Ryan Ranch in Joshua Tree National Park has a fascinating history. Here's a quck snippet:
The Ryan brothers homesteaded at this loction to take advantage of a natural spring that was once active here. The water was essential to the Lost Horse Mine, which they co-owned. Ryan Ranch supported the mining operation, pumping water 3.5 miles to the mine, in addition to processing ore and serving as a mining office and home. The cattle raised here helped feed the family and workers. Some 60 people lived at the ranch and mine during the gold boom. By 1908 full-time operation of the mine had ceased and the Ryans turned their attention to cattle ranching, until the establishment of Joshua Tree National Monument halted grazing.
Walking around Ryan Ranch is like stepping back in time. These old adobe walls are all that remain of the original ranch house.
Close up of adobe wall. It looks like there is straw in the mixture!
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| A second, smaller adobe structure was once here. |
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| Anyone missing a motor? |
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| Looks like a storage structure of some kind. |
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| Largest water tank at Ryan Ranch |
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| A newer structure, probably built in the 50's. |
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| Joshua tree "forest". |
Side note: These last 4 photos (two above, two below) were taken with my cell phone. All were taken 30-45 minutes after sunset when things were getting quite dark. They were taken without a tripod, and I was expecting a blurry mess, but somehow they turned out quite nicely and relatively sharp. Amazing! Related note: The Hasselblad X2D II 100C has 10-stop in-body image stabilization. Hasselblad claims you can take perfectly sharp images in the dark!! I'm not throwing out my tripod yet (the Hasselblad camera body alone costs nearly $8,000), but the technology keeps getting better and better. It won't be long before a tripod is no longer needed except for special circumstances like astrophotography.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Linking with Skywatch Friday
Gorgeous views and I enjoyed the history too.
ReplyDeleteReally fascinating and spectacular views!!!
ReplyDeleteImagine trying to make a living ranching in such dry hot conditions. People did it though.
ReplyDeleteOne of my former high school classmates built an adobe house and yes straw is an ingredient. It kind of holds everything together.
What a cool thing to find. Great photography!
ReplyDeleteWhat a privilege to witness sunsets there, beautiful as ever. I tend to use a mobile in the churches I visit even though my camera has IS.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful skies.
ReplyDeletePeter ~ Ryan Brothers' history is fascinating as are the photos of the adobe structures ~ Magnificent sky shots no matter the camera but am sure there is a difference with the Hasselabad and other expensive cameras ~ Fantastic sky shots ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteHugs ^_^
The Joshua Trees and their branches remind me of people waving their arms as they stroll about in the dusty desert.
ReplyDelete...so man made things frozen in time among natures beauty. Thanks for show me the sights.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine living out in the desert. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteSpectacular photos! As I have said before, It's always a pleasure to pass by. : )
ReplyDeleteI find it easy to imagine spending time here, just sitting in quiet contemplation.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
Beautiful twilight photos and a great history lesson. That desert solitude looks absolutely peaceful.
ReplyDeleteWhat that building must have looked like when it was intact. It must have gotten so hot there. Although, they might have had ways to keep cool. Hopefully.
ReplyDeleteInteresting history and beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully documented! Another marvelous post, Peter.
ReplyDeleteYou have once again found a beautiful backdrop for this photo series. I enjoyed your photos and the history behind them again.
ReplyDeleteStunning photos, Awesome post. Thanks a lot for your sharing.
ReplyDeleteWell, I obviously did not do my homework when I hiked Ryan Mountain back in 2014. I was so close to Ryan Ranch yet had no idea it existed. Your sunset photos are always amazing!
ReplyDeletealways some interesting finds and story in Joshua Tree NP
ReplyDeleteLove the abandoned things. The motor looks like an art installation....
ReplyDeleteWhew, that's an expensive camera. No wonder it takes great pictures. The pictures are stunning, as usual. I love the pictures you take. Thanks for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteThe remaining ranch house adobe walls are interesting to see. There is an adobe western cuisine restaurant near where we live called "The Fort," that was built from actual plans and adobe comstruction as the historic trading post Bent's Fort located in SE Colorado along the Sants Fe Trail.
ReplyDeleteI always learn something reading your posts and today was no different. Interesting information on the Ryan Ranch. I can't imagine what it must have been like living in such a remote place. I love the Joshua Tree photos. Their scraggly look is perfect for sunset photos.
ReplyDeleteexcellent pictures. Our grandfathers lost land due to government rule and homesteaded people ruined the fertile land by abandoning it or going bankrupt. My DSLR bricked and there is no budget to upgrade one :-D. Currently I am satisfied with vivo x40 zeiss lens. Hope I can live free life post retirement
ReplyDeleteLove how you captured both the past and the present here.
ReplyDeleteThe desert silence with the Joshua trees against that fading light feels almost sacred.
Stunning photos as always!
Well the phone photos are clear and good, the rocks look amazing and they look so smooth, yet the close up as you think shows straw. A lot of history there I expect. Sky is gorgeous, colours always amaze me at sunset, I'm never up early enough for sunrise only on an odd occasion.
ReplyDeletePeople were tough back then, huh?
ReplyDeleteAnd wee, your smartphone is great - mine (old) gives me blurry. These are wonderful ones!"
I Could So Imagine The Solitude - Would Throughly Enjoy A Monsoon Shower During The Heat Of The Day - And Crystal Clear Cold Winter Evenings Stargazing - Top Shelf Photos There Brother Parts - Enjoy Your Family Time
ReplyDeleteStay Funkadelic ,
Cheers
What a great journey through Ryan Ranch, blending a history lesson with such serene storytelling! It's like walking back in time. A wonderful showcase of photographs to accompany this. Your Joshua trees are so stately as silhouettes against the dramatic evening sky.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photographs and what an interesting journey through Ryan Ranch. The last set of pics look rather dramatic. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNice with my OM [Olympus] cameras, they are pretty good at stabilization and in camera computing like working with star trails.
ReplyDeleteThose Adobe walls are fascinating. I bet they are great for that climate...at least I read that somewhere.
The ranch sounded like an incredible place.
The solitude would work for me as it does in my own place.
I had no idea that these ruins existed and I saw that they are easy to get to. I'm surprised that they aren't covered with graffiti. I enjoy seeing ruins and I didn't mind the blurriness of the photo directly below your explanation. If I had a dollar for every blurry picture I took over the years, I'd be rich. As always, all your photos were fantastic.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story! It reminded me that I still need to share a post about one of my favorite cruising destinations—Cumberland Island. Once owned by the Carnegies, it's also where JFK Jr. got married. Such a fascinating place with so much history.
ReplyDeleteI stopped buying cameras and camcorders a long time ago. Phone cameras have become so good that they handle almost everything I need.
What a scenery..I like your pics from your travels in this region. So much impressive rocks.
ReplyDeleteHave a good time
Violetta
The Joshua tree jungle photos are spectacular. Amazing they were cell phone photos. I love their chaotic branches. My brother just recently was in a "get ready" evacuation situation in ID with a wildfire near. When he told me I said but at least your house won't burn, will it, since its adobe. He also told me once about the slugs, how much they love adobe.
ReplyDeleteSnails I mean, not slugs he said.
DeleteInteressante Bilder von dem verlassenen Ort.
ReplyDeleteGruß
Noke
So many amazing pictures. The last few pictures at dusk are great but I also like the 4th one.
ReplyDeletePhoto's as always impeccable and that adobe is so strong as building material.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your photos, but those last few photos are AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteDe como uma nascente deu origem a tanta vida.
ReplyDeleteA sociedade humana não é estática e tudo mude e tudo se transforma.
Abraço de amizade.
Juvenal Nunes
What a fascinating piece of history! It's amazing how a single natural spring supported an entire mining and ranching operation. Stories like this really bring the past to life and show the resilience and determination of the people who lived and worked there. Thanks for sharing this glimpse into history!
ReplyDeleteYou hiked to a very cool site. What a hard scrabble life it must have been. I love crumbling architecture, but the adobe house looks sand blasted to smooth, rounded perfection. The sunset photos are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThis place is firmly on my wish list. Gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Pretty neat to combine history and photography.
ReplyDeleteYeah, these phones are getting to be scary good. Especially in the hands of someone like you who knows how to use 'em.
I would love to have the opportunity to sit beneath the Joshua trees in silence have night gently take over. Thank you for the virtual expeience.
ReplyDeleteLove the old adobe walls! Your joshua tree photos are beautiful.
ReplyDelete