William Danforth “Bill” Hanley
By Steve Lent, Crook County Historian
William Hanley was born in Jacksonville, Oregon on February 8, 1861. He grew up on his parents’ farm. He moved to Harney County, Oregon in 1879. He was joined by his two brothers John and Ed. They purchased some land near Burns. The home ranch was known as the Bell A Ranch. It included 6,700 acres and could mostly be irrigated. His brothers later moved to Alaska. Bill married Clara Cameron on July 6, 1892. Clara was born on Sept. 15, 1868.
Bill, as he was commonly known, in 1903 acquired the Double O Ranch near Harney Lake for $6.00 an acre. This added another 16,000 acres to his holdings. The ranch also included access to several thousand acres of government grazing He purchased additional ranches and it was reported that his cattle operations covered 200,000 acres including deeded land and land leased for grazing. His holdings at one time was considered one of the largest privately owned cattle operations in the United States. He became known as a “Cattle King”.
The Hanley’s were progressive minded, and they became famous for their ranch hospitality. He was acquainted with many prominent individuals and politicians. He was often referred to as a pioneer, philosopher and one of the most prosperous men on the Pacific Coast. He was instrumental in influencing James J. Hill to build a rail line to Central Oregon in 1911 He unsuccessfully ran for a U.S. Senator position and for the Governor of Oregon.
His property included wetlands along Silver Creek and Harney Lake that supported a variety of wildlife. He had an interest in conserving the habitat for wildlife on the riparian zones. The Malheur Wildlife Refuge was established in 1908 and included portions of the P Ranch and Sod House Ranch that once belonged to Pete French. After Hanley’s death his widow sold a large portion of the Double O Ranch to the refuge to expand its preservation of wildlife habitat. A historic district was established as the Double O Station in 1982.
William related his life story to Anne Shannon Monroe who authored the book Feelin’ Fine. He died on Sept. 15, 1935. Clara lived on for several years and passed away on March 2, 1954. They are both buried in the Burns Cemetery in Burns, Oregon.