BLACK CANYON RANCH

Ranch Gate in Winter

The big news at Lewis White Dorpers is we’ve moved! Formerly located on Walker Creek Ranch in the Northern Sacramento Valley in California we have relocated to the Black Canyon Ranch near Bonanza, Oregon.  

Located in an isolated valley off Langell Valley, elevation on the ranch ranges from 4200 – 4500 feet. Summer temperatures are moderate and winter temperatures can go below zero, with a record low of -28F. The pastures consist of irrigated meadows backed up to steep rim rocks and high desert rangeland with western juniper and sage.  

There is a rugged beauty to the country and a lot of history. The last battles of the Modoc Indian War were fought nearby. Around the turn of the century there were large bands of sheep in the country between Bonanza and Lakeview. Basque and Irish herders watched over these bands and their heritage is important in the area today. There were contentious times too with the cattlemen pitted against the sheepman in the Central Oregon Range War from 1896-1906. The Bonanza Grazing District in Langell Valley was the very first district formed by the Taylor Grazing Act.  

Wildlife is plentiful on the ranch with mule deer, antelope, geese, ducks, sandhill cranes and of course coyotes, cougars, and rattlesnakes. Six spring fed lakes and ponds contain largemouth bass, and Miller Creek contains trout. The local area is known for putting excellent summer gains on pastured cattle and growing high test alfalfa hay. 

Check our photo section for more ranch pictures.