Walking Box Ranch, west of

Searchlight, Nevada Searchlight is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, at the topographic saddle between two mountain ranges. At the 2020 census it had a population of 445. History According to U.S. Sen ...

in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

, was founded in 1931 by the actors

Rex Bell Rex Bell (born George Francis Beldam; October 16, 1903 – July 4, 1962) was an American actor and politician. Bell primarily appeared in Western films during his career. He also appeared in the 1930 movie '' True to the Navy'', starring Clar ...

and

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

as a working ranch. The ranch covered at the time it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on January 30, 2009. The ranch includes four buildings and is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Over the years, Bell and Bow entertained many notable Hollywood figures, including

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

, Carole Lombard,

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

, and Lionel Barrymore.

History

The Walking Box Ranch was purchased by Bell from the Rock Springs Cattle Company. The company owned in the Mojave Desert.

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 Nat ...

purchased of land that surrounded the Walking Box Ranch in June 1994. The Walking Box Ranch was purchased by Las Vegas Gaming Investments in 2000 for $950,000. The Bureau of Land Management purchased the ranch and surrounding ranch site in 2005 using funds from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA.) SNPLMA is also funding the restoration activities which include restoration of the ranch house, stabilization of other structures and infrastructure to support a museum. Listing on the

was one of the goals set out in April 2006 by the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

, and the Bureau of Land Management, co-managers of the property. The listing was awarded on January 30, 2009.

References

{{Nevada State Historic Places/Clark History of the Mojave Desert region National Register of Historic Places in Clark County, Nevada Buildings and structures in Clark County, Nevada Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada