One of my favorite places in Joshua Tree is the Keys Desert Queen Ranch, located in the Northwest section of the Park, just outside of Hidden Valley. The old historic ranch is protected by the
NPS and can only be visited with a Ranger led tour.
I have been on several tours and especially love the old trucks Keys collected. This Mack truck sits outside the ranch house, along with an abundance of rusting machinery, old tools and mining equipment.
Bill Keys was quite an inventor and turned this broken down
Fordson tractor into a table saw.
Fordson eventually became the Ford Motor Company.
There is beauty in the broken things; colorful pieces of old glass, pottery and even our lives, humble though they be.
Bill Keys was the ultimate
recycler and spent time roaming the desert, sifting through abandoned homesteads for anything he could use for the ranch. He even turned one old truck into a chicken coup, to keep the chickens safe from coyotes.
I love old cans, wood, and bottles; quite a collection here.
I love the way things just fall into place and create the most beautiful scenes; I know I am kind of strange.
The Desert Queen Ranch was built by Bill Keys in 1918, but he continued to add to the ranch until he died in 1969.
Throughout the years, wells were dug, and windmills, pumps and
irrigation systems were installed. The wash was dammed behind the house to create a lake which was stocked with bass, bluegill and catfish.
Frances Keys was an amazing woman who loved desert life. She raised her kids and looked after the garden and orchard, selling any excess canned goods, fruit and produce to visitors.
Chickens, rabbits, cows and horses were all part of ranch life. The children did their share and continually helped with the ranch chores.
In 1943 a fight over water rights and roads broke out between Bill and his
neighbor Worth
Bagley. A gunfight resulted in
Bagley's death. Bill turned himself in and despite his claim of self defense, spent 5 years in San Quentin before receiving a full pardon.
It must have been very challenging for Frances to run the ranch by herself, something I have learned from experience. In spite of the hardships, women are strong and we overcome, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
That would be me at the Ranch, appreciating my freedom, health and independence; gifts from my heavenly Father for which I continually give thanks.
One of my favorite places in Joshua Tree is the Keys Desert Queen Ranch, located in the Northwest section of the Park, just outside of Hidden Valley. The old historic ranch is protected by the NPS and can only be visited with a Ranger led tour.
I have been on several tours and especially love the old trucks Keys collected. This Mack truck sits outside the ranch house, along with an abundance of rusting machinery, old tools and mining equipment.
Bill Keys was quite an inventor and turned this broken down Fordson tractor into a table saw. Fordson eventually became the Ford Motor Company.
There is beauty in the broken things; colorful pieces of old glass, pottery and even our lives, humble though they be.
Bill Keys was the ultimate recycler and spent time roaming the desert, sifting through abandoned homesteads for anything he could use for the ranch. He even turned one old truck into a chicken coup, to keep the chickens safe from coyotes.
I love old cans, wood, and bottles; quite a collection here.
I love the way things just fall into place and create the most beautiful scenes; I know I am kind of strange.
The Desert Queen Ranch was built by Bill Keys in 1918, but he continued to add to the ranch until he died in 1969.
Throughout the years, wells were dug, and windmills, pumps and irrigation systems were installed. The wash was dammed behind the house to create a lake which was stocked with bass, bluegill and catfish.
Frances Keys was an amazing woman who loved desert life. She raised her kids and looked after the garden and orchard, selling any excess canned goods, fruit and produce to visitors.
Chickens, rabbits, cows and horses were all part of ranch life. The children did their share and continually helped with the ranch chores.
In 1943 a fight over water rights and roads broke out between Bill and his neighbor Worth Bagley. A gunfight resulted in Bagley's death. Bill turned himself in and despite his claim of self defense, spent 5 years in San Quentin before receiving a full pardon.
It must have been very challenging for Frances to run the ranch by herself, something I have learned from experience. In spite of the hardships, women are strong and we overcome, even in the most difficult of circumstances.