The Keys Ranch is the prime example of early settlement in the

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (''Yucca brevifolia'') native to the Mojave Desert. Origin ...

area. Bill Keys was the area's leading character, and his ranch is a symbol of the resourcefulness of early settlers. The ranch is an extensive complex of small frame buildings built between 1910 and Keys' death in 1964. Keys pursued both ranching and mining to make a living in the desert. William F. Keys was born at

Palisade, Nebraska Palisade is a village in Hayes and Hitchcock counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The population was 294 at the 2020 census. History Palisade was established at its current site in 1882, when the railroad was extended to that point. It wa ...

, in 1879. After working as a ranch hand and smelter worker, he was a deputy sheriff in Mohave County, Arizona. During a time in

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

, he befriended Death Valley Scotty, becoming involved in a swindle that resulted in the so-called "Battle of Wingate Pass". He arrived in the

Twentynine Palms, California Twentynine Palms (also known as 29 Palms) is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Twentynine Palms serves as one of the entry points to Joshua Tree National Park. History Twentynine Palms was named for the palm trees found there in ...

area in 1910. In the area that became Joshua Tree National Park, he became acquainted with local outlaw and cattle rustler Jim McHaney, taking care of him in declining health. Keys eventually took over McHaney's properties after McHaney's death, gradually expanding what became the Desert Queen, its name borrowed from the nearby

Desert Queen Mine The Desert Queen Mine in the Colorado Desert was one of the more long-lived gold mines of Southern California's high desert region. The abandoned mine is located in Riverside County, California within the boundaries of the Joshua Tree Nationa ...

. Keys married Francis M. Lawton in 1918, and they had seven children together, three of whom died and were buried at the ranch. During a dispute over the Wall Street Mill, Keys shot and killed Worth Bagley. Keys was convicted of murder and went to

San Quentin Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...

, where Keys educated himself in the library. Keys was paroled in 1950 and was pardoned in 1956 through the efforts of

Erle Stanley Gardner Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1889 – March 11, 1970) was an American lawyer and author. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, but he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces and also a series of nonfiction b ...

, author of the

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

novels. Mining equipment at the ranch includes an

arrastra An arrastra (or arastra) is a primitive mill for grinding and pulverizing (typically) gold or silver ore. Its simplest form is two or more flat-bottomed drag stones placed in a circular pit paved with flat stones, and connected to a center post ...

and a stamp mill for ore processing. Other buildings include an adobe barn, a schoolhouse, a tack shed, machine shed, cemetery and a variety of houses and cabins. Desert Queen Ranch - Panorama

Park rangers provide guided walking tours of the ranch from October through May. Tours are limited in size and should be booked in advance.

Gallery

File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_school_house_1.jpg, School house File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_school_house_2.jpg, School house File:Keys Ranch guest house.jpg, Guest house File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_gold_mill.jpg, Oxen pulled mill used to crush ore during gold extraction File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_Closed_Area_sign.jpg, Closed area no trespassing sign File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_crane.jpg, Flood control wall and crane used to build it File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_Fordson_1.jpg, Fordson tractor detail File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_Fordson_2.jpg, Fordson tractor attached to circular saw File:Desert_Queen_Ranch_-_Willy's_Jeep.jpg, Willys Jeep

References

External links

Keys Ranch Guided Walking Tour
- official site at

Keys Ranch: Where Time Stood Still
- National Park Service historic lesson article * * * * * * * * * * * *
Digital Desert 360 immersive image of the Desert Queen Ranch
{{Authority control National Register of Historic Places in Joshua Tree National Park Historic house museums in California Museums in San Bernardino County, California National Register of Historic Places in San Bernardino County, California Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in California Historic American Buildings Survey in California Historic American Engineering Record in California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California 1894 establishments in California

Gallery

See also

References

External links