A hidden valley
in the shadow of the Butte
Spencer Shadow Ranch sits in the Christensen Valley--a hidden valley in the southwest watershed of Spencer Butte. The first settlers came to this particular area in 1851, and the first successful farm in the valley was the Osborn family's Spencer Butte Dairy, which thrived from 1866 to 1894.
The ranch story really gathered steam when the Christensen boys, Hank and Bobby, started raising livestock for rodeo events up and down the west coast. Their enterprise grew until they were ranching about 10,000 acres in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Hard times hit in the '80s--sky high interest rates, anyone remember the Farm Aid concerts?--and the banks repossessed the ranch.
We've spent the last twelve years creating a permaculture cattle operation on the final 340 acres. The basic principles: the land should improve each and every year, no poisons of any kind, and we follow Nature--who is our partner always, and our senior partner--in selecting and raising the animals.
