Almost in the heart of the valley, a mile or more directly south from Express station, is the fine home and valuable farm of W. G. Ayre, the sheep king of this region. He located in these parts something over thirteen years ago, coming from the far east alone and settling upon the sage brush land, upon which there were only limited improvements. His farm, immediately in the valley, now produces hundreds of tons of hay annually. Upon it he has erected a large and well built dwelling and added commodious barns and every needed improvement, until it is one of the most perfectly equipped farms subservient to a wool growing proposition in this or any other country. In addition to this valley ranch, Mr. Ayre has another farm of several hundred acres, about five miles distant, which he uses chiefly for bay growing and sheep breeding. It is also well improved and entirely under fence. Mr. Ayre owns thousands of sheep, which he pastures about nine months of the year upon government land. The balance of the year, running from 60 to 100 days, sheep have to be fed. In common with most sheep owners Mr. Ayre is a strong protectionist, and also a republican, but he is hardly the kind of a man that can be dragged in through mere partisan bias to support any public policy which is clearly at variance with his own and the public weal.
Fraternally he is a member of Baker City Lodge No. 47, A. F. and A. M. and the Elks.
