Caroline Lockhart Ranch, human settlement in United States of America
Caroline Lockhart Ranch is a farm and historic home in Carbon County with multiple buildings arranged by function and separated by Cottonwood Creek. Working structures including a barn, corrals, stables, blacksmith shop, and storage sheds occupy the north side, while the main residence, guest cabin, springhouse, and other residential buildings sit on the south side.
The property was founded in 1926 by Caroline Lockhart, a writer from Philadelphia, and expanded over decades to more than 6000 acres of land. Lockhart sold the ranch in the 1950s, and the US government acquired it in 1980 to preserve it as part of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
The ranch reflects the life of an independent woman who settled in this remote area around 1926 and shaped her surroundings through planted gardens and trees. Visitors can still see today how she cultivated flowers like irises and hollyhocks and planted cottonwoods for shade, showing how she transformed the landscape according to her vision.
Access is by dirt road about 2.5 miles from the Barry's Landing junction, passing through open country away from main routes. Visitors can explore short and longer walking trails at their own pace to view the buildings and property.
The ranch kitchen and storage systems show a complete self-sufficient food operation, with a springhouse for cooling food, an apple orchard for fresh fruit, and structures for storing dried goods and wild game. These details reveal how residents lived entirely independent of outside supply systems.
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