Reagan Ranch Tour
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Special Acres at the Reagan Ranch
The Ranch Home
This section of the Ranch includes the 1872 adobe home, the front porch
and stone patio where the historic tax cut table is located, and the side
lawn where the Reagans regularly entertained friends and family. Ronald
Reagan built much of the home himself. He designed and constructed the
stone patio and the front porch room. He took great pride in choosing
the exact building materials used, down to the old ceiling beams in the porch room. He even laid the linoleum floors
seen throughout the house.
Michael Reagan once reminded us about his father, "He was a builder;
a builder of a house, a builder of a Ranch, and a builder of relationships."
The house is not only unique because of the thought and labor the President
put into many aspects of its construction, but also because of the abundance
of original artifacts that fill its interior, from the President's original
book collection to his riding boots in the master bedroom.
It is here at the house where students come to grasp the character
and humility of America's 40th President - they truly get to
know the principled person that was Ronald Reagan.
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Grazing Pasture
Adjacent to the simple adobe home, these acres encompass a part of the
Ranch very special to President Reagan - this peaceful vista was the President's
favorite view. Imagine the tranquility President Reagan must have felt
as he sat on his patio and looked out onto the rolling hills of his beloved
Ranch. Visitors today feel that same serenity as they watch the horses
feed and the occasional deer pass through the meadow.
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Hanging Tree
President Reagan was fascinated by each aspect of Rancho del Cielo,
and the history of the property was a favorite topic of discussion whenever
he welcomed his guests. This acre dates back to the early days of the
Ranch, then known as Rancho de los Picos. During that time, bandits
roamed the mountain pass robbing the occasional stagecoach that passed
that way. This acre's large oak tree, known as "Hanging Tree," is scarred
with the remnants of those early days. Visitors can still see the cross
carved into the bark with several notches which, according to legend,
mark the institution of frontier justice.
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Dos Vistas
Rancho del Cielo really is the "ranch in the sky," and nowhere
on the Ranch does that reality ring more true than at Dos Vistas. From
Dos Vistas, or "two views" atop a mountain surrounded by trees, you see
on one side the glistening Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands below
while on the other - the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. President Reagan
frequently visited this beautiful spot while horseback riding. Peggy Noonan
wrote of the views in her book, When Character Was King, "In late
April the mountains are a beautiful lush green... There is a point...within
range of mountains, the ocean, the fogbank, the Channel Islands, Santa
Barbara... where you see the coastline below running east and west. The
sun rises on one end of the beach and sets on the other. You are stunned
with the beauty of the place, and now you know why they call it Rancho
del Cielo."
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House Vista Overlook
In his book, Dutch, Edmund Morris wrote how President Reagan
had an exact image in his mind of what the vista from his front patio
should look like. The House Vista Overlook encompasses that view, and
from this acre at the edge of Boot Hill next to the Pet Cemetery, visitors
are afforded one of the most serene views of the President's simple Ranch
home. From here you look across the pastures at the adobe, the guest house,
and Lake Lucky with just a sliver of the Pacific Ocean in the distance
as the backdrop.
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Lake Lucky
Enchanting Lake Lucky was home to "Tru Luv", the canoe President Reagan
gave Nancy in 1977 on their 25th wedding anniversary.
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Freedom Lake
Located just off of Pennsylvania Avenue and a short distance from the
Ranch adobe home, Freedom Lake provides a peaceful setting and backdrop
to Freedom Wall where abundant wildlife and Ranch horses can be seen grazing in the serenity.
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Snipers' Point
From the top of the mountain, the U.S. Secret Service detail had a bird's
eye view of President Reagan, whether he was riding horseback, working, or relaxing
at Rancho del Cielo. From Snipers' Point, a military counter-sniper
team was always on patrol, continuously surveying the property to ensure
the safety of both the President and First Lady.
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Freedom Wall
Freedom Wall is the one addition made to Rancho del Cielo by
Young America's Foundation. Here, future generations of visitors will
have the opportunity to recognize and thank the many great Americans who
have given generously to ensure that the Reagan Ranch is preserved for
all time as a living memorial to Ronald Reagan and his leadership of the
Conservative Movement. Those special supporters include, among many others
- Charlton Heston, Donald Rumsfeld, Pat Sajak, Tom Clancy, and Edwin
Meese III.
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Psalm 121 Overlook
From this overlook, visitors have a wonderful view of the Santa Ynez
Valley and nearby Lake Alisal. President Reagan often quoted the 121st
Psalm when he talked about the Ranch: "I look to the hills from whence
cometh my strength? My help cometh from the Lord - the Maker of heaven
and earth."
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Gateway to Freedom
The unassuming front gate to Rancho del Cielo is a "Gateway to
Freedom"
for the thousands of young people who visit
the Reagan Ranch to learn about Ronald Reagan's conservative principles
of personal responsibility, strong national defense, and free enterprise.
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U.S. Secret Service Command
Post
The Secret Service Command Post was an integral part of Reagan's "Western
White House," as it overlooked the main adobe home. President Reagan was
known to go to the Secret Service on occasion at the Command Post to visit
or to watch a sports game on the color television - a commodity that he
did not have in his simple adobe home. It is the only remaining federal
building on the Ranch property.
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Hay Barn
The Hay Barn is located on a hill above the Ranch adobe and adjacent
to the Secret Service Building. This barn housed ranch equipment and feed
for the ranch livestock. During the presidential years, Ronald Reagan
designated the barn for use by the Secret Service and their federally-owned
horses. The hay stored there was separated into federal feed storage and
Reagan feed storage. Reagan was always careful to personally pay for the
feeding and upkeep of his own horses. The hay barn still houses the president's
red 1985 Ford Ranger, his blue Ford tractor skiploader, and the large wood chipper known as the "Gipper's
Chipper."
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Helipad
Bald Mountain and the Helipad atop it were tremendous hubs of activity
at Rancho del Cielo during the eight years the Ranch operated as the "Western
White House." Here, the President's helicopter, Marine One, would land,
and the President would hop behind the wheel of one of his ranch Jeeps
to drive down Pennsylvania Avenue to his beloved adobe home. The helipad
itself is gone now - and this is the way Ronald Reagan wanted it once his presidency
came to an end. The field is now, in the words of Peggy Noonan, "covered
with wildflowers" and boasts some of the best views on the property.
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Pennsylvania Avenue
In the spirit of the "Western White House" the Secret Service dubbed
the main thoroughfare at the Ranch "Pennsylvania Avenue" after it was
paved for safety reasons. They gave President and Mrs. Reagan a sign to
place on the porch of the adobe that read "The Reagans, 1600 Penna. Ave." This
Pennsylvania Avenue looks a bit different from the one in Washington,
D.C. Rather than connect the White House to the Capitol; this road carries
guests from the Gateway to Freedom past the Ranch house entrance and on
to the helipad.
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Boot Hill
Boot Hill is one more place where you see the character of Ronald Reagan.
Here, you see the heart of the man - this is where he placed the headstones he carved with the names of his beloved ranch animals and laid them
to rest. Set upon the ridge opposite the ranch adobe, many of the President's
dogs, some horses and livestock lie at rest. "Old Duke" and even Mrs.
Reagan's favorite horse, "No Strings," are buried here.
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Ranch Caretaker Home
The Reagans added the caretaker's home to the property in the 1981.
Ronald Reagan had a caretaker live up at the Ranch to ensure that the
animals and property were properly cared for in his absence. Today, Young
America's Foundation also has a full-time caretaker who resides on the
property. He helps provide security, cares for the animals,
and takes care of the trails. He is also charged with maintenance of the
Ranch and the tremendously important task of preserving the
Ranch for future generations.
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Tack Barn
So much of life at the Ranch was centered in or around the Tack Barn.
The Tack Barn itself housed the President's ranch vehicles, his saddles
and riding tack, and his tools for his busy Ranch life. Peggy Noonan
wrote about the Tack Barn in her book, When Character was King: "It was
in the Tack Barn that Reagan would saddle his horse and Nancy's horses. He didn't
like anyone else to do it, and would do it himself. When he was done he'd
ring the bell, an old railroad locomotive bell, to tell her to come up
from the house, and they'd go horseback riding." The tack barn still houses so many
items that speak volumes about Ronald Reagan: among them, the Montgomery
Ward riding lawn mower with a presidential seal on its hood, the President's
trusty old red Willys Jeep, and the rows of axes, and chainsaws
that saw action out on the Ranch trails.
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Heart Rock
On May 27, 1977, as the Reagans rode their horses together along a trail
at the Ranch overlooking the Pacific, Ronald Reagan stoped to engrave his
and Nancy's initials in a rock now known as "Heart Rock." The Reagans
had recently purchased their "Ranch in the Sky" and many changes
were still ahead, but the endearing love between Reagan and
Nancy would be permanently etched in the Ranch history. Later, their children
would also sign their initials in the rock.
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Valley Vista
Overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley, the vista offers a spectacular view
of many of President Reagan's favorite riding trails. The trails can be
seen cut through the oak, madrone, and manzanita trees that cover the
property. Weather permitting, President Reagan would ride these trails
every morning enjoying the beautiful scenery overlooking
the valley and Solvang and Santa Ynez. These rides would permit him time to clear his
head of Washington DC and politics and develop new, fresh ideas for his administration.
While riding his favorite trails, he would discover new areas of the Ranch trails to clear with the help of his good friends Barney Barnett and
Dennis LeBlanc.
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The Executive Entrance Gate
Entering through the black cast iron gate at the Ranch entrance is the
first view that welcomes any visitor to President Reagan's "Ranch in the
Sky." The simple adobe ranch house and the pristine lake behind it offer
a glimpse into the character of Ronald Reagan. Visitors also stifle a
chuckle as they pass a Kangaroo Crossing sign, a small indication of the
humor of America's 40th President. Not only is this the entrance
that welcomes young students to the Ranch today, it was also used by such
dignitaries as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
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