Pine Historic Ranch: A Glimpse into Arizona's Past

Pine Historic Ranch provides a tangible link to Arizona's ranching heritage. Located on the Shivwits Plateau within the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the ranch exemplifies the small, family-owned cattle operations that once thrived in the isolated Arizona Strip.Wallace Mathis established the ranch around 1918 near Pine Spring, a reliable water source. His son, Carl, further developed the property in the 1920s, constructing essential structures like stock tanks, fences, and corrals. From the 1930s to the 1960s, Reed Mathis and his family managed the ranch, running cattle seasonally. The Mathis family sold the ranch before 1970, and it eventually came under the management of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).Today, Pine Historic Ranch is disused but stabilized as a cultural heritage site. Visitors can explore the remnants of the ranch, envisioning the daily lives of those who worked the land and raised cattle in this challenging environment. The surrounding landscape offers stunning views and a sense of the isolation that defined life on the Arizona Strip.