Rancho de la Osa

RANCHO DE LA OSA

Sasabe, Arizona

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE HISTORIC ARIZONA BORDERLANDS

Become a part of history at Rancho de la Osa. Ride trails frequented by U.S. Presidents, movie stars, famous authors and other dignitaries. Explore Native American ruins, the U.S.-Mexico border, or the neighboring 120,000 acres of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

There’s plenty of space to relax and unwind in the Spanish-style hacienda, or enjoy a cool drink in the Cantina—originally built in 1722 by Jesuit missionaries—or by the pool.

RANCH HISTORY

Rancho de la Osa offers a unique convergence of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, ranching, political and Hollywood history.

Two prehistoric farming systems developed in the area. The Trincheras people built terraced fields in the desert foothills; and the Hohokam relied on hand-dug irrigation canals in the area’s river valleys. From 300 onward the Hohokam inhabited the area; until 1500 when the predominant culture became Tohono O’odham and remains so to this day. The O’odham were living in the area when the Spanish arrived. The Spanish named this region the Primería Alta encompassing the border of western Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

Rancho de la Osa

Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino first arrived to the Primería Alta in 1687. In his travels, Father Kino visited the O’odham village where La Osa now stands. Later, in 1722 Jesuit priests built a mission outpost—today that building is the ranch’s Cantina.

After years as rangeland and complicated disputes of ownership of the ranch, it became a part of the Arizona Territory with the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. In 1887 Colonel William S. Sturges of Chicago acquired ownership of La Osa. He spared no expense finishing the Spanish-style hacienda, which featured wood floors, stained-glass windows, and 10 acres of gardens. In 1901 the ranch sold to La Osa Cattle Company, where cattle operations continued well into the dude ranching era.

In October 1924, John and Louisa Wetherill arrived to the ranch. Louisa Wetherill was an authority on Navajo culture and spoke the language, and operated a trading post and lodge in Kayenta, Arizona. The Wetherills made trips to Mexico to investigate claims Navajo clans had migrated south in pre-Columbian times. In their travels, they found La Osa and decided it was an ideal place to house winter guests. It opened as Hacienda de la Osa on Thanksgiving, 1924.

In 1927 Glenn Edwards Arthur Hardgrave, a Kansas City socialite and writer, became the owner of La Osa after her husband purchased the ranch as a birthday gift. She had been a guest in 1926 and went on to write a series of articles about her experiences at the ranch in the Kansas City Journal-Post.

In the late 1930s, Edward Dickerson Jenkins, a prominent Democratic politician, syndicated ownership of the ranch and named it Rancho de la Osa. In its years as a dude ranch, La Osa played host to prominent guests including politicians, Hollywood actors and authors including Lyndon B. Johnson (Lady Bird Johnson pictured right, in front of the Cantina), John Wayne and Zane Grey.

From the 1960s to 1982, the ranch’s ownership changed hands, operating as a cattle ranch or guest ranch. In the spring of 2017, the ranch opened once again to dude ranch guests after Rancho de la Osa was purchased by Ranch Preservation and partners. It is now a part of the True Ranch Collection, a selection of historic dude ranches across the West.

BECOME A PART OF HISTORY

Rancho de la Osa

LODGING

Everyone is treated like a VIP at Rancho de la Osa, but here’s your opportunity to stay in a room occupied by U.S. Presidents, Hollywood celebrities, famous authors and other dignitaries. Each of our 19 rooms has a unique layout:

DELUXE QUEEN

Deluxe Queen rooms include a queen bed and fireplace or wood-burning stove.

DELUXE TWIN

Bedded with two or three twin beds with cozy fireplaces for chilly desert nights.

PREMIUM KING

Our Premium King rooms are complete with a king bed and fireplace or woodburning stove.

SUITE

Suites include one bedroom with a king, queen or three twin beds; plus an additional room with more bedding or large sitting area with fireplace or wood-burning stove.

EXPLORE ARIZONA’S UNIQUE

HIGH DESERT GRASSLANDS

Rancho de la Osa

ADVENTURES

Rancho de la Osa offers horseback riding for all skill levels through the ranch’s many sandy washes, over rocky terrain, past incredible rock formations, and through lush desert grasslands.

Explore the area during our Guided Off-Road UTV Tours or hike the numerous trails in the area. Channel your inner wild west cowboy with our sport shooting program. There’s plenty of space to relax with a cool drink in the historic Cantina or by the pool.

HORSEBACK RIDING

GUIDED UTV TOURS

SPORT SHOOTING

ARCHERY

BIRDWATCHING

HIKING

RELAXING

Rancho de la Osa

DINING

At Rancho de la Osa, our guests never go hungry. We aim to provide fresh, hearty and healthy meals. Our chefs are passionate about their craft and love to prepare guests creative and tasty selections highlighting Southwestern cuisine.

If you have any special requests, diets or allergies our chefs promise to take great care of you.