| The Ranch |
Date Creek Ranch is a working cattle ranch, over 120 years old, currently run by the Knight family. Located twenty-two miles northwest of Wickenburg, off Highway US 93, on picturesque Date Creek, the ranch headquarters, first built in 1883, enjoys a riparian setting of cottonwoods and willow and home to a wide variety of wildlife. Prehistoric man once lived here, but little evidence is left of that occupation. The remains of Camp Date Creek, a territorial military outpost, are a few miles away. Nearby orchards, and corrals of horses and cattle bring home the rural, labor-intensiveness of the ranching/farming lifestyle, off the grid and off the beaten track. Picnic tables nestle under mesquites outside the orchards, providing a shaded resting spot for lunch.
Ranch lands also incorporate the border between Mojave and Sonoran Desert, full of majestic saguaro and joshua trees, mesquite and palo verde trees. From February to April, the joshua are likely to be in bloom, displaying large green-white clusters of flowers on their branches. Much of the terrain is rocky. Heavily petinaed boulders cover the hillsides which gradually rise up into low mountains oft searched for gold and riddled with old mines.
Determination and land stewardship are musts for ranching in this country, and the Knights demonstrate both. The ranch was featured in the August, 1999 edition of the Arizona Highways and has been honored several times for initiating programs designed to enhance and protect the environment. Phil Knight helped reintroduce both wild turkeys and beaver to the ranch in conjunction with state Game and Fish field personnel.
The ranch can be reached from Phoenix by taking Highway 60 to Wickenburg, then Highway 93 north to Date Creek Ranch Road--a well marked right turn at highway mile marker 177.5. Four miles of dirt road lead directly to the ranch house and orchards. The road is maintained and accessible to all vehicles.
The closest town, Wickenburg, is full of history and cultural opportunities for the traveler, as well as varieties of restaurants and motels. For more information on Wickenburg, contact the Chamber of Commerce at www.wickenburgchamber.com.
