David L. Shirk Ranch, Historic ranch district in Guano Valley, Oregon

David L. Shirk Ranch is a historic district of nineteen structures on 14.5 acres in the Guano Valley of eastern Lake County, Oregon, just south of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. The complex sits in high desert beside an emergent marsh and meadow lands watered by Guano Creek, which drains the southeastern slope of Hart Mountain.

R.A. Turner homesteaded the site around 1881; David L. Shirk bought it from William Herron in 1883 and ran it until 1914, raising horses while his Catlow Valley ranch handled cattle. The U.S. government acquired the property in 1942, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 2009.

The buildings show how settlers in the high desert region organized their daily work and family life in the late 1800s. You can see from the construction how people adapted to living far from towns and supply sources.

The property is maintained by the Bureau of Land Management and open to visitors who want to explore the historic structures on the grounds. Access is easiest during warmer months when roads to the remote location are in better condition.

The Shirk post office moved from the brothers' Catlow Valley ranch to the Guano Valley property in 1903 and operated there through 1905. The ranch also borders an emergent marsh fed by Guano Creek, where the Bureau of Land Management manages grazing leases to protect waterfowl habitat.