Riddle Ranch

The Riddle Brothers Ranch is a pioneer ranch complex located in the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area in Harney County in eastern Oregon, United States. It is a rare extant example of the small family ranch. The ranch is located on both sides of the Little Blitzen River on public land and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The Riddle family patriarchs were pioneers, first settling the town of Riddle in Douglas County, Oregon. The second generation, Tobias "Stilly" Riddle and his wife, Sarah Smyth Riddle, then moved to Eastern Oregon, eventually settling with Smyth kin in Happy Valley. (Riddle Mountain also takes its name from the family.) Frederick Riddle was one of the first white children born in Harney County. In 1878 the Riddle Ranch in Happy Valley was burned out during the Native American wars. Peter French, manager of the vast P Ranch, bought the Riddles' Happy Valley property for $30,000, and the family returned to Douglas County. Benjamin Riddle was the first member of the third generation to return to the area, followed by his elder brothers Fred and Walter, sister Carrie, and uncle George. Each of them acquired adjacent land and contributed labor to expand and run the ranch. Fred and Walter remained on the ranch for some fifty years, Fred managing the homestead while Walt handled the cattle and the annual herd drive to Winnemucca. Today, the ranch is maintained as an open-air museum with original artifacts displayed where they were used. Visitors can explore the ranch buildings, hike, or fish; however, camping is not permitted. There are a number of Native American archeological sites on the ranch property. These sites are not open to the public. The Riddle Brothers Ranch is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.