About Us

Take a step back in time as you visit the historic John Slaughter Ranch. The old adobe ranch house has been meticulously restored along with the ice house, wash house, granary, commissary, and car shed to give the feeling of what ranch life was at the turn of the century. It is an official National Historic Landmark. Slaughter called it the San Bernardino Ranch and it is now the Johnson Historical Museum of the Southwest.

"The main house consisted of five rooms on either side of a wide hallway, with a pantry, kitchen, bathroom, and cowboy dining room. The gathering area was a large living-dining room with a built-in china cabinet Slaughter ordered through a Sears & Roebuck catalog. Sears also provided the window in the far right corner of the room.

Photo by: Norma Lavanchy

“Beneath the hipped roof with it's imported redwood shingles was a porch extending the length of the south side. The turned columns of the porch today are exact replicas of those in use in Slaughter's time.

"Besides the main house, the ranch compound contained several other interesting buildings. The car shed holds a fully restored 1915 Model T Ford. Curiously, however, Slaughter never learned to drive. North of the car shed is a large granary. Adjacent are the cook's room and commissary. On the west side of the compound are two stone structures: the washhouse and the icehouse. The washhouse was used to iron clothes; the icehouse, to store 300-pound blocks of ice hauled in by wagon.Outstanding in the memories of ranch visitors were the large bowls of ice cream Viola would bring from the icehouse as a children's treat when the chores were done"*.

Photo by: Jack Dykinga

*Arizona Highways Article October - 1986 by Catrien Ross