Walking Box Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Walking Box Ranch
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 Location in Nevada
Location in the United States
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| Location | Clark County, at 6333 West State Route 164 Searchlight, Nevada |
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| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001392 |
| Added to NRHP | January 30, 2009 |
The Walking Box Ranch is a historic place located about 7 miles west of Searchlight, Nevada. It sits in the Mojave Desert, a large desert area. This ranch was started in 1931 by two famous actors, Rex Bell and Clara Bow. They wanted a real working ranch that covered a huge area.
When it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, the ranch covered about 160 acres. Today, the ranch has four main buildings. It is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is a part of the U.S. government.
Over the years, Rex and Clara Bell welcomed many well-known people from Hollywood to their ranch. Stars like Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Errol Flynn, and Lionel Barrymore were often guests.
A Look Back at History
Rex Bell bought the Walking Box Ranch from a company called the Rock Springs Cattle Company. This company owned a very large amount of land in the Mojave Desert.
Changes in Ownership
In June 1994, a group called The Nature Conservancy bought a lot of land around the Walking Box Ranch. This land covered more than 150,000 acres.
Later, in the year 2000, a company called Las Vegas Gaming Investments bought the Walking Box Ranch. They paid $950,000 for it.
Then, in 2005, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) bought the ranch and the land around it. They used money from a special fund called the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA).
Restoring the Ranch
The SNPLMA fund also helps pay for fixing up the ranch. This includes making the ranch house look good again. It also helps make other buildings safe and strong. The goal is to create a museum at the ranch. This museum will help people learn about its history.
In April 2006, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Bureau of Land Management started working together. They manage the ranch property. One of their main goals was to get the ranch listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This special listing was given to the ranch on January 30, 2009.
