An estimated 2,000 people spent a memorable autumn day at the Empire Ranch Open House on Oct. 24, including two dignitaries.

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More than 80 presenters and performers, including Mariachi Apaches from Nogales High School, Western balladeer Bruce Andre and The Deserts Sons were on hand during the round up that also featured arena and Western skills exhibits, wagon rides, the Kids’ Corral and an auction that brought in more than $7,000. Among the high-bid items was a saddle once owned by John Donaldson, a former resident of the Empire Ranch, who recently died.

While raising funds was an important part of the event, the main focus was outreach, said Christine Auerbach,.

“The purpose is to literally round up people who have never seen the ranch and show them what the property is all about,” said Auerbach, the administrator of the Empire Ranch Foundation. “We were thrilled to see how many people were first-timers.”

Highlight

Auerbach said another highlight of the day was a visit from Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (8th District of Arizona) and Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture, Jay Jensen, who stopped by for a tour the historic ranch. Auerbach said it was Giffords' first visit to the Empire. “It was a wonderful opportunity for her and her family to visit the ranch,” she said.

One concern Auerbach was able to share with Giffords and Jensen was a recent seismic study sponsored by the Empire Foundation that shows that mining activity in the area could endanger the foundation of the historic ranch structure, the very thing that the Empire Foundation been working hard to preserve. “This is one of the reasons we asked Giffords to come out,” said Auerbach.

History

Just outside Sonoita on the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, the Empire Ranch dates back to the 1870s. The Empire Ranch Foundation is a non-profit volunteer organization that acts in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management in order to protect, restore and sustain the Empire Ranch historical buildings and landscape as an outstanding western heritage and education center.

For more information, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.empireranchfoundation.org.