Peaceful Valley Ranch

Peaceful Valley Ranch is a historic ranch complex in Theodore Roosevelt's South Unit, with a white ranch house, log bunkhouse, stable and corrals in the Little Missouri valley. It's a worthwhile short stop if ranch history interests you: this is the South Unit's only original ranch house still standing, and a roughly 100-foot boardwalk connects the house and stable.

See the buildings from around the large dirt parking area and boardwalk. Current interior access isn't established, so plan on an exterior visit. The final access road is paved for about a quarter mile. A small pit toilet is about 300 feet east of the bunkhouse; picnic tables and interpretive exhibits are also here. No food service or potable water is listed, so bring water if you plan to walk beyond the buildings.

Eldridge "Gerry" Paddock settled here in 1883. In 1885, Benjamin Lamb replaced a small cabin with the two-story ranch house that still stands. Harry Olsen bought the property in 1915 and started one of North Dakota's early dude ranches in 1918; the Peaceful Valley name came in 1922. Guided rides were part of that history, but the concession ended after the 2014 season.

The ranch buildings housed Civilian Conservation Corps, WPA and ERA staff during the New Deal years. After the memorial park was established in 1947, Peaceful Valley became its first headquarters. That role ended when the visitor center opened in Medora in 1959, though park staff continued using the ranch house through 1965.

The ranch is more than its buildings: the historic landscape includes open grazing ground, corrals, old roads and trails, with cottonwoods along the river against the surrounding badlands. From the boardwalk, line up the house and stable in one photo. Bison are sometimes seen around the ranch and river, but sightings aren't guaranteed; watch wildlife from a distance.