The Gold Canyon Pony Ranch

Stories from the historic Siskiyou Smokejumper Base, Cave Junction, Oregon

In the late 1930’s, a man named William Greiner was passing through Illinois Valley and became so impressed with what he saw that he bought 500 acres of land before continuing to his destination, the William Greiner Shrine Children’s Home in Arlington California. Within the next two years he would return to Illinois Valley to establish a school for the children at his institution, mostly troubled kids from broken homes. This would become known as the Gold Canyon Pony Ranch.

Work on the facilities began in 1939, with twelve journeymen carpenters working to build an L-shaped dormitory or bunkhouse for the boys and ranch workers. Later, several of the older boys were sent from Arlington to work with the carpenters on the construction of a barn, a three story hotel, a house for the caretaker, a four car garage, four rental cottages, and other work including installation of fence lines.

All the boys from the ranch attended Kerby High School, which at that time had a total enrollment of about 100 students. For many of these boys, all of which had grown up in an environment of family turmoil, the experience of being in a community with strong family values was one of the most positive things they remembered about Illinois Valley.

The Pony Ranch was planned and built to board a number of boys but it was only in operation about a year and a half. There were eight boys living there at the height of operations.

The Pony Ranch Hotel was the most visible part of the ranch because of its location next to Highway 199. It was a large structure about 50 feet wide by 100 feet long and included a store and restaurant. On the south side of the hotel there were four cabins for travelers who wanted more privacy. A Morgan stallion was kept out front of the hotel all of the time, presumably to serve the function of being a mascot “pony” for the Pony Hotel. The hotel was destroyed by fire around 1942 and was never reconstructed.

Gold Canyon Road is located on Highway 199 about six miles north of Cave Junction. The large hotel and cabins were located on the flat area next to Highway 199 immediately south of the entrance to Gold Canyon Road. If you drive a short distance up Gold Canyon Road, you can see the old caretaker house on the right. Across the road from this structure is a flat area where the dormitory was once located.

Story by Roger Brandt

A newspaper photo of the Pony Ranch Hotel with the youth barracks and caretaker house in the background. Located near Kerbyville. Redwood Highway 199, Cave Junction, southwest Oregon Siskiyou Mountains

The Pony Ranch hotel is seen in the foreground with one of the cabins to the left. A faint trace of Highway 199 is seen in the lower left corner. The caretaker house (background right) and boys dorm (background left) are seen on the hill.

________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...