NAN Ranch facts for kids
|
NAN Ranch
|
|
 Location in New Mexico
|
|
| Nearest city | Dwyer, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Architect | Henry C. Trost, Trost & Trost |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Mimbres Valley MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000509 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | May 16, 1988 |
The NAN Ranch, also called Y Bar NAN Ranch, is a historic ranch located in Faywood, New Mexico. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 because of its important history and unique buildings. The ranch started in the late 1860s with John Brockman, who grew crops like corn and alfalfa. He also raised many cattle. Later, in 1927, John T. McElroy bought the ranch. He hired famous architects, Trost & Trost, to make the ranch even bigger and better. They added a new house, a swimming pool, and many other buildings.
Contents
Where is the NAN Ranch?
The NAN Ranch is found along the Mimbres River in New Mexico. It is less than 1 kilometer (about half a mile) east of NM 61. The ranch is also about 3 kilometers (2 miles) north of Dwyer, New Mexico.
A Look at the Ranch's Past
How the Ranch Started
The NAN Ranch began in the late 1860s with a man named John Brockman. He was a pioneer in farming and ranching in the Mimbres Valley. By 1869, he had already farmed 1,000 acres of land. He also ran the first flour mill in the area. John Brockman owned more than 3,000 cattle.
In 1881, he officially claimed his homestead. A famous archaeologist, Adolph Bandelier, visited in 1883. He called Brockman's home a "plazita," which means a small plaza or square.
A Model Ranch in New Mexico
The Silver City Enterprise newspaper called Brockman's ranch a "model ranch." He grew many different crops and fruits. These included corn, alfalfa, cherries, peaches, pears, grapes, and apples. He was the only person who supplied hay to nearby military posts. These posts were Fort Bayard and Fort Cummings. In 1886, The Clifton Clarion newspaper said his ranch was the best all-purpose ranch in New Mexico. Besides growing crops, John Brockman also raised black and Shorthorn cattle.
New Owners and Big Changes
In 1901, Brockman sold his ranch. It was known as one of the three main ranches on the Mimbres River. The NAN Ranch and Cattle Company bought it. This company already owned land just north of Brockman's property. The NAN Ranch then moved its main office to Brockman's old homestead.
In 1927, a cattleman from El Paso, Texas, named John T. McElroy, bought the ranch. He and his wife hired the architectural firm Trost & Trost. They spent a lot of money, about $300,000 (which would be millions today), to make the ranch bigger and better. They built a new house, a swimming pool, and a large courtyard with beautiful landscaping. The new house alone cost $100,000.
The next year, in 1928, sixteen more buildings were added. These included a power plant and a slaughterhouse. Baker Morrow, a landscape architect, said it became "the best country place" built in New Mexico during the 1920s.
Later Years and Discoveries
In 1945, the ranch was sold again. By then, it covered a huge area of 100,000 acres. In 1988, when it became a historic place, W. B. Hinton owned it. At that time, the old servants' quarters building was used by archaeologists. These teams from Texas A&M University were digging up ancient ruins on the property.
Archaeologist Harry J. Shafer started working on the ruins after Margaret Hinton contacted him. She told him about the ancient ruins found on the ranch. These ruins were connected to the nearby Swarts Ruin of the Mimbres culture. The NAN Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This was part of a study of historic places in the Mimbres Valley of Grant County.
What Does the Ranch Look Like?
The NAN Ranch headquarters covers about 18 acres. It has many historic buildings. These include homes, farm buildings, a blacksmith shop, and grain silos.
The McElroy House
The original Brockman homestead was built around 1880. The main house, called the McElroy House, was built in 1928. It is designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. This means it has a red clay tile roof and walls covered in stucco. It also features special twisted columns, carved stone details, and iron decorations. The house has a unique octagonal sun room in the center. It also has a sleeping porch, which is a porch designed for sleeping outdoors in good weather.
Near the main houses, there is a swimming pool with a red clay tile deck. There is also a high-walled courtyard and a wooden arbor, which is a shaded area with climbing plants.
Gardens and Green Spaces
The ranch has beautiful landscaping. You can find cypress, cottonwood, mulberry, and hollyhock trees. There are also roses, hollyhocks, iris, English Ivy, and privet hedges.
Other Ranch Buildings
Besides the main houses, there are other historic homes. These include houses for the foreman (the person in charge of the ranch), the gardener, the servants, and the cowboys. The foreman's house is a bungalow, and a bunkhouse was built for the cowboys.
Other important buildings include a slaughterhouse, a blacksmith shop, and a power plant. There is also a chicken house, a smokehouse, a laundry building, garages, and barns. The irrigation ditches that John Brockman built were later updated. They were changed to concrete irrigation gutters to help water the crops.
