Ronald Reagan's Rancho del Cielo

Left, a University of Michigan student takes in the view at the entrance of Rancho del Cielo. The gate to the ranch is at an elevation of 2240 feet above sea level. The land, in the Santa Ynez Mountains, was once part of a Spanish land...

This is how the adobe ranch house looks from the entrance of Rancho del Cielo. Visitors are usually surprised by its modesty and simplicity. It is no Hollywood designer house. Indeed, the original part of the ranch house was built...

The old ranch house at Rancho del Cielo was built by Jose and Juana Pico in the early 1870s. Born Mexicans, the Picos obtained the title to the ranch from the U.S. government under the Homestead Act signed into law by Abraham Lincoln...

The Reagans were horse people, as this sculpture suggests. A tack barn, on higher ground, is located behind the ranch house. When Reagan became president, the Secret Service built its headquarters near the tack barn. Today Rancho del...

Not exactly the right address, since it's in California, but still.... Reagan biographer and Washington Post correspondent Lou Cannon insists that the 40th president never called Rancho del Cielo the Western White House. That's what the...

This sign, so typical of Ronald Reagan's arch wit, is at the entrance of the ranch house. The coat of arms reflects the pride Reagan took in his Irish heritage.

President Reagan rang this old railroad bell outside the tack barn at about 9 every morning. It signaled to Nancy that he had finished his "Washington homework," so they could take their daily horseback ride together. After the ride...

During the eight years he was president, Ronald Reagan spent about 350 days -- almost 1/8th of his presidency -- at Rancho del Cielo. Photographer Steve Malone, right, took thousands of pictures of the first family when they were at...

Steve Malone next to the Tax Cut Table taking a photograph.

Gleaves Whitney at the famous Tax Cut Table at Rancho del Cielo, in March 2004. The pigskin-covered table and chairs are designed in the Mexican equipal style (bark tethered to bark). The table became famous on a foggy August morning...

Lake Lucky is a few paces from the ranch house. The Reagans had a canoe called Tru Luv that they enjoyed taking out on the lake.

There are two great views from the ranch's highest point, Lookout Mountain, which rises to 2587 feet. This view to the northwest is of the Santa Ynez Valley with its charming towns and vineyards.

The other great view from Lookout Mountain is toward the Pacific Ocean to the south. Reagan loved the view from Lookout Mountain and would often ride his horse there to take in the scenery. He said, "You can watch boats cruising across...

This view is from the mountain road that winds back down toward the Pacific Ocean. The Channel Islands are visible on the horizon. Between the coast and the mountaintop is a canyon that Spanish explorers called El Refugio, "the...

Historian Lee Edwards, who has written a biography of Ronald Reagan, takes in the view of the Pacific from the ridgetop of Rancho del Cielo.

Gleaves Whitney on Lookout Mountain, Rancho del Cielo (March 2004).

Rancho del Cielo
Ronald Reagan's Ranch in Santa Barbara, California

Rancho del Cielo is to Ronald Reagan what Monticello is to Thomas Jefferson, and Mount Vernon is to George Washington. Reagan was a Westerner at heart, and the ranch is where he felt most at home. Straddling a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Valley in California, Rancho del Cielo served as the Western White House from 1981 to 1989. The 688-acre ranch was the 40th president's escape from public life -- but like Monticello and Mount Vernon, it was also a getaway where much business was conducted by the president, especially when such distinguished guests as Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Brian Mulroney were visiting.

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Switch View to List View Slideshow

Steve Malone next to the Tax Cut Table taking a photograph.
Gleaves Whitney at the famous Tax Cut Table at Rancho del Cielo, in March 2004. The pigskin-covered table and chairs are designed in the Mexican equipal style (bark tethered to bark). The table became famous on a foggy August morning in 1981, when a photographer captured Reagan signing his famous tax cut legislation. The president also delivered a number of Saturday radio addresses at the table.
Lake Lucky is a few paces from the ranch house.

The Reagans had a canoe called Tru Luv that they enjoyed taking out on the lake.
There are two great views from the ranch's highest point, Lookout Mountain, which rises to 2587 feet. This view to the northwest is of the Santa Ynez Valley with its charming towns and vineyards.
The other great view from Lookout Mountain is toward the Pacific Ocean to the south.

Reagan loved the view from Lookout Mountain and would often ride his horse there to take in the scenery. He said, "You can watch boats cruising across the Santa Barbara Channel, then turn your head and see the Santa Ynez Valley unfold like a huge wilderness amphitheater before your eyes." [Hannaford, Reagan and His Ranch, p. 72.]
This view is from the mountain road that winds back down toward the Pacific Ocean. The Channel Islands are visible on the horizon.

Between the coast and the mountaintop is a canyon that Spanish explorers called El Refugio, "the refuge." Refugio Canyon is accessible from U.S. 101 about 25 miles west of the city of Santa Barbara. At the base of the canyon are lemon and avacado groves. Live oaks and chaparrel are dominant higher up in the canyon.
Historian Lee Edwards, who has written a biography of Ronald Reagan, takes in the view of the Pacific from the ridgetop of Rancho del Cielo.
Gleaves Whitney on Lookout Mountain, Rancho del Cielo (March 2004).

ScholarWorks@GVSU

Ronald Reagan's Rancho del Cielo

Browse

Author Information

Gallery Locations