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Ranch a testimony to tough pioneer
By James E. Doyle / For the Star
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK - Deep within the borders of Joshua Tree National Park, just a stone's throw from Hidden Valley, there stands a place that sits like a snapshot out of time. The small clutch of low-slung wooden buildings with their sloping tin roofs, nestled in a valley surrounded by towering heaps of sand-colored boulders, wraithlike Joshua trees and the ghostly hulks of ancient and esoteric machinery, do not stand in stark contrast to the desolate beauty of their surroundings, but almost seem an organic part of it.
For 50 years, the Desert Queen Ranch was home to legendary pioneer Bill Keys. It was here that he, wife Francis and their four children lived their lives and made their mark. Standing here, one can only imagine what it must have been like to spend every day of one's life among the weird and desolate beauty of this place, and the profound efforts it must have taken to survive in such a harsh and unsparing environment.
Keys' efforts went well beyond survival. Seemingly tireless and uncannily resourceful, he made use of every resource at his disposal. Scavenging equipment, tools and raw materials from abandoned homesteads, crushing ore-rich rocks for the prospectors who once flocked to the area, providing neighbors with canned goods from Francis' kitchen, Keys' boundless determination to harness and master the unforgiving desert around him allowed him and his family to not only survive, but flourish.
Just behind the ranch house stands an imposing stone dam, one of five in the area which Keys built with his own hands. One can appreciate the fine craftsmanship evident in its rough-hewn but perfectly fit stonework all the better with the knowledge that Keys shaped them with only the most rudimentary of tools. He used an intimate knowledge of the materials, rather than sophisticated stonecutting equipment. The simple structure and the lush, unexpected greenery which borders it stand as a tribute to human ingenuity in changing one's environment while living harmoniously within it.
Keys left his mark in other ways; building roads, charting the vast desert tracts surrounding the ranch, even building the first grade-school in Joshua Tree. Of the tough pioneers who helped transform the inhospitable Hi-Desert into a viable community, his influence is one of the most widely felt.
Bill Keys died in 1969. His grave sits behind a wrought-iron fence along with those of his wife and three of their children, the headstones hand-cut by Keys himself.
Allowed to decay for years after his death, the property was eventually rehabilitated, and now stands as both a fitting testament to one man's resourcefulness and a timeless glimpse into the past.
Joshua Tree National Park offers regular ranger-guided tours of the ranch, with schedules varying throughout the year. Tours are currently available at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, lasting an average of two hours and covering about half a mile of terrain.
Though the tour route presents a relatively easy hike, visitors are still encouraged to bring water and wear protective clothing appropriate to the season.
Tour costs are $5 per person age 12 and older and $2.50 for children age 6 to 11, and may be booked up to five months in advance by calling the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center at 367-5522.
For 50 years, the Desert Queen Ranch was home to legendary pioneer Bill Keys. It was here that he, wife Francis and their four children lived their lives and made their mark. Standing here, one can only imagine what it must have been like to spend every day of one's life among the weird and desolate beauty of this place, and the profound efforts it must have taken to survive in such a harsh and unsparing environment.
Keys' efforts went well beyond survival. Seemingly tireless and uncannily resourceful, he made use of every resource at his disposal. Scavenging equipment, tools and raw materials from abandoned homesteads, crushing ore-rich rocks for the prospectors who once flocked to the area, providing neighbors with canned goods from Francis' kitchen, Keys' boundless determination to harness and master the unforgiving desert around him allowed him and his family to not only survive, but flourish.
Just behind the ranch house stands an imposing stone dam, one of five in the area which Keys built with his own hands. One can appreciate the fine craftsmanship evident in its rough-hewn but perfectly fit stonework all the better with the knowledge that Keys shaped them with only the most rudimentary of tools. He used an intimate knowledge of the materials, rather than sophisticated stonecutting equipment. The simple structure and the lush, unexpected greenery which borders it stand as a tribute to human ingenuity in changing one's environment while living harmoniously within it.
Keys left his mark in other ways; building roads, charting the vast desert tracts surrounding the ranch, even building the first grade-school in Joshua Tree. Of the tough pioneers who helped transform the inhospitable Hi-Desert into a viable community, his influence is one of the most widely felt.
Bill Keys died in 1969. His grave sits behind a wrought-iron fence along with those of his wife and three of their children, the headstones hand-cut by Keys himself.
Allowed to decay for years after his death, the property was eventually rehabilitated, and now stands as both a fitting testament to one man's resourcefulness and a timeless glimpse into the past.
Joshua Tree National Park offers regular ranger-guided tours of the ranch, with schedules varying throughout the year. Tours are currently available at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, lasting an average of two hours and covering about half a mile of terrain.
Though the tour route presents a relatively easy hike, visitors are still encouraged to bring water and wear protective clothing appropriate to the season.
Tour costs are $5 per person age 12 and older and $2.50 for children age 6 to 11, and may be booked up to five months in advance by calling the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center at 367-5522.
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