Pole Creek Ranch was first cultivated in 1885 by Mr. Wilt and Mr. Wyman, who dug the first irrigation canal in the area. At the time, Sisters consisted of little more than an abandoned Civil War-era militia camp on a newly finished wagon trail connecting western to central Oregon.

Maida Rossiter-Bailey (1898-1971) and her husband, Meredith Bailey, Jr. purchased the ranch in 1918, naming it the VU Ranch (pronounced “view”), hoping to capitalize on the bustling local sheeping economy.

Maida was a woman far ahead of her time. With a BA from Cornell, she worked at the Stanford University Library while earning a graduate degree from UC Berkeley from 1905-1912.

Her adventurous and risk-taking personality eventually took her to Portland, Oregon, where she served as Dean of Women at Reed College and met her future husband, Meredith. The pair eventually conceived their adventure in Central Oregon to pursue Meredith's lifelong dream of owning a sheep ranch.

A fixture of the Sisters community, Maida was a progressive agriculturist and passionate believer in education. Her financial and organizational contribution to the first library in Sisters, as well as her importance to the community in general, are still recognized by the Sisters library, dedicated in her honor.

In the early 60’s, Maida welcomed an energetic and passionate young couple to her ranch. They enthusiastically expressed a vision of lush green pastures that could replace the dry sagebrush and tumbleweed sheep fields. It is likely that this couple reminded Maida of herself and Meredith in their younger days. In 1968, Maida sold the ranch to Kay and Richard Patterson who immediately transformed the dry fields into a new Eden where they bred and raised some of the world's most prized Arabian horses.

Richard had a penchant for the exotic. Over the decades, he popularized breeding once-exotic animals in the US, including llamas, elk, and camels. There was even an experimental kangaroo breeding program and plans in the ranch vault for a giraffe habitat!

While his breeding programs for llamas and Arabian horses became world-renowned, Richard was best known by the local community for his commitment to his stately elk breeding program which drew interest from around the Northwest, enshrining the ranch in local lore as “the Elk Ranch.”

In 2017, having achieved more than Maida could have ever dreamed plus a few things she might have deemed downright strange, Richard decided to bestow stewardship of the ranch to a new passionate young family with a progressive vision, just as Maida had done decades before.

Like many locals, the Cole family had long admired and appreciated the ranch for it’s inspiring legacy, community contributions, and of course, the view. Preservationists at heart, and supported by a progressive vision, the Cole family is committed to honoring this historic ranch by raising premium red angus cattle, employing regenerative agricultural practices, and preserving its views for the Sisters community.

Pole Creek Ranch is a landmark and legacy to the City of Sisters, to Central Oregon, and to all Oregonians. It is a rare green jewel in an increasingly subdivided world. The previous stewards of this ranch ensured that it would enrich anyone who touches it. The Coles are committed to preserving that legacy.