H OR SE SH O E B AR R ANC H ON T HE J O HN DAY R I VER Wasco, Wheeler, Sherman and Gilliam Counties, Oregon $ 15,950,000 | 29,268.67± Acres
Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
INTRODUCTION Ever dream of owning your own “Empire?” This is it! You will never get tired of the expansive horizons and towering vistas of this amazing ranch, which has been in the same family for 90+ years! You are not buying someone else’s dream “McMansion” here! This is a unique, blank canvas with all the right background to “paint” your dream ranch! You will forever marvel at the majestic cliffs which tower above the rolling plateaus and lonely canyons as they fall, sometimes gently and sometimes steeply, to bottomlands along the free-flowing John Day River. The ranch boasts 29,268± deeded acres, plus BLM grazing permits covering an additional 13,967± acres and 320± acres of State of Oregon lease. The John Day River winds along and through the ranch for approximately 15.5± miles which includes 8± miles of deeded frontage, with the balance of the frontage predominately along with BLM lands which are grazed by the ranch! If you are an avid hunter or angler, this ranch is for you! It is one of the few ranches that boasts the rare combination of quality upland game bird, waterfowl, and big game hunting, plus fly fishing for steelhead and smallmouth bass!
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LOCATION The Horseshoe Bar Ranch is in Central Oregon and, as such, is centrally located to the many area recreational opportunities! The ranch headquarters are located a few miles east of Antelope, near Historic Clarno, on the John Day River, 46 miles, or 50 minutes NE of Madras, OR; 56 miles, or 1 hour and 11 minutes SE of Maupin, OR and the Deschutes River; 72 miles, or 1 hour and 28 minutes NE of Redmond, OR and just 89 miles, or 1 hour and 49 minutes NE of Bend, OR. The Dalles, the County Seat of Wasco County, OR, is located 96 miles, or 1 hour and 54 minutes NW of the ranch. Portland, Oregon’s major population center and the location of Portland International Airport (PDX) are just 161 miles, or 3 hours and 15 minutes NW of the ranch.
AIRPORT INFORMATION Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM—www.flyrdm.com) (a.k.a. Roberts Field) is approximately 1 hour and 28 minutes SW of the ranch. RDM provides commercial air service for all of Central Oregon with 14 departures each day to Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle. The convenience of the Redmond Municipal Airport assures that you stay well connected with the region and the world. For the private pilot, Madras Municipal Airport is just 50 minutes away. According to Wikipedia, Madras Municipal Airport is at an elevation of 2,437 feet (743 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 16/34 is 5,089 by 75 feet (1,551 x 23 m), and 4/22 is 2,701 by 50 feet (823 x 15 m). More detailed information can be found at www.airnav.com.
ACREAGE According to the Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler Counties’ Assessors, the Horseshoe Bar Ranch consists of approximately 29,268.67± deeded acres. Adjacent to and interwoven with the deeded lands are an additional 13,967± acres of BLM lands and 320± acres of State of Oregon lease land with grazing rights allocated to the Horseshoe Bar Ranch, for a total domain of 43,555.67± acres! 2
Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
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WATER SOURCES | WATER RIGHTS Under Oregon law, all water is publicly owned. With some exceptions, cities, farmers, factory owners, and other users must obtain a permit or water right from the Water Resources Department to use water from any source, whether it is underground or from lakes or streams. Landowners with water flowing past, thru, or under their property do not automatically have the right to use that water without a permit from the Department. The waters of Oregon are administered by the State of Oregon under a “prior-appropriation” doctrine; first in time, first in the right. Horseshoe Bar Ranch has 313.05± acres of Certified Water Rights of Record.
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
IMPROVEMENTS Ranch improvements are minimal, leaving a new owner the opportunity to build just what they want! There are power, housing, and corrals at the Evans Place, just above Highway 218 and at the River Ranch. Additionally, there is the power to the Raeburn, where there is an old cabin and modest set of corrals, a historic homestead on the John Day River. Wasco Electric Cooperative provides power.
T he E vans P lace • The ranch style home looks out to the John Day Basin to the SE • Built in 1950, the home measures 2,317± square feet and has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. The home has not been significantly updated. The home has forced air central heating and the domestic water supply is from a spring • Set of working/shipping corrals • Cattle and hay trucks can easily access the site from Highway 218
T he R aeburn • The Raeburn is an historic homesite on the banks of the John Day River. The owner has been in the process of bringing the cabin to a habitable state. There is electric power at the site. • With the assistance of some portable livestock panels and some recent fence work, the old corrals were able to be used this past Spring to brand calves • With some investment, this location would make an outstanding fishing/hunting camp, plus a handy place to work cattle and brand calves
T he R iver R anch • • • •
A 2002-year mobile home provides housing There are corrals and power at this site Good area for wintering A well provides domestic water
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
AGRICULTURE Since the 1970s, the Horseshoe Bar Ranch has been operated as a year-round cow/calf ranch, utilizing the abundant, native grasses interspersed throughout the sage and juniper-covered hillsides. The varied terrain and abundant native feed produces a “hard grass” range calf, hardy and favored by yearling and feeder operators who annually purchase the calves. While annual carrying capacity is highly dependent upon winter snowpack, spring/summer rains, management, and government grazing policies, the Horseshoe Bar Ranch has an estimated carrying capacity, as currently operated, of 545 Animal Units (AUs). With the purchase of an average of 1 ton of hay per cow, the operation can be increased to an average of approximately 696 AUs. They were the croplands, now meadows, to be reestablished to hay production. The capacity could be further increased by producing the ranch’s winter feed requirements, plus providing additional pasture and/or aftermath grazing. For ease of management, the Horseshoe Bar Ranch is divided into eight main pastures, which bear the original homestead owners’ names or other area/use features: The River Ranch, Sorefoot, Lakes, Hastings Place, Dugout, Raeburn, Little Pine, and Horse Pasture. Elevation ranges from 1,300± feet along the John Day River near Clarno to just under 4,000 feet at the top of Black Rock, providing a good seasonal range of forage. The lower elevations lend themselves to late Fall, Winter, and early Spring pasturing, depending upon the winter weather, allowing a lower-cost winter feeding advantage. The topography lends itself well to suitable protection and cover for cattle. Of the deeded lands, 313.05± acres of meadows have water right certificates. These are lands at lower elevations, predominately along the John Day River, but also inclusive of lands along Sorefoot Creek, Willow Branch Spring, and an unnamed stream. Of these lands, 168.85± acres are at the River Ranch, 103.1± acres at the Raeburn, 41.1± acres along Sorefoot Creek. The River Ranch and Raeburn fields are irrigated by pumping water from the John Day River and are capable of crop production. There is power to each site. Sorefoot Creek lands are irrigated by diversion from the creek. All fields were originally flood irrigated from dirt ditches. For a time, portions of the River Ranch fields were under wheel and handline sprinkler irrigation. Current management has not been farming the meadows, preferring to purchase winter feed. Winter feed requirements typically range from .5 tons to 1.5 tons per cow.
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AGRICULTURE Horseshoe Bar Ranch is abundantly blessed with several developed and some undeveloped springs, which provide good stock watering distribution for the ranch. Additionally, there are some water impoundments on the ranch which also offer good stock water, as well as excellent wildlife habitat. Several creeks provide seasonal and year-round stock water as they course toward the John Day River. There is power to housing and corrals at the Evans Place, just above Highway 218 and at the River Ranch. Additionally, there is power to the Raeburn, where there is an old cabin and modest set of corrals, a historic homestead on the John Day River banks.
RECREATION Rarely does a ranch come on the market that offers such a range of sporting activities. In one outing, you are likely to see chucker, turkey, quail, pheasant, dove, ducks, geese, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, and Pronghorn antelope. In addition to these common sightings, you might run across California bighorn sheep! Other wildlife common to the area includes cougar, bobcat, coyote, rabbit, badger, ground squirrel, and rock chuck (Yellow-bellied marmot)! Add to this the John Day River’s fishing opportunities, which runs through the ranch for 15± miles! Horseshoe Bar Ranch is a true sportsman’s paradise! 8
Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
H unting & W ildlife Hunting opportunities on the Horseshoe Bar abound! There is a significant chukar population for the upland game bird hunter, quail, dove, and even a few pheasants! The ranch’s plentiful water sources support a significant population and provide excellent habitat! Ducks and geese populate the river corridor, utilizing the ranch’s meadows, stock ponds, and lakes. Big-game species include Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and California bighorn sheep. The Horseshoe Bar Ranch is within Oregon’s Biggs hunting unit No. 43 and Grizzly hunting Unit No. 38. Per the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Horseshoe Bar Ranch deeded land base should qualify the owner for 8 Landowner Preference Tags for all hunts, as defined by the ODFW. However, these tags are subject to annual limitations in some areas and for some species. A prospective purchaser should verify the availability of these tags and also hunting and fishing seasons and regulations with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), phone 503947-6000, or go to their website: https:// www.dfw.state.or.us www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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T he J ohn D ay R iver The John Day River is Oregon’s longest, undammed river, heading at 9,000 feet in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness of Oregon’s Blue Mountains, South of the town of John Day, and culminating in the Columbia River, and it flows for approximately 281 miles!
F ly F ishing This stretch of the John Day River is most noted for its smallmouth bass fishing, with May/June being the peak season, also picking up again in October. It has been commented that the smallmouth bass fishing on the John Day River is “off the charts!” Hopper patterns, woolly buggers, and poppers all work well! Reportedly swinging streamers in the faster, rockier stretches or using a full sink tip in the bigger holes works well for, the larger fish. Early and late, some bigger fish can be taken near the surface on poppers. Crayfish patterns also work well! According to Perfect Fly: Alt hough it is best known for its smallmout h bass fishing, t he John Day River is famous for its wild Steelhead. The system has one of t he last all-wild runs of anadromous fish east of t he Cascade Mountains. The steelhead average about 6 to 8 pounds, wit h larger ones caught frequent ly. There are not any hatchery fish released in t he John Day River. Steelhead enters t he lower section of t he river in October and will continue to enter t he river t hroughout t he Winter. Late October t hrough mid-December is t he prime time. Unlike many ot her steelhead rivers, t he John Day River is never crowded. The river can be waded and fished wit h bot h single-handed and Spey rods. Drift boat fishing is t he most popular met hod of fishing t he river. The Steelhead runs on t he John Day River starts to pick up short ly after t he water rises. The water is used for irrigation of t he high desert country until t he first of October, but when it is shut off, t he river flow increases and t he fish start to show up. The steelhead fish are in t he river t hrough February.
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
R iver F loat T rips The river is popular with rafters, drifters, kayakers, and canoers, with the peak season being May through June, depending on annual flows. The stretch of the river through the ranch is predominately considered a Class II float, but for the Upper Clarno Rapids, Class III/IV and the Lower Clarno Rapids, Class III, both located on the Ranch’s BLM grazing permit, between The Lakes Pasture and the Dugout!
O ther R ecreation Just East of and adjoining the Horseshoe Bar lies the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. According to the National Park Service, The Palisades are the most prominent landform and are volcanic lahars or mudflows. Tiny four-footed horses, huge rhino-like brontotheres, crocodilians, and meat-eating creodonts that once roamed the area are now found in the rocks of the Clarno Unit, as well as a diverse range of plant life and petrified wood. Bones and fossils of these ancient earth inhabitants have been found on the Horseshoe Bar Ranch! www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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MINERAL RIGHTS All mineral rights appurtenant to the property and owned by the Seller will convey to the Buyer at closing. Mineral rights are not guaranteed. It is suggested that the Buyer conduct a mineral search with a title company
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
CONSERVATION | STEWARDSHIP Each of us at Fay Ranches has a love of the land and a desire to see it remain as productive agricultural ground as well as quality fish and wildlife habitat. Through promoting the use of thoughtful land stewardship, Fay Ranches has guided owners toward a legacy of conserving wide open spaces, enhancing and creating fisheries and wildlife habitat and implementing sustainable agricultural operations. Fay Ranches is proud to say that since our company began in 1992, the landscape on which we work has been significantly enhanced by the conservation ethic and land use practices of our clients.
QUICK FACTS • • • • • •
29,268.67± deeded acres | 13,967± BLM permit acres | 320± acres state lease 15.5± miles John Day River frontage | 8± miles deeded frontage Historic, operating cattle ranch-mild wintering area Water Rights Certificates for 313.05± acres Numerous springs, creeks, lakes, ponds Outstanding sporting opportunities: smallmouth bass and steelhead fishing, upland gamebird hunting, waterfowl hunting, big game hunting • Abounding recreational opportunities: river floating, hiking, horseback riding, fossil hunting, photography and bird watching www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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HISTORY OF THE HORSESHOE RANCH B y B ill P illing , N ephew
of
M ary M aurer
The story of t he Horseshoe Bar Ranch country is as colorful as t he Painted Hills of t he John Day River Basin. From ancient times until t he 1930’s, native-hunter-gat herers made t heir home on t he land. Novelist H.L. Davis told t he tales of t he brawling freight wagoneers t hat plied t he nearby Dalles to Canyon City road in t he 19t h century. The Horseshoe Bar Ranch began about 130 years ago on t he grassy banks of Sorefoot Creek. Donald McRae built his home t here and raised hay, cows and sheep. After McRae’s daughter, Cat herine, got sweet on t he vigorous young Swiss immigrant Emil Maurer t hat owned t he big hayfields nort h and east of t he Clarno Bridge over t he John Day, t hey married and assembled t he Horseshoe Bar as a big sheep ranch. Sheep were raised on t he ranch for nearly a century by a cast of crusty Irish and Scots sheepherders. From t heir bases at t he satellite ranches of t he Horseshoe Bar-t he River Ranch, Sorefoot, and Raeburn– t hey conducted t he t housands of sheep to t heir grazing grounds, built miles of fences and did t he haying, and not wit hout incident. Herder Eddie Mitchell, out atop Blackrock one day, shot himself in t he leg while practicing his quickdraw. Unable to walk wit h his prize silver spurs on, he hung t hem on a tree and struggled back to camp, but never managed to go back and collect t hem. Ever since, anyone going up on Blackrock has been on t he lookout for t hose spurs. Managing sheepherder work and entertainment were sometimes a challenge for t he Maurers. One day Cat herine “Ironsides Kate” Maurer went down to t he River Ranch to see how work was going and arrived as t he sheepherders were sitting down to Sunday lunch. Seeing a man was missing, she said, “I don’t see Donnie Mackintosh here. Where is he?” Thinking fast, one of t he men replied, “Oh, uh, he went to see t he doctor.” “I don’t know any doctor t hat works on a Sunday. Which one did he go see?” she countered. Thinking fondly of a favorite rotgut liquor, one of t he men piped up, “He went to see doctor Sunnybrook.” She paused and repeated, “Dr. Sunnybrook. I ain’t never heard of him.” The men broke down laughing. “When I last saw Donnie, he had just been to see him,” one of t he men volunteered. The ranch continued to grow as t he Maurers bought out neighboring homesteaders t hroughout t he 20t h Century, adding t he Knox and Pentecost places on t he east side of t he river. In 1950 Emil Maurer bought t he Raeburn Ranch, adding it to t he Nort h end. They were doing well enough to build t hemselves a new home high up on t he east side of t he river wit h an amazing view of t he entire Clarno Basin of t he John Day (see Phil Brogan’s Oregonian article about it, “Window to Eternity”). 14
Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
The Maurers’ friend, Paleontologist Lon Hancock, made significant fossil discoveries during digs on t he River Ranch, including bones of t he elephant sized Brontot here, t he Giant Amynodon Rhinoceros, a huge Creodont cat and many more. The Maurers were big supporters of paleontological digs and of t he Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s neighboring Camp Hancock, an outdoor education school. After Emil Maurer’s deat h in 1960, Cat herine and her son Donald Maurer took over t he Horseshoe Bar, converting it to a catt le ranch in t he early 1970’s. In 1964- t he same year Highway 218 was paved, Donald married Mary Joyce, an at hlete from a Pine Grove family. Locally famed for her long working days and blazing temper, she could start feeding t he orphaned calves before dawn, do t he winter cow feeding in t he morning, serve lunch, ride t he back canyons looking for cows and repairing fences until after dark, serve dinner, t hen work on t he bills until midnightt hen do it all over again t he next day. Things like a broken arm, a skull fracture and a broken neck did not slow her down. But after Donald’s deat h in 1996, a misdiagnosed broken back did slow her down and she worked a litt le less until her deat h at 94. Since t hen, t he Mary Maurer Trust has managed t he Horseshoe Bar wit hout broken bones or visits to Dr. Sunnybrook, but someone might still find a Brontot here or a pair of silver spurs somewhere on t he place, if t hey ride t he ridges and canyons looking for a cow. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
SUMMARY Rarely does an opportunity like this come along! With 15.5± miles of the free-flowing John Day River running through it, with its recreational and sporting amenities, to be able to own an “Empire” like the Horseshoe Bar Ranch is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Rich in history, jaw-dropping vistas, amazing geology, and miles of raw, natural beauty, the Horseshoe Bar has all of the right ingredients to make this your Legacy Ranch!
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PRICE $15,950,000
TERMS Cash, Conventional Financing, 1031 Tax Exchange
CONTACT Please contact Scott Hawes at (541) 419-0770 | shawes@fayranches.com to schedule a showing. This is an exclusive listing. An agent from Fay Ranches must be present at all showings, unless otherwise noted or other arrangements are made. To view other properties, fly fishing properties, and sporting ranches that we have listed, please visit our web page at www.fayranches.com.
NOTICE Offer is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice, and approval of purchase by owner. Information regarding land classification, carrying capacities, maps, etc., is intended only as a general guideline and has been provided by the owners and other sources deemed reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to research the information to their own satisfaction.
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the John Day River | Oregon
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SCOTT HAWES principal broker
Licensed in: OR, ID c. 541-419-0770 shawes@fayranches.com
FAY RANCHES INC. (800) 238.8616 info@fayranches.com www.fayranches.com