45380 Main Street , Antelope, OR 97001(Wasco County)

In the 1980s, Antelope became known for being usurped by the cult of an Indian guru known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who attempted to build a planned community by purchasing the nearby 64,000 acre Big Muddy Ranch. From 1981-1985, the ranch, named Rajneeshpuram, was built with an airstrip into a fully functioning town to accommodate up to 7,000 residents. A battle between residents of Antelope and followers of Bhagwan gained national attention. Cult members essentially took over the town and renamed it Rajneesh. During this period, the Auction Property served as office and print shop for the paper, The Rajneesh Times. Followers left in 1986. Big Muddy Ranch was subsequently purchased and is now operated by Young Life as the Washington Family Ranch.

Seller purchased the auction property in 1995 for a part-time residence, and has restored the building, including adding a kitchen, full bathroom, and making other improvements. It became the Wild Wild Country Museum to tell the story of both early homesteaders to Central Oregons cattle country, and cult followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. In 2018, the Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country was released. The opening scene of the film features former Antelope mayor John Silvertooth in this building.

Sale of the auction property includes most furnishings and all early homestead and Rajneesh memorabilia collected by the Seller. See Supplemental Information Package for details. These items from Rajneesh are currently on loan to Bends High Desert Museum, to be part of the exhibit Imagine the World which will run January through October, 2022. Seller will assign these items to the new owner. A High Desert Museum Family Membership is included in the sale as well.

The Seller has reduced the price to $258,500 for the 3,000 square foot building with furnishings and museum memorabilia to accelerate a sale by year end, providing a rare opportunity to acquire a historic building one of two still intact in the Western United States built by the Ancient Order of United Workmen -- for a live/work property located in proximity to Central Oregons outdoor recreation, with fiber optic internet, that was featured in an Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary.

The two-story building is located at 45380 Main Street, near Antelope Post Office, and is a 20-minute drive from Highway 97, a major north-south route from Columbia River Gorge / I-84 to Bend, Oregon.

The 3,000 square foot building, constructed in 1898, has a stone foundation, all wood frame construction, and metal roof. It was originally used for social gatherings of ranching, mining, and railroad construction workers at the turn of the century. Nearby town of Shaniko, wool capital of the world in 1900, shipped carloads of stock and wool on the Columbia Southern Railroad which connected to the Union Pacific mainline at Biggs Junction.

The building has a double entry door with wood deck. The main level has been divided: museum space in front; kitchen, bathroom, and storage space in the rear. Floors are fir, and walls and ceiling are painted. Ceiling height is ten feet, with plenty of light from windows.

The second level is accessed by a stairway at end of the buildings main floor, by the kitchen. The second level has been divided and is being used for storage, but is the same size as the museums main level, and could be used for living quarters. A secondary access has been built, and a fire escape added. Floors are fir, and walls and ceiling are painted. Ten foot ceiling height is the same as the first floor.

There is a MPI Monitor 441 kerosene heater on the main floor. An above-ground tank is located on the north side of the property. The property is served by water provided by City of Antelope. A new on-site septic system is located on the south side of the building. Reliance Connects provides fiber optic internet, with a facility across the street.

The building is located on an irregularly shaped .66 acre lot, consisting of three tax lots. The lot has 50 feet of frontage on Main Street, and 184 feet on Wallace Street. There is an RV on the property on the south side of the building, providing $350 a month in rent. Two small storage sheds are located at the rear of the building. Annual real estate taxes are less than $400.

Commercial zoning allows mixed uses, and will possibly allow option to develop RV spaces at the rear of the building to take advantage of Antelopes history and location along Oregon Route 218, part of Journey Though Time Scenic Byway.

The combination of having a live/work opportunity in a historic building, with fiber optic internet, located within a 25-minute drive of John Day River one of Oregons prime fishing and rafting attractions -- and within a 90-minute drive of both Bend and Columbia River Gorge, is a rare value at $248,500, with added benefit of its history of being used by the Rajneesh community as featured in the Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country.

LOCATION: Township 8 South, Range 17 East, Section 5, Tax Lots 1200, 1400, 1500,

45380 Main Street, Antelope, Wasco County, Oregon