Nestled within the Dixie National Forest of Southern Utah, near the township of Enterprise, our ranch is one of only two private homesteads in a three-thousand-acre valley surrounded by high mountain ridgelines. Originally homesteaded in the early 1880s by Mormon pioneers on the St. George mission, the land was sought as additional grazing territory to meet the growing needs of settlers in the Great Salt Lake basin. Our ranch, along with one other in the valley, was privatized under the United States Homestead Act of 1862.

 

In 1905, when the federal government established the nearly two-million-acre Dixie National Forest, our ranch became part of this vast protected area. However, due to its established history, it was grandfathered in as a private deeded parcel, forever encircled by public lands. Since then, no further private land ownership has been allowed in the valley.

 

The ranch’s isolation, with its singular roadway in and out, has kept it removed from the bustle of modern life. Chosen by its original settlers for its abundant, cool, clean water from ancient artesian springs, the ranch was one of the two most valuable plots in the valley for raising livestock. To this day, it is the same artesian well, likely flowing unchanged for thousands of years, that supports our beef production. In this high-desert environment, without plentiful, pure water to nourish the vegetation, ranching would not be possible. Water, as it has been for over a century, remains the most valuable resource on the ranch and the cornerstone of our operations.