Empire Ranch Foundation

The Empire Ranch Foundation (ERF) is a non-profit all-volunteer organization established in 1997.  Acting in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Foundation is dedicated to protect, restore and sustain the 150-year old Empire Ranch historical buildings and landscape as an outstanding western heritage and education center. 

The Empire Ranch is magnificently situated in the high Sonoran Desert and rolling grasslands of Arizona, approximately 50 miles southeast of Tucson, and 10 miles north of Sonoita.  The Empire Ranch House is a 29-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 45,000-acre Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, on public lands acquired and administered since 1988 by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The Foundation's long history of preservation and educational activities are described in detail on the Foundation's website, www.empireranchfoundation.org

The Empire Ranch Foundation funds its projects through the support of members, individuals and businesses, through public, corporate and foundation contributions and grants, and through proceeds from special fundraising events. The Foundation also sponsors Volunteer Days to ensure continuation of preservation projects and general maintenance of the Ranch House and grounds.

Preservation of the Empire Ranch House and other buildings is a primary mission of the Foundation. Major stabilization repairs of the Ranch House and Stone Corral were completed in 2001/2002.  Subsequent major projects have focused on stabilization and repair of the ranch headquarters' historic Adobe Hay Barn and Ranch Hand's House, the ranch house Victorian Addition's west gable wall, the South Barn, Mechanic's Shed, and other buildings, development of an interpretive historical house museum, completion of a self-guided Heritage Discovery Trail, and educational programs to augment classroom learning about the natural and cultural history of the region.

The Empire Ranch Foundation addresses the western heritage and education focus of our mission through sponsorship of an annual Cowboy Festival in November and National Day of the Cowboy celebration in July for the general public, and a "Legacy Day" field day of on-site ranching education for local middle school children in May.

A Brief History: The Empire Ranch was originally established in the 1860's as a ranch of 160 acres with a four-room adobe ranch house and adjoining corral.  Owned by Edward Nye Fish, a Tucson businessman, the ranch was acquired in 1876 by Walter L. Vail, a native of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and Herbert Hislop, an Englishman.  

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 29-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. 

Beginning in 1950, Hollywood production companies filmed of a number of classic western movies and TV shows on and around the Empire Ranch including Red River, Oklahoma!, 3:10 to Yuma, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke.

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 45,000 acres to be Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.

Today, volunteers from all backgrounds and interests are dedicated to keeping the Empire Ranch open and accessible for future generations. Please consider supporting the Foundation by making a donation today.