William "Bill" Hanley

William D. Hanley (February 8, 1861 – September 15, 1935) was a pioneer rancher in Harney County in southeastern Oregon. He owned several ranches between Burns, Oregon and Harney Lake. Together, his properties comprised one of the largest privately owned cattle operations in the United States. Hanley was also a progressive thinker and well known host. Among his personal friends were leading political figures, fellow cattle barons, industrialist, writers, and artists including Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, Peter French, James J. Hill, CES Wood, and Will Rogers. Hanley's progressive political views led him to run for Governor of Oregon and the United States Senate. A strong advocate of wildlife conservation, much of his ranch is now part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Early life

Bill Hanley was born in Jacksonville, Oregon on February 8, 1861. He grew up tending livestock on his father's farm. In 1879, he moved to Harney County in eastern Oregon with his brother John. His father told the two young men to find a good valley with water and hold on to it. The brothers initially purchased land near Burns. Another brother, Ed, later joined them. After his two brothers moved to Alaska, Hanley acquired the Double O Ranch near Harney Lake for $6 an acre. Over time, Hanley turned it into one of the county's largest cattle ranches. After he was married in 1892, Hanley and his wife Clara made their ranch a showplace for worldly guests who wanted to enjoy the privacy and open space of southeastern Oregon.

Cattle King

Historic blacksmith's cabin on Double O RanchHanley operated five ranches, totaling over of deeded property. His Bell A Ranch was three miles east of Burns. It only covered , but it was widely regarded as one of the finest ranch estates in the western United States. His Double O Ranch was over . At the Double O Ranch, it was from ranch gate to front door of the main house. Hanley also had access to thousands of acres of public range land. In 1913, The New York Times reported that Hanley's cattle operation covered . He eventually established the Harney Valley Improvement Company to promote his land interests and encourage the development of Harney County.

Conservationist

Hanley's property included the lower Silver Creek drainage and several lakes that provided water to irrigate his ranch lands. The ranch's riparian areas, lake shore wetlands, and grassy meadows provided habitat for migratory birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway. A number of natural warm springs made the lakes a winter haven for non-migratory bird as well. Numerous birds including great white egrets, herons, pelicans, wild swans, Canada geese, and many duck species nested on the Double O Ranch.

Sage of Harney County

Bill Hanley was a progressive thinker and homespun philosopher, who became famous for his ranch hospitality. He entertained guests at his Bell A Ranch near Burns or took them to the rustic Double O Ranch to enjoy the outdoors. His guest included prominent politicians, industrialist, literary figures, and artists from all over the United States.

Hanley counted among his personal friend political leaders with widely divergent views from conservative Republicans like William Howard Taft to populist Democrats like Williams Jennings Bryan. His personal political views were closely aligned with his friend and fellow Bull Moose progressive Theodore Roosevelt. He also included among his close friends business tycoons such as James J. Hill, owner of the Great Northern Railway and well known literary figures like CES Wood, poet Edwin Markham, and painter Childe Hassam. The sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor and his family actually live on the Hanley ranch for over a year. Before heading to Alaska on the cross-country flight that took his life, Will Rogers stopped in Burns to refuel his aircraft and to see his friend Bill Hanley. During subsequent visits to New York City, The New York Times announced his arrival and published his itinerary, referring to him as a pioneer, philosopher, and one of the most prosperous and influential men on the Pacific Coast.

Hanley was an advocate of progressive government. In 1914, he was the progressive Bull Moose Party's candidate for a United States Senate seat from Oregon. He finished third in a five-person race, doing particularly well in Harney and Malheur counties in rural eastern Oregon and in the state's urban center of Portland. He also ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Oregon, also on a progressive platform. In 1982, the two remaining buildings at the Double O Ranch site were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Written in the 1930s, Hanley's memoirs were edited and published in 2001, under the title Feelin' Fine!. It is a combination of Oregon history, recollections of people Hanley knew, and his personal thoughts on things that interested him. The book ends: "It's just another season. The winter has passed, the water has run, the grass is coming....Feelin' fine!"