Los Pinos Ranch Added to HSFF's Register
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Los Pinos Ranch
At the August 25, 2022 Board of Directors meeting, the Education, Research, and Archives Committee recommended to the Board that Los Pinos Ranch be added to the HSFF Register of Properties Worthy of Preservation. The ranch was approved, adding another property with a fascinating history to the Register. Many of the guest ranches that once checkered northern New Mexico have now disappeared, as have many of the Spanish Log construction buildings in the region. Still operational and with great architectural integrity, Los Pinos Ranch is an enduring emblem of the economic activity and architectural typology that characterized the region during the early to mid 1900s.
Los Pinos Ranch, founded in 1912 by Amado Chaves, has operated as a guest ranch for a century. Part of the phenomenon of wealthy and educated individuals from the East Coast seeking outdoor recreation in a rustic yet cultivated atmosphere, Los Pinos Ranch was home to and the place of respite for many historically significant people. Notable figures who occupied the ranch include Charles Lummis, Marc Simmons, Paul Horgan, and Robert J. Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer frequented the ranch over a period which spanned decades, starting when he was a teenager. His horseback rides with Amado’s daughter Kia Chaves, a lifelong friend, eventually led Oppenheimer to the site of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos.
Alan “Mac” Watson researched and wrote the nomination for the property on behalf of the ranch’s owners Alice M. McSweeney and William J. McSweeney. The McSweeney family is one of two families who owned and operated the ranch. The McSweeney and Chaves families both meticulously maintained guest registers, diaries, letters, photographs, and videos which provided Mac with a wealth of details on the ranch’s history. The property and its facilities, the history of its use through today, as well as the significance of the people associated with Los Pinos Ranch over a century, position Los Pinos Ranch as a place worthy of preservation and recognition. It is an honor to include such a remarkable property on HSFF’s Register.
