WALKING BOX RANCH

CHRONOLOGY

• 1894 Rock Springs Land & Cattle Company (RSLCC) incorporated, forming approximately one million acre cattle ranch in the eastern Mojave Desert

• c. 1927 Break-up of RSLCC, creating several smaller ranches including OX, 88, and Woolf Ranch

• 02/21/1930 John Woolf acquires Nevada ranch from RSLCC

• 09/22/1930 John Woolf acquires Nevada stock watering permits, including Bullion Spring and Borbridge Big Springs, from James M. Borbridge

• 10/30/1930 Los Angeles Times reports that Clara Bow and Rex Bell are “said to be” engaged

• 05/01/1931 John Woolf sells ranch to George F. Beldam (Rex Bell), “a single man”

• 06/10/1931 Clara Bow closes her Beverly Hills home on Saturday and departs for Walking Box Ranch (WBR)

• 12/03/1931 Bell and Bow married in Las Vegas

• 1931-32 Spanish Colonial Revival style ranch house constructed at ranch headquarters site

• 12/16/1934 Birth of Bell and Bow’s first child

• c. 1934-35 Construction of two-story addition to the house, including a new master bedroom and bath, children’s room and bath, and pool

• c. 1936 Bell Ranch becomes known as Walking Box Ranch

• 11/03/1936 Nevada Grazing District #5 (Clark County) established, following Amendment to Taylor Act. Rex Bell named one of original eleven Grazing District #5 Advisory Board members

• c. 1941 General Patton and troops visit WBR

• c. 1945 Rex Bell moves family to Las Vegas and opens Rex Bell’s Frontier Stylings and Sportswear store; WBR leased on a five-year basis to Wyatt Marshall (son of Al Marshall) and Kenneth Jay of Northrop Aircraft Company

• c. 1948 WBR intended for use as Rawlings Guest Ranch

• 4/06/1951 Walking Box Ranch sold to Karl “Cap” Weikel, including base property and grazing rights; name changed to YKL Ranch. YKL period (no specific dates) - alterations included removal of original rock gardens and guesthouse and installation of small shooting range.

• c. 1979 Caretaker’s trailer installed on site

• 10/1980 Property sold to Nevada Silver Refinery

• 01/1982 Property repossessed by Weikel

• 1990 YKL Ranch sold to Viceroy Gold Corporation

• c. 1990 Conversion of ranch for use as Viceroy executive retreat. Rehabilitation of the ranch house, including replacement of the original roof tiles, installation of red clay tile over original red linoleum throughout first floor and reconfiguration of garage and service wing as apartments. Pool re-surfaced and deck tiled. Barbeque area constructed. Bunkhouse re-built. Tennis courts constructed. Carpenter’s house and shop demolished. Blacksmith shop demolished. Icehouse relocated.

• c. 1990 Realignment of access road around west side of ranch headquarters to re-connect with pipeline road

• 08/1991 US Fish & Wildlife Service creates 400,000-acre desert tortoise preserve in southern Clark County as part of land swap to allow development in Las
  Vegas Valley. Remaining cattle ranching in region effectively ended.

• 12/21/1993 40-acre conservation easement granted to The Nature Conservancy by Viceroy Gold

• 12/30/1993 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) acquires Walking Box Ranch

• 12/18/2000 The Nature Conservancy sells ranch property to Las Vegas Gaming Investments

• 07/21/2001 Walking Box Ranch, LLC established as property owner

• 2004-2005 BLM purchases surrounding ranch site from TNC and Walking Box Ranch LLC, granting conservation easements to TNC on remaining 120 acres of ranch