PRESERVING WESTERN HISTORY
Honoring the past while planning for the future of the West’s most historic dude ranches.
PROTECTING, RESTORING & PRESERVING
Our Mission
The Ranch Preservation Foundation works to protect, restore and preserve western ranches, while honoring the storied histories of each unique property to maintain the connection to the past and history of dude ranching.
Our Projects
Learn about our current and previous efforts to restore and preserve ranches in the American West, including the O.T.O. Dude Ranch and Rancho de la Osa.
How You Can Help
Your donation allows us to contribute to incredible places across the historic West, ensuring their enjoyment for centuries to come.
100 YEARS OF DUDE RANCHING
Dude ranching found its official start in 1926, when a group of ranchers decided to create a governing organization for the industry that had begun to blossom in the late 1800s. The first dude ranches found their guests longing to extend their stays and happy to pay in exchange, as they explored and adventured in the American West.
In celebration of the centennial of the Dude Ranchers’ Association, this book explores modern and historic dude ranching at 26 ranches that were at the forefront of the industry, hosting dudes and giving them a taste of the West by 1926.
With photographs by award-winning photographer Scott T. Baxter, this book explores modern dude ranching at these historic ranches as captured over the course of a year; paired with historic information to see how each ranch has changed over a century. A history of the DRA and dude ranching written by historian Lynn Downey chronicles the story of dude ranches — the West’s first destination vacation.
HONORING STORIED PASTS
The Ranch Preservation Foundation works to curate the histories of western ranches so their connection to the past may be enjoyed for centuries to come through interpretive exhibits and guest programming with a connection to the ranch’s history.
Ranch Preservation Foundation Projects
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![The historic Cantina at Rancho de la Osa, restored by Ranch Preservation Foundation.]()
Rancho de la Osa Cantina
The historic Cantina at Rancho de la Osa was built in 1722 as a Spanish mission outpost. Ranch Preservation Foundation has spearheaded restoration of the 300-year-old building. -
![Book cover of the Centennial of the Dude Ranchers' Association book project, 100 Years of Dude Ranching.]()
DRA Centennial Book Project
In celebration of the upcoming centennial of the Dude Ranchers’ Association, the DRA, Ranch Preservation Foundation and the Dude Ranch Foundation are collaborating on a book project to commemorate the 100th anniversary.
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![The interior of the billiard room at the O.T.O. Dude Ranch, restored by Ranch Preservation Foundation.]()
O.T.O. Dude Ranch
The O.T.O. is Montana’s first dude ranch and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It hosted dudes from the 1910s to 1930s and remained largely vacant for over 80 years until Ranch Preservation’s Yellowstone Pop-Up Ranch in the summers of 2022 and 2023, raising over $48,000 for the ranch’s preservation.
