Pete French Round Barn

The Pete French Round Barn near Burns in southeastern Oregon was built in the late 1870s or early 1880s for cattle rancher Peter French as a winter facility for training and breaking horses. Its rare circular design centered on a rock wall of local stone and mud that enclosed the stable, with lumber hauled about 60 miles forming the rest of the structure. Juniper posts supported a covered circular track where horses could be exercised in harsh weather. Hundreds of horses, and sometimes as many as a thousand, passed through each year. Once one of several such barns in the area, it is the only survivor and remains largely unchanged.

Crane, Oregon · United States