Escape it all at the Silver Spur Guest Ranch on the Arizona Memory Project

PHOENIX – Though the ranch no longer exists physically, the Silver Spur Ranch collection brings the days of chuck wagons, horseback riding, and guided tours back to life. In the mid-1940s, William ‘Bill’ Jesse Spragge Sr. converted an old Civil Conservation Corp camp into the Silver Spur Guest Ranch, where guests could relax and take in the beauty of the Chiricahua National Monument. The Silver Spur Ranch collection includes over 150 photographs, drawings, brochures, maps, and other ephemera of life and activities on the ranch and southeastern Arizona.

"I would like to thank the State of Arizona Research Library for the opportunity to place the Spragge Family Collection in the Arizona Memory Project," said Susan Reedy, granddaughter of Bill Spragge Sr. "I had heard many wonderful stories over the years of the fond memories my family had during their time living and working at the Silver Spur Ranch in Arizona. My hope is that this collection sparks the viewer’s imagination to experience the life of those who lived at the Silver Spur Ranch in its earliest years."

Researchers of the Silver Spur Ranch collection on the Arizona Memory Project can view it indefinitely and on any digital device at http://go.azsos.gov/silverspurranch.

For questions about this or any digital collection, or for cultural institutions interested in sharing collections on the Arizona Memory Project, contact [email protected].

The Arizona Memory Project provides free online access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona archives, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. The Arizona Memory Project is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

-30-