Walking Box Ranch

Walking Box Ranch is an 160-acre ranch that was owned by silent film legend Clara Bow and her husband, the cowboy-film star Rex Bex. The couple purchased the area in 1931 from John Woolf, a long time employee of the Rock Springs Land and Cattle Company who had been gifted their Nevada holdings when the company, which has ranched over a million acres at their peak, folded in 1928. Rex and Bow built a ranch house in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, along with various ranch structures such as a barn, ice house, carpenters shop, and blacksmith shop. While owned by the Hollywood couple, the ranch was a popular vacation destination for their famous associates, such as Lionel Barrymore, Carole Lombard, and Clark Gable. During the 1940s the family began spending more time in Vegas as Rex Bell's business and political career began to rise. In 1950 the ranch was sold to Karl Wiekel, who continued to ranch the area until he sold the property to Viceroy Gold Corporation in 1989. Viceroy used the property to access their local mine and rehabilitated the ranch headquarters to serve as an executive retreat. Since the mid-1990s, the property has changed hands several times before being purchased by the Bureau of Land Management in 2005. The ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 for its association with cattle ranching and its architectural significance. In 2023  Avi Kwa Ame National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation, covering Walking Box Ranch and some of the same areas ranched by Woolf, Bell, and Wiekel during the previous century.

 

Currently, Walking Box Ranch is closed to the public except for monthly events and organized tours. Guided tours are offered the First Saturday of every month in collaboration with the Friends of Avi Kwa Ame. For more information and to reserve a spot at events with limited space go to the Friend of Avi Kwa Ame's website https://www.friendsofavikwaame.org/events. 
 

The Walking Box Ranch has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, as part of the Save America’s Treasures grant, for two aspects of historic significance: for its association with cattle ranching in Clark County and the Mojave, and for its architectural significance.

Architecturally, it has been documented as an example of the cattle ranch property type as a whole, including the main house, outbuildings and structures, and associated landscape features. In addition, the main house has been documented as an example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and the barn and elements of the corrals as examples of a railroad tie construction. The period of significance for Walking Box Ranch extends from 1931-1958. A draft nomination was submitted the Nevada Historic Preservation Office in March 2008, and the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in March 2009.

The Friends of Avi Kwa Ame work closely with the BLM to help ensure protection of the ecological, cultural, historic, and recreational resources of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. If you would like to become involved more information and a sign-up formcan be found on their website under Volunteer:  https://www.friendsofavikwaame.org/volunteer

Walking Box Ranch is located 7 miles West of Searchlight, Nevada. From Searchlight, head West on Route 164 for 7 miles, turn left onto Walking Box Ranch Road and travel South for 0.8 miles.