Looking out over the Refuge headquarters, you may see a vast lake or you may see no evidence of a lake at all. But Malheur is not an actual lake. It is one of the largest inland marshes in the United States varying dramatically in size from 500 to 110,000 acres, with up to a depth of 8 feet. The “lake’s” water level and size is determined by how much water it receives from the Blitzen and Silvies Rivers, the snowpack on Steens Mountain.

The Meeks Wagon Train of 1845, led by frontiersman Stephen Meek, was an ill-fated attempt to find a shortcut to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Approximately 1,000 emigrants with 200 wagons departed from the main Oregon Trail near Vale, Oregon, and ventured into the uncharted high desert. As the wagon train entered the Harney Basin, finding water and feed for their livestock became critical. They camped near Harney and Malheur Lakes, but the alkaline water was unsuitable for humans or animals. The group eventually reached The Dalles, but not before enduring the harsh conditions of the high desert. Reports of deaths during the journey range from 23 to as many as 50. Click on map.

With a summit approaching 10,000 feet, it is a classic fault-block mountain, gently sloping on its west side, but dropping vertically a mile to the Alvord Desert on its east side. Snow melt from the broad western face is carried downhill by five major streams, which eventually merge to become the Blitzen River. Over the eons, the river has deposited many feet of sediment on the valley floor. These fertile soils, combined with the waters of the Blitzen River, provide an optimal foundation for the marshes and wet meadows of the Refuge.

Rattlesnake Butte, which appears to your left, has been important to people since prehistoric times. Nearby, a rocky ledge extends across the Blitzen River providing the only natural crossing for miles. This point of access, along with the availability of water and a butte from which to survey the surrounding land, made this an important place for bands of Northern Paiute people who first occupied the Blitzen Valley as early as 9,600 years ago. Click on image to right.

In this sector the river was straightened and channelized starting in 1872 with the arrival of John William “Pete” French, who established the P Ranch along the river’s lower course through what became known as the Blitzen Valley. French and his employees dug several ditches to drain the river’s wetlands—a hazard to rangeland cattle—and to increase grassland for grazing. This effort was tied to the Swamp Land Act of 1849, aimed to drain meadows for grazing and hay production. In Oregon the program was plagued by political corruption, fiscal mismanagement, fraud, and land speculation.

As you look southeast at Steens Mountain from here, you will see what looks like a rugged chasm on the north side. This is the famous Kiger Gorge, a classic U-shaped valley carved by ice age glaciers. Although the continental ice sheet did not reach this far south, Steens Mountain was high enough to develop its own glaciers, which left the mountain with five U-shaped gorges. Kiger and McCoy Creeks drain from the north side of the mountain, entering the Refuge through the Diamond Valley, the wide gap in the rimrock to your left. The image shows Kiger Gorge from north to south. From the overlook, you are looking into the gorge from the north (the top of the picture).

This ranch was the northern headquarters of the 140,000 acre cattle empire of Californian Hugh Glenn. When the Californian Legislature ended open range grazing in 1872, Glenn sent 23 year old Pete French to Eastern Oregon to establish a cattle ranch. French traveled from California with 1200 long horn cattle, six Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) and a Chinese cook to this remote corner of Oregon. Over the next 25 years French acquired property using a variety of methods in the Blitzen, Diamond, and Catlow Valleys to create one of the largest cattle ranches in the United States. The ranch is open to the public from August 15 through October 15. Explore this detailed guide to the ranch.