Photos: Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
The land that became the Empire Ranch outside of Sonoita, Ariz., was originally homesteaded in the 1870s. Along with the sale of the original 160 acres was a four-room adobe structure with no doors, windows and a dirt floor. Over the years the ranch house was expanded to 22 rooms. In 1988, land swaps brought the ranch under the control of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and with the help of the Empire Ranch Foundation have made an effort to restore and stabilize the ranch house. On March 23, 2019, the foundation is having an Milestone Celebration to celebrate a grand reopening of the building which will include tours of the house.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Men who drove 900 cattle to California in 1890. Left to right: Chapo Miranda, Jose Blas P. Lopez, George E. Lopez, Nestor [last name unknown], Francisco [last name unk], man in black outfit is Ranch Foreman Tom Turner, Jesus Elias, Rafael [last name unk], and rider in black on white horse is Edward L. Vail, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Owners of the Empire Ranch in Arizona in 1879: John H. Harvey (left), Edward L. Vail "The Tenderfoot" (center), and Walter L. Vail (right).
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
May 10, 1932 Hallway at Empire Ranch [shows covered saddle rack on house corral, from inside the ranch-house side; individuals in photo not identified]
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Ranch Upper corral, cattle in chute, cowboy on horse, 1900s, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Ranch Upper corral, cattle in chute, cowboy on horse, 1900s at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Aerial photo of Empire Ranch Headquarters, 1957
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Group of riders in North Corral, also a woman and child and a pack mule., ca. 1931, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
View of west side of Empire Ranch House. Old car parked near front porch, ca. 1931
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Branding, 1932, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Ranch house, far northwest view, 1880's, prior to pitched roof on original section at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
John Harvey with horse "Billy", west of zaguan in main corral; adobe corral wall, flat roof on Cooks Quarters. Ca. 1880 at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Working cattle, historic upper corral (pole fence, Margaret Vail on horse, view of ranch bldgs), pre 1885 at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Panorama view of Empire Ranch, from the east, upper corral, c. 1923
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
Delco plant, bay window, and dining room. ca. 1900, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
West view of Ranch, circa 1920. Man striding in foreground, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Empire Ranch restoration
Historian and archivist Alison Bunting, with the Empire Ranch Foundation, walks through one the four original bedrooms at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita. Dirt was the original flooring and as time went on, the room was used as a general store selling tobacco, food, leather materials and more using the honor system, she said. On March 23, 2019, the foundation is having a Milestone Celebration offering tours of the historic building.
Empire Ranch restoration
An old coffee can and box of smokes are on display at the old Empire Ranch headquarters. The Bureau of Land Management who oversees Las Cienegas National Conservation Area designated more than $1 million for the restoration of the old headquarters.
Empire Ranch restoration
One the four original bedrooms at the old Empire Ranch headquarters included a crude fireplace. Dirt was the original flooring and as time went on, the room was used as a general store.
Empire Ranch restoration
A badly decayed lintel, the beam over the zaguan, or breezeway, was given more support by reinforcing it with a metal place that is secured above. The zaguan separated the original rooms and it was the entryway for the corral in back of the house where the livestock and horses were first kept.
Empire Ranch restoration
Located in the zaguan, or breezeway, is the meat cooler at the old Empire Ranch headquarters. Because is was cool in the zaguan, a screened wooden structure was used to store butchered meat except in the summer. Wrapped in blankets and tarps the meat stayed cold especially in the winter.
Empire Ranch restoration
Standing in one of the original bedrooms Alison Bunting, a historian and archivist, points out the improvements made at the old Empire Ranch headquarters. Over the years the room was converted into a bedroom for some of the cowboys working on the ranch.
Empire Ranch restoration
An old safe, once owned by Walter Vail who was one of the original owners, is still on display in the office. Vail went to live in California but left without letting anyone know the combination or about its contents, but stories abound, said historian Alison Bunting. One thought, Bunting said, is it could contain liquor which Vail wanted to keep away from the cowboys working on the ranch.
Empire Ranch restoration
Now known as the Victorian Addition that was built by ranching partner John Harvey in 1881, it featured a picture window for his new bride that has since been modified. However, the newlyweds lived there for only a couple of months before dissolving the business partnership, said historian Alison Bunting.
Empire Ranch restoration
Inside the Victorian Addition that was built by partner John Harvey in 1881, it features a picture window for his new bride that has since been modified. The original floor was wood but nesting skunks underneath prompted the Vail’s, who later moved into the addition, to replace it with concrete.
Empire Ranch restoration
The master bathroom in the Victorian Addition still has some of the original fixtures at the old Empire Ranch headquarters.
Empire Ranch restoration
Before the renovation of the Children's Addition, which was built out of wood around 1886, it was unsafe to enter because flooring needed to be reinforced at the old Empire Ranch headquarters.
Empire Ranch restoration
The exterior of the original adobe building at the Empire Ranch headquarters was built around 1871 and is outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019. It went from four rooms, with no windows, doors and a dirt floor to 22 rooms. The Bureau of Land Management who oversees Las Cienegas National Conservation Area designated more than $1 million for the restoration of the old headquarters. The project included the excavation and stabilization of the foundation for the original buildings, which were built around 1871.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Scaffolding surrounds the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
As old gas pump on the grounds near the adobe barn at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Nate Lespron drills out damaged adobe near a window lintel at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Undated photo of Empire Ranch, likely from mid-1950s
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
"Mac" was the foreman at Empire Ranch prior to 1900.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Cattle at Empire Ranch ca. 1900.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Empire Ranch and Adobe hay barn, west view, ca. 1880.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
1936 Roundup 1,000 cattle at Empire Ranch.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
The adobe barn, left, and horse corrals, right, at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Stabilization work underway at the ranch house of the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
The south barn and windmill at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
A starred flare appears as sunlight peeks through a hole in the Aermotor windmill tail at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Eric Means points out the weather patina layers on the interior walls at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
A sign for the Heritage Discover Trail frames the "hired man's house" at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
A view of the south barn and windmill in the framing of the adobe barn at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Eric Means, right, and Derrick Hack troubleshoot an issue while installing a steel bond beam in the gabled crawlspace above the original ranch house ceiling at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means' company, Means Design and Building, has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Jarvis Juan works on preparing the exterior adobe wall to accept a new plaster layer at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Eric Means lifts a tarp to show the late-1800s adobe construction of the foreman's quarters at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means' company, Means Design and Building, has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Eric Means, left, takes a cell phone picture as Nep Lespron readies exterior adobe wall to accept new protective plaster at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Mike Trubman, with the Black Mesa Interagency Hotshot Crew, radioes his fellow firefighters as he conducts mop-op work along Cienega Creek in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area about three miles northeast of Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017 in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Damage from the Sawmill Fire in the riparian area near Empire Ranch in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area on May 2, 2017, north of Sonoita, Ariz. The majority of mature foliage, including cottonwoods, but further evaluation is needed to determine the trees' fate.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
A burned electrical pole smolders east of Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017, burning in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
As the wind kicks up, what might normally be a dust devil becomes an ash devil in the charred landscape near Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017, burning in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
A Wolf Mountain hotshot crew packs in to mop up areas along Cienega Creek east of Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017, burning in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Rainbow over Empire Ranch
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Rancher Mac Donaldson rounds up cattle on the Empire Ranch on April 17, 2008 near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Old stone house at Empire Ranch in 1977.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Cienega Creek near the Empire Ranch in 1966.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Cienega Creek near the Empire Ranch in 1966.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Empire Ranch stage coach stop in 1966. The enclosure protected passengers from Apache Indian raids.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
The Empire Ranch house, shown in 1966, which featured four rooms overlooking the Sonoita Hills.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
The original stone corral at Empire Ranch in 1966.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Empire Ranch interior in 1977.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Empire Ranch interior in 1977.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
The 1959 Western "Last Train from Gun Hill" stars Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn and was filmed at the Empire Ranch in Sonoita.
A brief history of the Empire Ranch outside Sonoita.
The renovation of the historic Empire Ranch headquarters is complete, ready for grand reopening.