BLM MAKES RURAL HISTORIC SITE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
Virtual Shirk Ranch Tour
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LAKEVIEW, Ore. - Two-hours east of the small town of Lakeview, OR is the Historic Shirk Ranch. The ranch is so remote that even most local residents have never made the drive to see the site. Wanting to make the site accessible to everyone, the BLM Lakeview Field Office teamed up with CyArk to create a virtual experience where visitors can learn about David Shirk and the history of early ranching in southeast Oregon.
"We are thrilled to be part of the 3D documentation and storytelling of Shirk Ranch," said CyArk's CEO John Ristevski. "This innovative approach allows us to virtually transport you to a pivotal era in southeast Oregon's history, offering a unique and captivating window into the past."
The property was originally homesteaded during the initial settlement of Lake County in the early 1880s by the Hill family.
David L. Shirk purchased the property in 1883 and built most of the ranch's extant buildings and structures around 1910. A cattleman by trade, Shirk's main business at the ranch was said to be horses, and he had a reputation for the "finest horseflesh" in the whole county. Horse raising was a key industry well into the twentieth century before the automobile and mechanized farm machinery were widely available. Early stock was taken from the herds of wild horses that originated from loose animals left by the Spanish.
In 1914, Shirk sold the Guano Valley Ranch to the partnership of Mitchell and McDaniel of Cedarville, California. Shirk's daughter, Olive, known as one of the best "horsemen" in the area and a "tough ranch lady," leased the Shirk Ranch with her husband, Zetus Spaulding, from the Bank of Willows, California, which had acquired it in foreclosure from the Mitchell and McDaniel Partnership. The ranch became part of the Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in 1942.
Shirk's daughter and husband lived and worked on the ranch until Zetus passed away in 1945. The ranch was leased to various interests through the 1980s but has been vacant since that time. The ranch is now administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
"It's rare to have a piece of this early European settlement history that is so well preserved and in public ownership where it can still be visited,” said Lakeview District Manager Todd Forbes. “This tour will allow those who can never come and visit to experience this history."
To virtually tour the Historic Shirk Ranch visit, https://cyark.org/tapestry/shr-en
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.