National Register of Historic Places

Dorr Ranch

Bill, Converse County, Wyoming
Listed
December 22, 2014
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
14001080

About this property

The Dorr Ranch was established by William and Mabel Dorr in 1910 in Converse County, Wyoming along Woody Creek. William had left home at the age of 8 or 9 and worked for the 71 Quarter Ranch and as a horse wrangler at Pony Express stations in Wyoming. He met Mabel McIntosh and married her in 1904. Mabel's parents had established the successful Hat Ranch near Split Rock and had significant resources to assist the young couple. The Dorrs filed for their first homestead in 1910 and expanded it in 1915, and again in 1917 and 1919, with a separate 1919 filing by Mabel. The Dorr's properties were not contiguous, and the present ranch house on Woody Creek was not built until 1915. In 1919 the Dorr School was built on the ranch. The same year the community of Bill was established, named after the shared name of four of the founders. The main ranch house was built in 1926–27. The Dorrs raised cattle and horses, running up to 700 horses for sale to the U.S. and Mexican armies. From about 1929 the property was leased and sold to a series of companies associated with the Dorrs, apparently to cover financial trouble. In 1939 the Dorrs moved to Miles City, Montana and the Morton family operated the ranch as part of their extensive holdings, using the Dorr ranch house as an overseers residence. The ranch was finally sold to the Mortons in 1947, part of a 16,464-acre (6,663 ha) transaction.

Location

Bill, Converse County, Wyoming

Categories

AGRICULTUREEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Dorr Ranch listed on the National Register?

Dorr Ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 2014.

What type of historic resource is Dorr Ranch?

Dorr Ranch is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dorr Ranch?

The period of significance for Dorr Ranch is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1904.

Can I research the history near Dorr Ranch?

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