Ryan Ranch Adobe

Ryan Ranch is an abandoned adobe in Joshua Tree National Park. The Ryan brothers built a ranch and bunkhouse at this location in 1896, securing a homestead site adjacent to a natural spring, now dry.  Spring water was used for the Lost Horse Mine, owned by the Ryan brothers and a local prospector.  In addition, the brothers raised cattle on their land, and as many as 60 people called the ranch home at the height of the gold boom.  Eventually, the mine was not productive, and Joshua Tree National Monument banned cattle ranching.  Surrounding the adobe walls are remains of a windmill, the well, graves, and machinery.  The ranch's adobe walls can be seen from Ryan Campground where a short trail begins next to the main bathrooms.