Peaceful Valley Ranch
a.k.a. Lamb Ranch;32BI67
N of Medora near Little Missouri R., Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, NDThe Peaceful Valley Ranch is significant at the local level under criterion A, for its historical association with open-range ranching, dude ranching, and the early development of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The ranch buildings are also locally significant under criterion C, as architecture representative of late nineteenth and early twentieth century design and construction techniques. The buildings provide a physical link to the historic and economic development of western North Dakota and exemplify the three major economic influences that shaped the character of the area -- open-range ranching, the transition to farming and fee simple ranching, and dude ranching, which was the harbinger of tourism and recreation activities in the state. The period of significance for the ranch dates from 1885, the approximate date of construction of the ranch house, to 1936, when the ranch buildings were acquired by the NPS and development of the headquarters area began.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.