Name: Ghost Ranch
SKU: 13188
Price: 22.95 USD
Availability: InStock

Ghost Ranch, for over a century, has been a magnet for individuals brimming with creativity and vitality, nestled in the high desert of northern New Mexico. Encompassing 22,000 acres in the Piedra Lumbre basin, this legendary locale held a special place in the heart of renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe, whose artistic renderings of the terrain propelled Ghost Ranch to global acclaim.

In this captivating narrative, Ghost Ranch historian Lesley Poling-Kempes delves into the rich history of this iconic retreat, building upon the foundation laid in her previous work, “Valley of Shining Stone.” From its origins as el Rancho de los Brujos, a haven for infamous outlaws, to its evolution into a cultural haven and a premier Southwest conference center, Poling-Kempes traces Ghost Ranch’s fascinating transformation.

Originally a dude ranch, Ghost Ranch metamorphosed into a mystical sanctuary where the boundary between heaven and earth seemed ethereal. Focused on the period spanning the 1920s to the 1990s, Poling-Kempes unveils the captivating stories of luminaries such as O’Keeffe, Boston Brahmin Carol Bishop Stanley, paleontologist Edwin H. Colbert, Los Alamos physicists, and Hollywood stars. Together, they forged a distinctive community that has grown into the esteemed institution Ghost Ranch is today.

Drawing from previously unavailable information since the writing of “Valley of Shining Stone,” Poling-Kempes enriches the biography of Juan de Dios Gallegos, rectifying and enhancing the account. The Ghost Ranch years under the ownership of Robert Wood Johnson, of Johnson & Johnson fame, are recounted with insights from family members. Memories from David McAlpin Jr. shed light on the Princeton circle, including the Packs, the Johnson brothers, the Rockefellers, and the McAlpins, who became summer neighbors in the high desert of New Mexico.

Following Arthur Pack’s generous gift of the ranch to the Presbyterian Church in 1955, Ghost Ranch transformed into a spiritual haven for thousands enchanted by the landscapes immortalized by O’Keeffe on canvas. Despite its evolution, Ghost Ranch has preserved its intimate essence through dedicated efforts to safeguard its land and character. Poling-Kempes weaves the remarkable tale of Ghost Ranch, inviting all visitors to embrace its status as a revered wilderness and join in preserving its future.

REVIEWS

Review

Southwest Books of the Year “Top Choice” Award 2005

“Poling-Kempes is a skillful writer, smoothly dovetailing the human stories that make up the narrative of this pristine, peaceful, and appealing place. The author flat out knows how to tell a good story.” Richard Etulain, author of Re-imagining the Modern American West

“Rare is an author who possesses equal talent for writing both fiction and nonfiction. Lesley Poling-Kempes succeeds at both. Moreover, her historical material is as pleasing to read as a gripping novel.” New Mexico Magazine

From the Author

My new novel “Bone Horses” will be released in June 2013. Please visit my website lesleypoling-kempes.net for information about all of my books and for author events.
Follow my progress on “Ladies of the Canyons” – a new book of nonfiction under contract with the University of Arizona Press – on my Facebook author page.

From the Back Cover

For more than a century, Ghost Ranch has attracted people of enormous energy and creativity to the high desert of northern New Mexico. Occupying twenty-two thousand acres of the Piedra Lumbre basin, this fabled place was the love of artist Georgia OaKeeffeas life, and her depictions of the landscape catapulted Ghost Ranch to international recognition. Building on the history of the Abiquiu region that she told in Valley of Shining Stone, Ghost Ranch historian Lesley Poling-Kempes now unfolds the story of this celebrated retreat. She traces its transformation from el Rancho de los Brujos, a hideout for legendary outlaws, to a renowned cultural mecca and one of the Southwestas premier conference centers. First a dude ranch, Ghost Ranch became a magical sanctuary where the veil between heaven and earth seemed almost transparent. Focusing on those who visited from the 1920s and a30s until the 1990s, Poling-Kempes tells how OaKeeffe and others–from Boston Brahmin Carol Bishop Stanley to paleontologist Edwin H. Colbert, Los Alamos physicists to movie stars–created a unique community that evolved into the institution that is Ghost Ranch today. For this book, Poling-Kempes has drawn on information not available when Valley of Shining Stone was written. The biography of Juan de Dios Gallegos has been enhanced and definitively corrected. The Robert Wood Johnson (of Johnson & Johnson) years at Ghost Ranch are recounted with reminiscences from family members. And the memories of David McAlpin Jr. shed light on how the Princeton circle that included the Packs, the Johnson brothers, the Rockefellers, and the McAlpins ended up as summer neighbors on the high desert of New Mexico. After Arthur Packasgift of the ranch to the Presbyterian Church in 1955, Ghost Ranch became a spiritual home for thousands of people still awestruck by the landscape that OaKeeffe so lovingly committed to canvas; yet the care taken to protect Ghost Ranchas land and character has preserved its sense of intimacy. By relating its remarkable story, Poling-Kempes invites all visitors to better appreciate its place as an honored wilderness–and to help safeguard its future.

About the Author

Lesley Poling-Kempes has been associated with the Ghost Ranch Conference Center since the mid 1970s. Her other books include award winning The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West; Valley of Shining Stone: The Story of Abiquiu; and a novel, The Canyon of Remembering, WWA Spur Award finalist.