The San Rafael house and buildings in the San Rafael State Natural Area are in tough shape. The roof of the ranch house has been leaking. There is only one working bathroom, located in the basement. The roofs have blown off part of the barn and some of the older buildings. A fire two years ago burnt down the corrals.
“If something doesn’t change it is really going to fall apart,” Patagonia resident Linda Shore said.
The elegant 9,000 sq. ft. territorial style ranch house, still completely furnished with period furniture, was built in 1900. It has been featured in many movies, including “Oklahoma,” McLintock!” and “Tom Horn.”
“The history of the ranch house is appealing to me as a member of the Patagonia Museum Board, but the valley, it’s the last vestiges of the prairie that are left,” said Shore. “There’s nothing like the San Rafael Valley that I’ve seen anywhere else.”
To help preserve and protect the historic house and ranch buildings, which are owned by the State Parks Dept. and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, six local residents, including Shore, have recently formed the nonprofit Friends of San Rafael Valley (FSV). “Friends” groups are common in Arizona, providing parks with assistance with fundraising, marketing and volunteer projects.
The 90,000-acre San Rafael Valley is located 19 miles southeast of Patagonia, bordered by the Patagonia Mountains on the west, the Huachuca Mountains on the east, Canelo Hills on the north and the Mexico International Border on the south. Within the valley is the 3,577-acre San Rafael State Natural Area, which includes the San Rafael house and ranch outbuilding, acquired by State Parks from the Nature Conservancy in 1998. The acquisition was completed with the expectation that the property could be developed into a state park.
The state closed public access to the area in 2005 because of lack of funds. “State parks have to pay for themselves,” Shore said. “There’s no way in the world that can happen in the San Rafael Valley because it is so remote.”
In 2022, the state allocated $5 million for the preservation of the house, but that money was clawed back by the Ducey administration. The $1.5 million that had been allocated for this coming fiscal year has now been clawed back as well.
“It is like everything else when it comes to politicians—they will look at what impacts their constituents the most,” said Carol Bonchalk, a member of FSV. “Nobody knows about this ranch house or this area except a few people out here.”
In 2023, the State Parks Dept. held a meeting at the San Rafael house to discuss the state’s vision for the ranch and surrounding property. (See “State Prepares to Restore Historic San Rafael Ranch,” PRT, April 6, 2023).
“Nothing came out of that meeting,” Shore said. “We wanted to volunteer to do something. It was very obvious that it would take a separate group of concerned citizens to affect any change.”
FSV hopes to work with the State Parks Dept. to tackle the problem of maintaining the historic house and protecting and preserving the area with limited funds. One option would be to develop the park as a “natural area.”
“A ‘natural area’ is generally not a place the public goes to visit but generally a research facility where programs can be developed and used elsewhere,” said Bonchalk. “The other state natural areas are Sonoita Creek and Verde Valley. Both have been successful because they are not as isolated as San Rafael Valley.
“San Rafael Valley is the last shortgrass prairie that is maintained by ranchers. 17 endangered species are found in the valley. As in much of southern Arizona, it is an important birding area. Many groups would love to get in there and do projects, testing, research experiments much like the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch near Elgin, the Malpai Borderlands and Avra Valley.”
The San Rafael Valley, which was part of the 600,000-acre San Rafael de la Zanja Mexican land grant, was purchased in 1880 by Colin Cameron. The original house was built in 1898, burned to the ground on Christmas of 1899, and rebuilt into the three-story French Colonial Revival house that survives today. The Greene family bought the ranch in 1903 and eventually the Sharp family inherited the ranch, with holdings diminished to 18,500 acres.
The State Parks Dept. had originally scheduled a meeting with the members of FSV to discuss finding a path forward for the state park in November 2023. That meeting was canceled and rescheduled for February 2024; that meeting was also canceled. Now an invitation-only meeting has been scheduled for August 14 in Patagonia, with no time or agenda yet set.
Meanwhile there is some progress at the ranch house. The leaking roof is being replaced—Shore does not know where the funds came from for this repair—and the State Parks Dept. has hired a new caretaker.
“We remain optimistic that they will do the right thing,” Shore said.
The Friends of San Rafael Valley welcomes new members. For more information, contact lshorephx@gmail.com