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About the Empire Ranch
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| Location The Empire Ranch is magnificently situated in the high Sonoran Desert and rolling grasslands of Arizona, approximately 50 miles southeast of Tucson. The Empire Ranch House is a 22-room adobe and wood frame building which dates to 1870 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The ranch sits at the heart of the 42,000-acre Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, on public lands acquired and administered since 1988 by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tucson Office. Directions: From Tucson go east on I-10, exit ramp 281 and go south on Route 83 for approximately 18 miles. Go left (east) at the entrance sign for the Empire Cienega Resource Area, between mile post 40 and 39. Follow dirt road 3 miles to Empire Ranch on your left.
History Over the next 20 years, as a part of the historic expansion of ranching, railroads, mining and other growth in the West, Vail and various partners expanded the original land holdings to include over one million acres. The ranch house became an extended complex with more than 22-rooms and many related structures, and remained a Vail family enterprise until 1928. In 1928, the Empire Ranch was purchased by the Boice, Gates and Johnson partnership, successor to the Chiricahua Cattle Co., when their cattle had to be moved from the San Carlos Indian Reservation. The Boices were respected cattlemen known for their promotion of the Hereford breed of cattle in the Southwest. Partner Frank Boice and his family lived on and managed the Empire Ranch, and became sole owners in 1951. During their tenure they also hosted Hollywood production companies for the filming of a number of classic western movies. In 1969 the lands were sold to Gulf American Corporation for a proposed real estate development, and later resold to Anamax Mining Company for mining and water potential. None of these developments materialized, however, and to this day the lands and ranch headquarters have supported only cattle operations. In the 1980s a groundswell of public support developed to preserve the ranch and its natural resources in their pristine condition. In 1988 a series of land exchanges put the property into public ownership under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a division of the U.S. Department of Interior. In 2000, the U.S. Congress officially designated these 42,000 acres to be Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. The Empire Ranch Foundation was established as a private non-profit organization in 1997 to work with the BLM to develop private support to preserve the ranch buildings and enhance the educational and recreational opportunities it offers to the general public. The Foundation has developed a number of educational pamphlets on Empire Ranch history. Click on links below to download: Visitor and Community Activities The Empire Ranch House and Headquarters is the site of special events and tours hosted by the Foundation, including a Fall Roundup Open House, educational Legacy Day and Hands on the Land day camp events for youngsters, and a membership pot luck lunch. In addition, the Foundation holds a Winter "Empire 100" Western Art Show and Sale, in Tucson.
Preservation, Restoration and Reuse -Restoration of the Ranch House as a historic house museum; -Establishment of a self-guided Heritage Trail linking the historic buildings, natural landscape and ecology of the ranch; and -Development of educational programs for all ages, especially programs for children to augment classroom learning about the natural and cultural history of the region.
Western Heritage and Education Center
A self-guided Heritage Discovery Trail is under construction at Ranch Headquarters; the first segment of the trail will be completed in October 2007.
Archives Newsletter
Membership
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Empire Ranch Foundation | P.O. Box 842, Sonoita, AZ 85637 |
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| Membership Send e-mail correspondence to: info@empireranchfoundation.org |
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