Spring Mountain Ranch SP- Blue Diamond, NV
History is hard to come by in the greater Las Vegas area, unless you know where to look. Not too far from the crazy is an oasis of calm. An oasis of history. An actual oasis. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, located adjacent to the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, offers a welcome respite from the surrounding desert, as well as a window into the region’s past.
In stark contrast to the surrounding landscape, Spring Mountain is downright lush. Home to the Paiute for over 10,000 years, the abundance of water would later attract mountain men and early settlers. In 1829 Antonio Armijo established an alternative Spanish Trail route through the area, while later, Mormon pioneers used the trail to transport supplies from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.
Legend holds that famous trapper and mountain man Bill Williams frequently visited the area, using the verdant valley to rest his horses before heading across the desert to California. In addition to raiding Mexican ranches, Williams led several early Western expeditions, was fluent in several Native American languages, and frequently acted as a government interpreter.
In 1876 the property was acquired by James Wilson and George Anderson, who shifted the focus to cattle ranching. In short order, Anderson fled the ranch to enter the saloon business, leaving his wife and sons behind with Wilson. His wife would mysteriously vanish from the ranch in the 1880s, however the sons would remain on the property until 1929. The ranch then changed hands and names several times over the next few decades before it was purchased in 1955 by German movie star Vera Krupp, who christened the property Spring Mountain Ranch.
Krupp, married to a German industrialist who was barred from the United States due to war crime convictions, sought respite on the ranch. After purchasing the property with her divorce settlement, she raised Herefords, Brahmas, and a little Hell. She was a born entertainer, and her parties where almost as legendary as her 33 carat Harry Winston diamond ring, which she wore at all times. That is, until April 10, 1959, when armed robbers arrived at the ranch, leaving with the ring, $700,000 in cash, a camera, and a revolver. However, because 33 carat diamonds are exceedingly rare, the FBI was able to quickly locate it in New Jersey and return it to Krupp. Krupp continued to wear the ring until her death in 1967, at which point it was purchased by Richard Burton for $307,000 and gifted to Elizabeth Taylor.
In 1967, with her health failing, Krupp sold the ranch to Howard Hughes. Hughes, who had just bought the Desert Sands, hoped to use the ranch to lure his estranged wife to Nevada. His wife, however, had no interest in the remote property, leaving Spring Ranch to serve as a corporate retreat until it was sold to the owner of a local car dealership in 1971. The dealer, Fletcher Jones, had grand plans for a master community of condos. Fortunately, his proposal was not approved, and the land was sold to Nevada State Parks in 1974. With 520 acres, six springs, spectacular scenery, history, and shade, it is a rare Vegas retreat.
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