Conway Ranch - Mono Basin - California
One of the three Conway Ranch buildings I visited, I’m not sure if there are others. I’m going to call this one “Conway Ranch A,” as it was the first one I came to and it was also the largest. It may have been the main house of the ranch.
The land these buildings stand on was originally homesteaded back in 1872 by James Wilson & Harlan Noyes. As years passed, the property changed hands and eventually came into the possession of John Conway and his family. Although John died in 1918, his family continuted to operate the ranch up into the 1980s. A series of fortunate events occurred in the 1990s, with a number organizations working together and the property was acquired by Mono County and the Bureau of Land Management. Some restoration work was done on several of the surviving, historic ranch buildings a number of years ago and the area is open to the public.
It’s a beautiful setting with a significant area of wetlands, springs and irrigated fields which help the local wildlife thrive. There are some cool rock formations and dirt roads to explore. My favorite part of the ranch is the large home, with the cattle workings adjacent (pictured above).
Here are some photos I took on a recent trip.
The chair looks comfy. Pretty skies as a storm was moving in on me, but the rain held off until I was done exploring for the day.
A couple large rooms and several smaller ones inside the building. I wonder how long it’s been since someone sat on that chair.
Just a short distance down the road, there are two buildings to poke around in. The large one above (Conway Ranch B) may have been a bunkhouse. The smaller one off in the back (Conway Ranch C) appears to have been a barn-ish or workshop building.
I love the texture on the wood!
One large front room, with two smaller rooms behind. Is that square thing a heater?
Conway Ranch C has obviously seen some refurbishment, I’m not sure when that work took place. Perhaps the stacks of old lumber once stood where this building does now.
Look at the years of wear on this door sill. How many boots have stepped on it over the years.
Some kind of wagon or trailer inside the building.
I didn’t thoroughly explore the area, so I’m sure there were interesting things that I missed. But that leaves a great excuse for another trip. Thanks for reading!
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