This cooperative effort to keep the undeveloped Valley was a unique project by Arizona State Parks and the Nature Conservancy. This new land conservation easement will protect the natural habitat with its rare native plants and animals. The public will enjoy traveling this natural area through a network of approximately 15 miles of county roads that enter the property from four points. Scenic driving and picture-taking of the Valley are all that is available now, but in the future nature walks, a historic house tour and other activities will be offered to the public on the southern portion of the property owned by Arizona State Parks.

The upper area includes the Santa Cruz River and part of an original 1825 Spanish land grant known as San Rafael de la Zanja. Since the time of the land grant, it has been known as one of the finest grassland areas in Arizona. As part of the Pimeria Alta, Northern Mexico, the land was under Spanish control until the 1854 Gadsden purchase.

The present land base of the ranch includes over 20,000 acres. The historic ranch house was built in 1900 by cattle rancher Colin Cameron and later acquired by William Greene in 1903 who had come to Tombstone in 1880. It was the fourth ranch headquarters, since 1884. Greene married Ella Roberts Moson and farmed along the San Pedro River near Hereford. In 1900 he acquired the Cananea mine and purchased the San Rafael Ranch in 1903. His daughter, Florence Sharp, later inherited the Cattle Company. The San Rafael Cattle Company and Ranch has been operated by the family for more than 95 years. This family protected the land and the wildlife through drought and pressure to develop, and it thrived because of them.

While the Nature Conservancy has purchased the ranch from the Sharp family, Arizona State Parks has purchased 3,550 acres of land on the lower section of the Ranch. The 17,000 acre "San Rafael de La Zanja" land grant above the ASP "fee simple" property is protected by a Conservation Easement which will assure the property is retained in its scenic, undeveloped, natural condition. It will also help protect the habitat for the many rare and unique native plants and animals found on the land.

Near the house is the barn, corrals and blacksmith shop with an assortment of tools associated with ranch work. Further down the hill is a pump house with a 20' well where a 50' high tower and wind pump are situated.

Predators found in the valley include black bear (Ursus americanus), bobcat (Felis rufus), coyote (Canis latrans) and mountain lion (Felis concolor). Many of these species use the valley as a migration corridor to travel between ranges, but others inhabit the valley floor. Jaguar (Felis onca), ocelot (Felis pardalis), arid Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) at one time probably used the valley as a migration corridor. Mexican wolves were sighted as recently as 1992 (Dupee 1992), and a jaguar was taken in the Patagonia Mountains in the 1960s.

Game birds found in the valley include Mearn's or montezuma, quail (Cyrtonyx montezumea), scaled quail (Callipepla squamata), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), and white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica). Gould's turkey, a southwestern subspecies of wild turkey (Meleagris galopavo) inhabits the Oak forests in the surrounding mountains. Waterfowl migrate through the valley in the spring and fall.

PLANTS
Huachuca Water-Umbel (Lilaeopsis Schaffneriana Recurva)
A tiny cienega plant occurring around only at a few springs and streamsides in the U.S.- Mexico borderlands. Federally endangered, highly safeguarded under the Arizona Native Plant Law, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Madrean Ladies'-Tresses (Spiranthes Delitescens)
A terrestrial orchid species with very limited distribution in the San Rafael Valley area; it may remain dormant for several years between blooms. Federally endangered, highly safeguarded under the Arizona Native Plant Law, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Wilcox Fishhook Cactus (Mammillaria Wrightii Wilcoxii)
A small, rare columnar cactus of the borderlands. Salvage restricted under the Arizona Native Plant Law

INVERTEBRATES
Huachuca Springsnail (Pyrgulopsis Thompsoni)
One of several springsnail species occurring on extremely limited habitats in Arizona, the Huachuca Springsnail is a federal Candidate species.

FISH
Gila Topminnow (Poeciliopsis Occidentalis Occidentalis)
Thought to have once been one of the most common fish of southern Arizona, the Gila topminnow is a federal endangered species, an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species

Gila Chub (Gila intermedia)
Native to the Santa Cruz River and its tributaries, the Gila Chub is now restricted to a few springs and relatively short river and stream segments in southern Arizona. It is a federal Candidate species, an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

AMPHIBIANS
Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Rana Chiricahuensis)
Lowland Leopard Frog (Rana Yavapaiensis)
Like other members of the leopard frog complex, both of these Arizona species are declining due to habitat loss and other reasons that are not fully understood. The Chiricahua leopard frog is a federal candidate species. Both are Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Tigrinum Stebbinsi)
The Sonoran Tiger Salamander is a subspecies known only from the San Rafael Valley. It is known to breed in stock ponds. Its population status is little known at present. It is a federal endangered species, an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

REPTILES
Western Green Rat Snake (Senticolis Triaspis Intermedia)
This snake occupies riparian areas in the wooded valley perimeter. It is a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Mexican Garter Snake (Thamnophis Eques Megalops)
The Mexican Garter Snake is found mainly in riparian/aquatic habitats where it feeds chiefly on frogs. It is an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Brown Vine Snake (Oxybelis Aneneus)
A mildly venomous climbing snake that feeds on shrub- and tree-dwelling lizards. It is an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

BIRDS
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter Gentilis)
A forest and woodland raptor that breeds locally in the Coronado National Forest, the Northern Goshawk may occasionally hunts for birds and rodents in the foothills of the valley. It is an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Sprague's Pipit (Anthus Spragueii)
A shortgrass prairie species that breeds in the U.S.-Canada border area of the great plains and winters in Texas, southeast Arizona and northern Mexico. It is an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Baird's Sparrow (Ammodramus Bairdii)
Another shortgrass prairie species that breeds in the northern great plains and winters in Texas, southeast Arizona and northern Mexico. It is also an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco Femoralis Septentrionalis)
A grassland falcon that nests in large yucca plants, the Aplomado falcon is now rare in northern Mexico and there have been no U.S. nests or confirmed sightings for many years. It is hoped this species may one day return to the valley. It is a federal endangered species, an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

MAMMALS
Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus Baileyi)
Considered extirpated from Arizona until recent reintroduction efforts, there have been persistent but unconfirmable reports of wolves in southeastern Arizona, and in the San Rafael Valley as recently as 1992. It is a federal endangered species, an Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Species of Concern, and a U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Species.

FIRST AND SECOND RANCH HOUSE
The first simple strip-form adobe house was on the site before 1884. After Cameron purchased it in 1884, he added seven rooms while living in that home. The second ranch house was built in the early 1880s by miners and Cameron enlarged it to ten rooms and moved into it. You can see the original base structure just to the East of the main house.

THIRD RANCH HOUSE
In 1882 Cameron built a new ranch home. This home was rectangular and very large. The main portion of this ranch house had two floors with a single-story service wing attached a rear corner of the structure. Around three sides, a broad porch with finished colonnettes extended, and brick chimneys with cornices and wood-trimmed sash windows were added refinements. There were fifteen rooms in this house including four baths. This third San Rafael house mysteriously burned on Christmas Eve of the year 1899. It was said that a Settlers Protective Association set fire to the house. Only a single chimney remained standing after the fire. Cameron moved his family back into the second ten room ranch house while planning his final home.

FOURTH RANCH HOUSE
Cameron's finale was built in 1900. The three story brick French Colonial style ranch house according to the Phoenix Republican newspaper, would be "the finest ranch house ever seen on a cattle ranch." This house is considered the best preserved brick ranch house in Arizona from the territorial period of 1863 to 1912. The brick mansion was made of the finest materials. The house is two stories high and contains thirty rooms with a full basement. On the outside the house resembles the French colonial mansion of Parlange in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana built around 1750. To express their personalities Colin and his wife diversified the interior patterns of the house.

On the upper side four dormer windows and four rectangular chimneys with double cornices penetrate the roof. Brick-arched windows embellished the exterior of the house, which was further ornamented by construction forms such as herringbone cross framing and post and beam joints. A gardener's shed for equipment was built under the front porch.

The outer walls were made from native clay fired in kilns built on the property. All doors and trim in the house were made of California redwood for durability and to deal with the intense heat. The truncated hipped roof covered a wide veranda around the entire ground floor and the edge was supported by delicate colonnettes, square at the top and bottom. The veranda resting upon brick pillars was raised above the ground level allowing light to the windows of the basement rooms. The property was acquired by William C. Greene in 1903 and his daughter Florence moved in with her family in later years. They occupied the house through 1998. The house and setting has been used in several movies including the 1955 Rogers and Hammerstein movie "Oklahoma" and the John Wayne movie "McClintock." Future movies may be made at this historic landmark.

INSIDE THE HOUSE
The interior of the main floor features six bedrooms (three with fireplaces), a living room with fireplace, a study or office with fireplace, a kitchen, three bathrooms, four closets and a pantry. The wooden doors are decorative with decorative hardware, five panels and wood casements. A stacked staircase leads to the upper floor and the basement. It is equipped with modern conveniences and heated by acetylene gas. Storage tanks provide water and carry it throughout the house. The original main entry door is the one that faces to the West.

LIVING ROOM
Family living centered in this long center-hall, which stretched more than half the length of the house and ended at the door of the ranch office. With walls ten feet high, this spacious hall dominated the main floor of the dwelling. Cameron probably derived the idea of this room from the architecture of houses in rural Pennsylvania where through halls had been associated with the Georgian style of the eighteenth century. Although it lacked any outside opening apart form the front door, the hall was well lighted during the day by long windows in adjoining rooms, and at night by coal-oil lamps. The living room of today was originally the dining room.

KITCHEN
The kitchen has been modernized. Notice the hardware and woodwork as you go through the house.

SUN ROOM
This is a late addition to this house.

SOUTHEAST STUDY
This was originally Cameron's office. Today this room is the office of Arizona State Parks.

BEDROOMS
Southwest- This bedroom served as a parlor.

BEDROOMS - Northwest -bedroom
Upstairs - Two large rooms, one east side and one west side; two small bedrooms and one bath.

BASEMENT
The basement expressed the public function of the house. Entrance from the outside was at the east end, and gave upon a long hall. A living room, two bedrooms with fireplaces and adjoining closets, and a bath provided accommodation for the two Chinese housed servants. Fruits and vegetables in season were stored in a cool room. Another basement area served as the ranch store, where hired hands received supplies. Coal and wood for the house fires were also stored below. Rooms on this level were nicely finished with plastered walls and cement floors. The ceiling rose just four feet above the outside ground level and therefore windows were high up in the walls.

OUT ON THE GROUNDS - North Side
Water storage - water is pumped from the windmill up to the storage tank that provides drinking water for the house and stock water for the barns. Down below you see the pump house with a 20-foot well where a 50 foot-high tower and wind pump still keep the water tanks full.
Power - Presently power is generated by a generator and a small solar system. Originally the house was lighted with acetylene gas.

South-West Main Barn, Blacksmith Shop, Machine Shop, Bunkhouse, Buggy Shed
Just below the great house, Cameron built a massive barn in which rows of stalls housed his pure-bred saddle stock and the shetland ponies that he made a hobby of raising. The barn also furnished space for the repair of harness and other leather goods, and for a blacksmith's shop. The blacksmith shop still contains a power shaft that was run by a stationary gasoline engine.

Adjoining the barn, and at right angles to it, stood a machine shop; farther away there were other service dependencies. Two enclosed pastures, each with springs, served to segregate the best blooded Hereford cattle from the regular range stock. Colin Cameron was one of the earliest advocates for livestock sanitary health laws. You will see on the west of the barn are the remnants of a dipping vat. It would have been filled with insecticide and the cows forced to swim the length of the vat while a cowboy took a forked pole and pushed the cows head under the insecticide. This was done about once a year. This method eliminated tick and external parasite born disease from cattle herds in the United States.

Most cowboys left their names in the adobe wall proving they worked on this ranch. There was another building to the west of the blacksmith shop that apparently contained a bunkhouse. The buggy shed seems to have been on the north end of the blacksmith shop.

• Keep pets on a leash. No pets allowed in the gift shop.
• Damaging or removing the natural rocks, vegetation, or public property is prohibited.
• Littering is unlawful.

For more area information, please inquire with the Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce.