1854Gadsden Purchase from Mexico acquiresEmpire Ranch lands as part of U.S.Anglo-American settlers begin to occupySonoita Valley

1861Civil War Begins Confederacy forms ConfederateTerritory of Arizona largely out ofGadsden purchase lands

1862

1863Union createsArizona Territory outof western half ofNew Mexico Territory

Civil War ends

1863

1865

Original Empire Ranch Housepainting by Bruce Andre, 2002

1870

1876Partners Walter Vail, Herbert Hislop,(and later John Harvey) purchase Fish’s160-acre Empire Ranch for $2,000

1876

1871Edward Nye Fishlikely occupied EmpireRanch and original4-room EmpireRanch House (Rooms1-4, 6), which may havebeen constructedby Fish or possibly earlier

1881Margaret Newhall marries Walter Vail and moves to Empire Ranch

1882Empire Land & CattleCo. created, with WalterVail as principal shareholder.

1884

1882Railroad line completedthrough Sonoita Valley

1882

1877Camp Huachucaestablished asArmy Outpost

1691

1848 Mexican-AmericanWar ends

1821 Mexico winsindependencefrom Spain

1849California GoldRush begins

Vail family photoscourtesy L.V. Ingram

1878-1881Victorian addition is enlarged

Jesuit Father EusebioFrancisco Kino explores Southern Arizona, begin-ning Spanish presence in the region.

Homestead Act passedby U.S. Congress

1881Gunfight at OK CorralTombstone AZ

Margaret Vail, sidesaddle,views cattle branding(ca. 1884)

John Harvey, Edward Vail, andWalter Vail, 1879 photo courtesyArizona Historical Society

1878Partner John Harveybuilds home (Rooms22 and 23) for hisfuture bride

1878-79Rear Addition & StoneCorral constructed(Rooms 10-18, 30)

The History of the Empire Ranch

Foreman'sQuarters

CowboyCook'sWing

1871Original Fish House

1878Rear Addition

1878-81Victorian Addition

1878 Stone Corral,

1886Children’s Addition

1

2

3

4 6

10 89

11

1213

14 16

1815

3027

28 26

25

24232229

19 20 2117

Santa Fe

Phoenix

Las Cruces

Alamogordo

TucsonYuma

Sierra Vista

EMPIRE RANCH

GADSDEN PURCHASE

Childrensadditioncompleted onmain house

1886 1894

1896Vail family, with 6 children,relocates to Los Angeles tobetter manage Vail Co.’sCalifornia holdings

1890

1920 Laura Perry Vail withchildren Dusty and Tom

1896 1900

1906Walter Vail killed in Los Angelesstreetcar accident. Carroll Gates and heirs continuemanagement of of Vail Cattle Co.

1920'sBanningVail oncuttingchute

1918World War I ends

By 1925, new concretefloors laid, master bathadded, ranch hand’shouse and other outbuildings added.

1929Frank Seymour Boicemanages EmpireRanch; he and wifeMary make it theirhome

1912Arizona becomesa state

1928Vail Co. sells Empire Ranch to ChiricahuaCattle Co. (CCC) (Henry G., FrankSeymour, and Charles Boice partners)

19291906 1925

1913Banning Vail becomes EmpireRanch Manager & marries Tucsonnative Laura Perry

1916Pancho Villaraids Columbus,New Mexico

1907Son Wm. Banning Vail sentto ranch to learn thebusiness

1928Banning Vail family, with 3 children,relocates toLos Angeles

1896 McFaddin becomes Empire Ranch foreman

Vail boys Russell,Walter and Banningca. 1896

Looking Southeast at Ranch House, 1880's

Vail family photocourtesy of L.V. Ingram

Vail family photo courtesy of L.V. Ingram

1900H. Heffner, Ranch Manager,in front of the 2-story corralbunkhouse that has sinceburned

1898 SpanishAmerican War

1890Ned Vail and Empireforeman Tom Turnerdrive cattle overland toCalifornia to defeatSouthern Pacific R.R.rate increase

Vail Empire Ranch Brands

1930 1934 19561948 19691945 1951

1949Frank Seymour Boiceand Mary Boice in grouproundup photo photo courtesy Boice family

1934Taylor Grazing Actpassed to regulateaccess for grazingon public lands

1930s Some room uses arerevised under Boicemanagement(Rooms 1, 3, 8, 12,14, 16, 23)

Pancho and Bob Boice intulip garden west ofscreened porch, 1930sphoto courtesy Boice family

1948John Wayne and Boices in publicity picture,

World War II ends

Red River is among Hollywood Westernsfilmed on the Empire

1951Frank Seymour and MaryBoice become sole ownersof Empire Ranch. They modernize kitchen(Room 17), living room(Room 20), and dining room(Room 21) including loweringceilings and replacing windowsand sashes and installingpaneling

Garden and pool area, Lushgreenery on bay window and rearaddition1950s

1948Cowboy bathroom (Room 7) and Cooksbathroom (Room 9) are added

1960Anthony Quinn, Bob & Mary Bowman, Mary Boice,and Hal Wallace on site for filming Last Train fromGun Hill photo courtesy Mary Bowman

Tack Room and snubbing post, 1950sphoto courtesy Boice Family

1956Frank Seymour Boice dies; sonsFrank S., Jr. (Pancho) with his wifeSherry, and Bob Boice with wifeMiriam assume management

1958Mary Boice relocates, after whichmain Ranch House is used by ranchemployees. It is no longer the primaryresidence of ranch operators

1969 Gulf American Corp. purchases Empire Ranch for proposed real estate development Boice family continues to ranch the Empire under lease

1958

photo courtesy S. Boicephotos courtesy Boice family

Korean War ends1953

1950Windmill and water tank moved to present location from west sideof Adobe Hay Barn

Boice Brands

1972 19761974 1988 20001999

1993Mac Donaldson, Tom McCoy, Fernando Leon, John Donaldsonand Juan Tellez, Empire Ranch cowboys atstone corral

1988U.S. Bureau of Land Management(BLM) acquires Empire Ranch, administered as Empire-CienegaResource Conservation Area.Donaldson’s ranching leaseand use of headquarterscontinues

1997Empire Ranch Foundation (ERF)and its partnership with BLMis created for purposes of preserving and interpretingthe ranch headquarters

1999Learn and Serve programrecruits and trains youthvolunteers who work topreserve 70 windows anddoors and other features

.2001Statistical Research, Inc. (SRI) awardedlong term contract for Empire Ranchpreservation repairs and planning

Las Cienegas NationalConservation Areadesignated by U.S. Congress

2000ERF match of funds for$95K Millennium Grantcompleted

2002Action Plan repairs toRanch House completed,Stone Corral preservationproject completed,Windmill repaired,Electrical goes underground

2001 First ERF Western ArtShow. First Spring Trail Ride

1976Empire Ranch House is listed in theNational Register of Historic Places(submission by Marjorie Wilson,Historian, Arizona State Parks)

1975John Donaldson leasesEmpire Ranch from Anamax,lives in Huachuca House, usingthe main Ranch House forhousing cowboys and visitors

1974Anamax Mining Co. purchases the EmpireRanch from GulfAmerican, Boice familylease is discontinued and cattle sold

1972Pancho Boice’s sonSteve assumes ranchmanagement

1973Pancho Boice killedin plane accident

1993 John Donaldson atscales, weighing calves

1993John and Mac Donaldsongathering cattle for Fallroundup

1990Americorps volunteers install cedar shingles onVictorian Addition roof,and make other repairs

(photos courtesy Donaldson family)

2003Major emergencyrepairs to RanchHands Houseand Haybarn

2015

First annual EmpireRanch Roundup &Open House is held

Empire Ranch Housedesignated an officialproject in SaveAmerica’s Treasures program

$95K MillenniumMatching Grantawarded.

2004First annual “Legacy Day” for areastudents held on the Ranch; Phase II AdobeHay Barn emergency repairs completed;Adaptive Reuse Plan documented

2015

Donaldson Brands

2005-2007First “Shoot-out” held for artists; first Wild About the Grasslands! youth summer camp held; phase one of Heritage Discovery Trail installed; Volunteer Days reinstituted; Phase III Adobe Hay Barn emergency repairs completed; new water system and public restroom installed; emergency repairs to South Barn and to Victorian Addition West Gable completed; Mechanic’s Shed roof repaired; old carpet, asbestos tile and linoleum removed, living and dining rooms in the Victorian Addition patched and painted.

2008-2010Donaldson family’s ranching lease assumed by the Tomlinson family; structural and seismic assessment study of four buildings of the Empire Ranch Headquarters completed; Lintel at the south end of the Zaguan restored; windmill replaced; Heritage Discovery Trailsignage and benches installed; nomination of the Empire Ranch Headquarters as a National RegisterHistoric District submitted.

2011-2015Phased emergency repairs and long term preservation and adaptive reuse improvements made to Empire Ranch House interior and exterior, and to key outlying buildings; progressive expansion of interpretive exhibits and youth and community education programs and events.

BACK TO THE FUTURE