted water rights, some of the most senior water rights in Grant County.
Ranch & Infrastructure
On both sides of the John Day River and over the rimrock on the plateau are 225 acres of irrigated hay ground which produced over 850 tons of hay in 2020. Expansive acreage provides abundant rangeland for a 250± cow-calf operation. The property is cross fenced into 14 dry land pastures for beneficial rotation.
Below the South Residence is an 8,400-square-foot steel-framed hay barn with metal roof known as the Oliver Barn for the landmark wooden barn that once stood there. There are also horse pens and a century-old, in-use tack room.
To the north of the river is a 5,600-square-foot steel-framed hay barn with metal roof, a 2,946-square-foot machine shed and a 1,200-square-foot shop with concrete slab floor. In this same area is a new cow barn, a loafing shed and cow-working facilities.
Miles of well-maintained gravel roads make travel easy throughout the ranch. An ample supply of crushed rock (dredged from the river in the gold-mining days) is on site to be used for upkeep.
Recreation
Trophy Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, whitetail deer and antelope are harvested from Eagle Rock Ranch. The ranch is located in the Northside Unit with six bull and six buck LOP tags.
Upland game and waterfowl birds, including chukar, turkey, grouse, quail, geese and ducks, call the ponds and forest home.
Game cameras placed in Fall of 2020 captured large herds of elk, deer and turkey.
Grant County is one of the top counties in the state to produce record book Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer.
There are 71 entries for Rocky Mountain elk over 305 inches Boone and Crockett and 221 entries for mule deer over 160 inches Boone and Crockett in the Oregon Record Book.
The largest elk from Grant County scored 401 1/8 inches, and the largest mule deer (non-typical) scored 281 3/8 inches.
Location
Grant County, Oregon, has been treasured in the hearts of pioneers for over 150 years. Today, Grant County is where the Old West meets modern-day recreation and adventure.
The variety of fish and wildlife species in the John Day Basin may be more diverse than any other river system in the state. Hiking opportunities abound both locally and a short drive away in the Malheur National Forest, including trails to the summit of 9,042- foot Strawberry Mountain.
10,466 Acres | Grant County, Oregon | Offered at $11,000,000
LandsofAmerica.com/property/61356-U.S.-Hwy-26-John-Day-Oregon-97845/10236569/
Walt Ramage — NAI Cascade LAND | RANCH
NAICascade.com/LAND-RANCH | 541-771-8260
Andy Wilburn — Wilburn Ranch Brokerage
WilburnRanchBrokerage.net | 541-620-0488