Homesteading and Ranching in the Vicinity of Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Maricopa and Yavapai Counties, Arizona

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) identified the need for an in-depth study of ranching and homesteading in Lake Pleasant Regional Park (LPRP). At Reclamation’s request, Archaeological Consulting Services (ACS) undertook this current study, which builds upon previous research and investigations sponsored by Reclamation that indicated that the ranching history was an important historic context for the area. This project includes: (1) archival research into the history of ranching in the park in general and the Two Shoe Ranch (a.k.a. Solo Spring Ranch, AZ T:3:39(ASM)) in particular, and (2) oral histories from four individuals familiar with ranching and homesteading in the park. It was determined through this study that the LPRP comprises the southeast corner of a much larger ranching community that spans the southernmost portion of Yavapai County from Morristown to the Agua Fria River, and stretching up to the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains. Select photos can be found here: https://core.tdar.org/image/391347. The photo log can be found here: https://core.tdar.org/document/391346.