The Shire occupies a 75-acre waterfront site in Skamania County, Washington, in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge and directly across the river from Multnomah Falls. The Shire is a carefully designed landscape with a sculpted lawn, a series of meadows, wetlands, vista points, river bays, and walking paths which John Yeon created over a period of time from 1965 to 1994. He purchased the property in 1965 to protect it from possible industrial development.

The Shire is a center for Pacific Northwest landscape studies. It provides an educational site for the study of landscape preservation, design, ecology, and management, creating opportunities for individuals and study groups to research landscape architecture, planning, conservation and preservation issues associated with the Columbia River Gorge, the Pacific Northwest region, and the nation.

The Shire: John Yeon Preserve for Landscape Studies was founded in 1995 by the John Yeon Trust with the gift of the The Shire and its endowment to the University of Oregon. The Shire is preserved as an outstanding example of landscape design.