The San Rafael Ranch, formerly known as the Greene Ranch, is a historic

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

located in the

San Rafael Valley The San Rafael Valley is a high intermontane grass valley in eastern Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The valley is bounded to the west by the Patagonia Mountains, to the north and northeast by the Canelo Hills and to the east by the Huachuca Mountain ...

about a mile and a half north of

Lochiel, Arizona Lochiel is a populated place and former border crossing in southern Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States, approximately 25 miles east of Nogales. Basically a ghost town, the townsite is located in the southwestern part of the San Rafael Val ...

, near the international border with

Sonora, Mexico Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

History

The land that is now the San Rafael Ranch was originally an old

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

land grant called San Rafael de la Zanja, which was sold to the

cattle baron Cattle baron is a historic term for a local businessman and landowner who possessed great power or influence through the operation of a large ranch with many beef cattle. Cattle barons in the late 19th century United States were also sometimes re ...

Colin Cameron and a few of his partners in the 1880s. Cameron built a two-story house to live in soon after, but it burned to the ground Christmas Eve when it caught fire from a candle Christmas tree in 1899. A year later Cameron built a new three-story brick house, even larger and more luxurious than the original, although he lived in it for only a short time. After losing a legal battle to his neighbor over land rights in 1903, Cameron decided the ranch was not worth the trouble and sold it to his rival. Colonel

William Cornell Greene Colonel William Cornell Greene (August 26, 1852 – August 5, 1911) was an American businessman who was famous for discovering rich copper reserves in Cananea, Mexico, and for founding the Greene Consolidated Copper Company in 1899. By 1905, G ...

, who owned the large copper mines to the southeast, in

Cananea, Sonora Cananea is a city in the Mexican state of Sonora, Northwestern Mexico. It is the seat of the Municipality of Cananea, in the vicinity of the U.S−Mexico border. The population of the city was 31,560 as recorded by the 2010 census. The pop ...

. Colonel Greene acquired many properties over the years, including some 600,000 acres of ranch land on both sides of the international border. The San Rafael Ranch House became the headquarters for the Greene Cattle Company, which raised tens-of-thousands of

hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

cattle that Collin Cameron brought from New York and horses to go with them. The Greene Cattle Company was so successful it even attracted the attention of

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''. ; ;

, who raided the San Rafael Ranch for horses on more than one occasion in the early 1910s. Colonel Greene died in 1911 and the ranch was inherited by his daughter, Florence Sharp, and her husband. In the early 1950s, the ranch acquired national attention when it was selected as the filming location for the classic Western film "

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

", starring

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who pl ...

and

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

. Shortly thereafter, Florence Sharp and her family began the long process of having the ranch house and surrounding rangeland preserved for future generations. The ranching era finally came to an end in 1998, following the death of Florence Sharp and the sale of the ranch to

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

. In 1999

Arizona State Parks } An Arizona state park is an area of land in the U.S. state of Arizona preserved by the state for its natural, cultural, or recreational resources. The state park system in Arizona includes both state parks and state historic parks, as well as ...

purchased 3,557 acres of the property, including the ranch house, for use as a Natural Area. Arizona State Parks also purchased a conservation easement on the remainder of the original ranch. The San Rafael Ranch includes 18,500 deeded acres and a grazing preference established in 1999 on the natural area held by Arizona State Parks. In 2008, the ranch headquarters was designated a National Historic District, but it is currently not open to the public.

Historic district

The historic district consists of the main ranch house and several ancillary buildings including a machine/blacksmith shop, two barns, corrals, and other structures used in livestock operations. The district is significant both for the

French Colonial French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architecture ...

Revival style of the ranch house, unusual for a rural ranch in Arizona; and as an example of the ranching industry in Arizona from 1884 to 1957.

Gallery

File:WilliamCornellGreene.jpg, Colonel William Cornell Greene, owner of the San Rafael Ranch and the Greene Cattle Company. File:Barn & Corral San Rafael Ranch Arizona 2014.JPG, The barn and the corral next to the San Rafael Ranch House. File:Old Farm Equipment San Rafael Ranch Arizona 2014.JPG, Old farm equipment. File:Arizona State Parks Truck San Rafael Ranch Arizona 2014.JPG, An Arizona State Parks truck.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places History of Santa Cruz County, Arizona Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Santa Cruz County, Arizona Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz County, Arizona 1884 establishments in Arizona Territory Houses completed in 1900

History

Historic district

Gallery

See also

References