Kyle (Kiel) Ranch
North Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Kyle (Kiel) Ranch. Established by Conrad Kiel in 1875, this was one of only two major ranches in Las Vegas valley throughout the 19th century. The Kiel tenure was marked by violence. Neighboring rancher Archibald Stewart was killed in a gunfight here in 1884. Edwin and William Kiel were found murdered on the ranch in October 1900.The San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake railroad purchased the ranch in 1903 and later sold it to Las Vegas banker John S. Park, who built the elegant white mansion.Subsequent owners included Edwin Taylor (1924-39), whose cowboy ranch hands competed in national rodeos, and Edwin Losee (1939-58), who developed the Boulderado Dude Ranch here, a popular residence for divorce seekers.In the late 1950s, business declined and the ranch was sold. In 1976, 26 acres of the original ranch were purchased jointly by the City of North Las Vegas and its bicentennial committee as a historic project.
Erected by Division Of Historic Preservation And Archeologythe Kyle Committee For Preservationa National Register Of Historic Places Property
The Story
Established by Conrad Kiel in 1875, this was one of only two major ranches in the Las Vegas valley through the 19th century, and its early years were steeped in violence — rancher Archibald Stewart was killed here in a gunfight in 1884, and two of Kiel's sons were found murdered on the property in 1900. After a railroad bought the land in 1903, Las Vegas banker John S. Park built the elegant white mansion, and later owners turned it into a cowboy ranch and even a dude ranch catering to divorce seekers. In 1976 the City of North Las Vegas preserved 26 acres of the original ranch as a historic site.
Why it matters
Spanning frontier ranching, railroad speculation, and Nevada's famous divorce trade, the Kiel Ranch is a layered witness to how the Las Vegas valley grew from remote oasis to modern city.
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Related people
- · Conrad Kiel
- · Archibald Stewart
- · John S. Park
Themes & tags
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