A Historic Gentleman’s Ranch in California
''Palacio del Rio'' is the former hacienda of a famous gentleman ranch perched in a grove of 100-year old Redwoods and overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley.
The Spanish-style property was built between 1929 and 1938 by Santa Barbara architect Joseph Plunkett for John J. (Jack) Mitchell Jr. and first wife Lolita Armour, and named 'Juan y Lolita Ranchero' after his Christian name and that of his wife.
A former pilot during the war, Mitchell went on to form an aviation company that would become United Airlines and built his dream ranch in the California countryside, complete with a Wild West bar from a saloon in Santa Barbara.
Bar taken from a Santa Barbara saloon and installed in Juan y Lolita Rancho, California. From Country Life in America, September 1935
In a bid to recapture some of the romance and spirit of Old California, in 1930 he organized his first “Los Rancheros Visitadores”, a historic horseback trek through the California countryside with 65 of his closest friends.
It is said that Mitchell was introduced to the idea by his friends Elmer Awl and cowboy artist Ed Borein, who originally suggested a few days of riding and camping with friends.
After attending a meeting of the Bohemian Club held north of San Francisco, Mitchell warmed to the idea of forming an elite men’s club centred around horseback riding and celebrating the ranching lifestyle.
The ride was a revival of the hacienda circuit from early California, a custom of ranchers riding ranch to ranch to help neighbours with the roundup or chore, and ultimately, have a party.
The Ranchero rodeo was so successful that Mitchell hosted it annually for 25 years, going on to become ‘El Presedente’ of the by-invitation Los Rancheros Visitadores, with attendees like Clark Gable, Walt Disney (aboard his horse, Minnie Mouse), and Apollo astronaut Wally Shirra.
Walt Disney & the Rancheros Visitadores Photo Archive.
“Each year the Juan y Lolita Rancho became the destination of a ritual that expressed the gentleman rancher's devotion to out-of-doors life. This was the Rancheros Visitadores, a revival of the early Californian custom of ranchers visiting, en masse, hacienda after hacienda. Everyone except the infirm rode horses; no women were allowed —indeed, women and children were expelled from Mitchell’s ranch for a period of two days. During that time the men enjoyed an unbridled fiesta, doing whatever they chose. The party was described as “a whooping safety-valve for tired businessmen”; for the rest of the year the ranch formed “a sanctuary where John, Lolita, and their personal friends may find peace and pleasure, leaving the outside world beyond the mountains.” In other words the great outdoors provided, ironically, the vehicle for a flight of introspective nostalgia and escapism.” Aslet, Clive. The American Country House. 1990.
The five-day ride became one of the most exclusive networking opportunities in America, second only to the Bohemian Grove—some called it the ‘Bohemian Grove on horseback’.
The elite membership to these communities gave rise to the theory that Bohemians and Rancheros ruled America in the mid-20th century.
The 1967 bestseller “Who Rules America” by G. William Dornhoff famously documented the dangerous concentration of power and wealth in the American upper class. Some of the most powerful men in America were Vistitadore-Bohemians, including Ronald Reagan.
"It is the ride that makes the fun, not the fun that makes the ride," Mitchell is quoted in the 1955 issue of Sports Illustrated, covering the silver anniversary ride and his last as ‘El Presedente’.
“All the pledges and secret oaths in the universe cannot tie men, our kind of men, together like the mutual appreciation of a beautiful horse, the moon behind a cloud, a song around the campfire or a ride down the Santa Ynez Valley. These are experiences common on our ride, but unknown to most of our daily lives.
“Our organization, to all appearances, is the most informal imaginable. Yet there are men here who see each other once a year, yet feel a bond closer than between those they have known all their lives.” Mitchell, 1955
Etling, William. “Sideways in Neverland: Life in the Santa Ynez Valley, California”, 2005.
By the 1960s, Mitchell sold the estate to Jimmy Stewart and the property was later owned by Dean Martin, and parcelled off over the years.
Mitchell led Los Rancheros Visitadores for 25 years and in 1979 he was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
The 36.6 acre Spanish-style California ranch property is all that remains of the once-12,000 acre estate.
The sprawling 10,000 square foot hacienda has 6 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, with several reception rooms opening out to the terraces extending the living spaces outdoors.
Across the landscaped courtyard, there is a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom guest quarters, and an additional 2-bedroom guest house. Included on the property is a caretaker’s house.
With its stunning views over the valley and lush landscape, the property is truly a sanctuary, with several terraces, a swimming pool and tennis court. Below on the hills, find fenced pastures with horse shelters, a riding ring, and a four-stall barn.
Providing an unparalleled California lifestyle and steeped in history, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime property.
All photos belong to the listing agency.
Sources:
Aslet, Clive. The American Country House. New Haven & London, Yale University Press, 1990. https://books.google.ca/books?id=PFfWsVBuvLIC&lpg=PA237&ots=d2b46ESt6a&dq=Juan%20y%20Lolita%20Rancho%2C&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
Beshoar, Barron. “It’s the Ride That Makes the Fun.” Sports Illustrated, September 12, 1955, pg 16, Vault Archives, https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/09/12/its-the-ride-that-makes-the-fun
Etling, William. “Sideways in Neverland: Life in the Santa Ynez Valley, California”, 2005. https://books.google.ca/books?dq=Juan%20y%20Lolita%20Ranchero%20neverland%20ranch&id=qOnB_9IjCRwC&lpg=PA69&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Juan%20y%20Lolita%20Ranchero%20neverland%20ranch&f=false
Walt Disney & the Rancheros Visitadores Photo Archive, 186, https://www.icollector.com/Walt-Disney-the-Rancheros-Visitadores-Photo-Archive_i30472931
