Kyle Ranch

The Kyle Ranch was established by Conrad Kiel in 1875 in what is now North Las Vegas, Nevada. The ranch's name is spelled alternately as "Kiel" and "Kyle" because Conrad Kiel spelled his name and ranch both ways. The site is currently managed by the City of North Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Division as the "Kiel Ranch Historic Park." As of July 2016, the park is open to the public.[2] The original adobe structure, one of the oldest extant buildings in Las Vegas,[3] a wooden shed known as the "Doll House" and the Kyle Ranch Cemetery are all that remain after loss of buildings through fire and neglect.

Kyle Ranch
Nevada Historical Marker No. 224
Ranch house
LocationLosee St. and Carey Ave.
North Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Coordinates36°12′21″N 115°08′26″W
Area26 acres (11 ha)
Built1855
ArchitectJohn S. Park
NRHP reference No.75001107[1]
 No.224
Added to NRHPOctober 6, 1975

The cemetery is currently empty with the bodies, mostly family members of the founders, housed 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 provided water allowing the ranch to grow fruits and vegetables.

The site is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 224.

History

Conrad Kiel settled the land in 1875. The land surrounds a natural spring and artesian well, and Kiel established a 240-acre homestead where he grew citrus trees, apples, and vegetables.

In 1884, Archibald Stewart, an early pioneer in the area, was killed in a gunfight on the ranch. Stewart's wife Helen J. Stewart would go on to be an influential citizen of Las Vegas.

In 1900, Ed Kiel and William Kiel, then owners of the ranch, 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.

Part of the ranch was sold in 1903 to William A. Clark to build the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.

In 1911, Las Vegas banker John S. Park purchased the ranch and built a mansion known as the White House. Subsequent owners included Edwin Taylor (1924–39), whose cowboy ranch hands competed in national rodeos, and Edwin and Bette Losee (1939–58), who developed the Boulderado Guest Ranch here, a popular residence for divorce seekers during Nevada's heyday as a place to reside while waiting to get an easy divorce under Nevada's liberal laws.[4]

A 26-acre (11 ha) portion of the original ranch site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It included five contributing buildings.[1]

By 1976, the 26 acres (11 ha) remaining of the ranch were purchased jointly by the City of North Las Vegas and its Bicentennial Committee as a historic project. A 1992 fire destroyed the ranch's main building.

The city sold off all but 7 acres (2.8 ha) of the land it acquired to build an industrial park. In 2006, there were concerns over 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 site was also used as a dump by the city potentially destroying much of its value as an archaeological site. [5] In 2010, the City of North Las Vegas committed to preserving the site.[6]

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References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. AP. "North Las Vegas marking opening of historic site at Kiel Ranch". Las Vegas Sun. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  3. Wieprecht, Wilbur E. (August 20, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Kyle Ranch". National Park Service. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  4. Coe & Van Loo Consultants, Inc. "Kiel Ranch Historic Park Comprehensive Development and Preservation Plan" (PDF). City of North Las Vegas. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  5. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/north-las-vegans-get-first-look-kiel-ranch-historic-park
  6. Coe & Van Loo Consultants, Inc. "Kiel Ranch Historic Park Comprehensive Development and Preservation Plan" (PDF). City of North Las Vegas. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
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