The Ryan House and Lost Horse Well are historic ruins in Joshua Tree National Park, California, United States. It was established by the family of

J.D. Ryan J.D. Ryan was a Montana rancher and pioneer mining operator in Joshua Tree National Park. The popular park destination Ryan Mountain is named after him. Ryan was a wealthy rancher who in 1895, bought out one of the main mining interests in the a ...

, the later developers of the Lost Horse Mine, which became the most profitable mine in the area. The Lost Horse Well at the Ryan Ranch supplied water to the

Lost Horse Mine Lost Horse Mine is a historic gold and silver mine in the Lost Horse Valley of 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 ...

, south and , by pipeline. The six-room house was built as an

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

residence in 1896 with later wood frame additions. It was destroyed by fire August 12, 1978. Originally roughly , the ruin has three rooms, each measuring wide and long. Adobe walls sit on stone masonry foundation, and there are concrete stoops on the north and south sides. There is a small stone fireplace located on the east side of the house. A small cemetery is near the ranch with about 10 graves.

References

* Adobe buildings and structures in California National Register of Historic Places in Joshua Tree National Park Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Riverside County, California 1890s architecture in the United States Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California Water wells in the United States Water supply infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places {{RiversideCountyCA-NRHP-stub