Kyle Ranch
Encyclopedia
Kyle Ranch was established by Conrad Kiel in 1875 in what is now North Las Vegas
, Nevada
. The site is currently managed by the city's park department as the Kyle Ranch Historic Site and is not open to the public. The original adobe
structure, the oldest standing building in Las Vegas, and the Kyle Ranch Cemetery is about all that remains.
The cemetery
is currently empty with the bodies, mostly family members of the founders, currently stored at UNLV.
The ranch is the site of an artesian
well and a small wetlands, a reminder of what drew the first settlers and travelers to the site. The spring also provided water allowing the ranch to grow fruits and vegetables for other settlers in the area.
The site is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 224.
, an early pioneer in the area was killed in a gunfight on the ranch in 1884.
In 1900, Ed Kiel and William Kiel the owners were found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide. The bodies were exhumed in the mid-1970s and it was determined that they had both been murdered.
The ranch was sold in 1903 to the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
.
Subsequent owners included Edwin Taylor (1924–39), whose cowboy ranch hands competed in national rodeos, and Edwin Losee (1939–58), who developed the Boulderado Dude Ranch here, a popular residence for divorce seekers during Nevada heyday as a place to get an easy divorce.
By 1976, after several more ownership changes, 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) remaining of the ranch were purchased jointly by the City of North Las Vegas and its Bicentennial Committee as a historic project. Despite promises to protect and improve the site and buildings, all that remains in 2006 is buildings near collapse and a parking area, built at a cost of $500,000, that is closed.
A 1992 fire destroyed the ranch's main building that had been built for the Boulderado Dude Ranch. This had been the largest structure on the site and was called the White House.
The city sold off all but 7 acres (28,328 m²) of the land it acquired to build an industrial park. In 2006, this was becoming a source of problems with water runoff from the spring and wetlands flowing into the industrial park. The cities plan to destroy more of the site to divert the water was met with opposition. The ranch has also been used as a dump
by the city potentially destroying much of its value as an archaeological site
.
North Las Vegas, Nevada
North Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The city was incorporated on May 16, 1946.-Geography:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The site is currently managed by the city's park department as the Kyle Ranch Historic Site and is not open to the public. The original adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
structure, the oldest standing building in Las Vegas, and the Kyle Ranch Cemetery is about all that remains.
The cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
is currently empty with the bodies, mostly family members of the founders, currently stored at UNLV.
The ranch is the site of an artesian
Artesian aquifer
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in a well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached. This type of well is called an artesian well...
well and a small wetlands, a reminder of what drew the first settlers and travelers to the site. The spring also provided water allowing the ranch to grow fruits and vegetables for other settlers in the area.
The site is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 224.
History
Archibald StewartArchibald Stewart
Archibald Stewart was an Australian trade unionist and official.Stewart was born at Sebastopol to Scottish-born parents: miner John Stewart and Anne, née Erskine. His father worked as caretaker of the botanical gardens in Creswick and he took numerous jobs in his youth...
, an early pioneer in the area was killed in a gunfight on the ranch in 1884.
In 1900, Ed Kiel and William Kiel the owners were found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide. The bodies were exhumed in the mid-1970s and it was determined that they had both been murdered.
The ranch was sold in 1903 to the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark,...
.
Subsequent owners included Edwin Taylor (1924–39), whose cowboy ranch hands competed in national rodeos, and Edwin Losee (1939–58), who developed the Boulderado Dude Ranch here, a popular residence for divorce seekers during Nevada heyday as a place to get an easy divorce.
By 1976, after several more ownership changes, 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) remaining of the ranch were purchased jointly by the City of North Las Vegas and its Bicentennial Committee as a historic project. Despite promises to protect and improve the site and buildings, all that remains in 2006 is buildings near collapse and a parking area, built at a cost of $500,000, that is closed.
A 1992 fire destroyed the ranch's main building that had been built for the Boulderado Dude Ranch. This had been the largest structure on the site and was called the White House.
The city sold off all but 7 acres (28,328 m²) of the land it acquired to build an industrial park. In 2006, this was becoming a source of problems with water runoff from the spring and wetlands flowing into the industrial park. The cities plan to destroy more of the site to divert the water was met with opposition. The ranch has also been used as a dump
Dump
Dump generally refers to a place for disposal of domestic waste. See articles at midden and landfill.-Other uses:The word has other uses alone or in combination and may refer to:* Dump , a Unix program for backing up file systems...
by the city potentially destroying much of its value as an archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
.
Sources
- Las Vegas Review-JournalLas Vegas Review-JournalThe Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
- KLAS-TVKLAS-TVKLAS-TV, virtual channel 8 , is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Las Vegas, Nevada market; it is owned and operated by Landmark Media Enterprises...