You can watch a classic Western on the same ranch where it was filmed, this Saturday, June 4, courtesy of The Loft Cinema.
The art house theater is taking its 20-foot inflatable screen to the Empire Ranch in Sonoita, for a free showing of the 1959 Kirk Douglas/Anthony Quinn film βLast Train from Gun Hill.β
The film follows U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan, played by Douglas, as he tracks down his wifeβs killer, brushing up against a powerful local cattle baron (Quinn), whose son is a suspect.
The movie was filmed on location in and around Empire Ranch, located about 50 miles southeast of Tucson.
The screening is free and starts at 8 p.m. Detailed directions to Empire Ranch can be found at empireranchfoundation.org.
Photos: Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Men who drove 900 cattle to California in 1890. Left to right: Chapo Miranda, Jose Blas P. Lopez, George E. Lopez, Nestor [last name unknown], Francisco [last name unk], man in black outfit is Ranch Foreman Tom Turner, Jesus Elias, Rafael [last name unk], and rider in black on white horse is Edward L. Vail, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Owners of the Empire Ranch in Arizona in 1879: John H. Harvey (left), Edward L. Vail "The Tenderfoot" (center), and Walter L. Vail (right).
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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May 10, 1932 Hallway at Empire Ranch [shows covered saddle rack on house corral, from inside the ranch-house side; individuals in photo not identified]
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Ranch Upper corral, cattle in chute, cowboy on horse, 1900s, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Ranch Upper corral, cattle in chute, cowboy on horse, 1900s at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Aerial photo of Empire Ranch Headquarters, 1957
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Group of riders in North Corral, also a woman and child and a pack mule., ca. 1931, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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View of west side of Empire Ranch House. Old car parked near front porch, ca. 1931
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Branding, 1932, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Ranch house, far northwest view, 1880's, prior to pitched roof on original section at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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John Harvey with horse "Billy", west of zaguan in main corral; adobe corral wall, flat roof on Cooks Quarters. Ca. 1880 at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Working cattle, historic upper corral (pole fence, Margaret Vail on horse, view of ranch bldgs), pre 1885 at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Panorama view of Empire Ranch, from the east, upper corral, c. 1923
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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Delco plant, bay window, and dining room. ca. 1900, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita
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West view of Ranch, circa 1920. Man striding in foreground, at Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Ariz.
Empire Ranch restoration
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Historian and archivist Alison Bunting, with the Empire Ranch Foundation, walks through one the four original bedrooms at the old Empire Ranch headquarters outside Sonoita. Dirt was the original flooring and as time went on, the room was used as a general store selling tobacco, food, leather materials and more using the honor system, she said. On March 23, 2019, the foundation is having a Milestone Celebration offering tours of the historic building.
Empire Ranch restoration
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An old coffee can and box of smokes are on display at the old Empire Ranch headquarters. The Bureau of Land Management who oversees Las Cienegas National Conservation Area designated more than $1 million for the restoration of the old headquarters.
Empire Ranch restoration
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One the four original bedrooms at the old Empire Ranch headquarters included a crude fireplace. Dirt was the original flooring and as time went on, the room was used as a general store.
Empire Ranch restoration
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A badly decayed lintel, the beam over the zaguan, or breezeway, was given more support by reinforcing it with a metal place that is secured above. The zaguan separated the original rooms and it was the entryway for the corral in back of the house where the livestock and horses were first kept.
Empire Ranch restoration
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Located in the zaguan, or breezeway, is the meat cooler at the old Empire Ranch headquarters. Because is was cool in the zaguan, a screened wooden structure was used to store butchered meat except in the summer. Wrapped in blankets and tarps the meat stayed cold especially in the winter.
Empire Ranch restoration
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Standing in one of the original bedrooms Alison Bunting, a historian and archivist, points out the improvements made at the old Empire Ranch headquarters. Over the years the room was converted into a bedroom for some of the cowboys working on the ranch.
Empire Ranch restoration
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An old safe, once owned by Walter Vail who was one of the original owners, is still on display in the office. Vail went to live in California but left without letting anyone know the combination or about its contents, but stories abound, said historian Alison Bunting. One thought, Bunting said, is it could contain liquor which Vail wanted to keep away from the cowboys working on the ranch.
Empire Ranch restoration
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Now known as the Victorian Addition that was built by ranching partner John Harvey in 1881, it featured a picture window for his new bride that has since been modified. However, the newlyweds lived there for only a couple of months before dissolving the business partnership, said historian Alison Bunting.
Empire Ranch restoration
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Inside the Victorian Addition that was built by partner John Harvey in 1881, it features a picture window for his new bride that has since been modified. The original floor was wood but nesting skunks underneath prompted the Vailβs, who later moved into the addition, to replace it with concrete.
Empire Ranch restoration
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The master bathroom in the Victorian Addition still has some of the original fixtures at the old Empire Ranch headquarters.
Empire Ranch restoration
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Before the renovation of the Children's Addition, which was built out of wood around 1886, it was unsafe to enter because flooring needed to be reinforced at the old Empire Ranch headquarters.
Empire Ranch restoration
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The exterior of the original adobe building at the Empire Ranch headquarters was built around 1871 and is outside Sonoita, Ariz., on March 12, 2019. It went from four rooms, with no windows, doors and a dirt floor to 22 rooms. The Bureau of Land Management who oversees Las Cienegas National Conservation Area designated more than $1 million for the restoration of the old headquarters. The project included the excavation and stabilization of the foundation for the original buildings, which were built around 1871.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Scaffolding surrounds the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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As old gas pump on the grounds near the adobe barn at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Nate Lespron drills out damaged adobe near a window lintel at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Undated photo of Empire Ranch, likely from mid-1950s
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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"Mac" was the foreman at Empire Ranch prior to 1900.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Cattle at Empire Ranch ca. 1900.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Empire Ranch and Adobe hay barn, west view, ca. 1880.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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1936 Roundup 1,000 cattle at Empire Ranch.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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The adobe barn, left, and horse corrals, right, at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Stabilization work underway at the ranch house of the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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The south barn and windmill at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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A starred flare appears as sunlight peeks through a hole in the Aermotor windmill tail at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Eric Means points out the weather patina layers on the interior walls at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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A sign for the Heritage Discover Trail frames the "hired man's house" at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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A view of the south barn and windmill in the framing of the adobe barn at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Eric Means, right, and Derrick Hack troubleshoot an issue while installing a steel bond beam in the gabled crawlspace above the original ranch house ceiling at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means' company, Means Design and Building, has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Jarvis Juan works on preparing the exterior adobe wall to accept a new plaster layer at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Eric Means lifts a tarp to show the late-1800s adobe construction of the foreman's quarters at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means' company, Means Design and Building, has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Eric Means, left, takes a cell phone picture as Nep Lespron readies exterior adobe wall to accept new protective plaster at the Historic Empire Ranch just east of State Route 83 on Oct. 26, 2017, near Sonoita, Ariz. Means Design and Building has been subcontracted to help in the seismic stabilization process for the ranch house.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Mike Trubman, with the Black Mesa Interagency Hotshot Crew, radioes his fellow firefighters as he conducts mop-op work along Cienega Creek in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area about three miles northeast of Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017 in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Damage from the Sawmill Fire in the riparian area near Empire Ranch in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area on May 2, 2017, north of Sonoita, Ariz. The majority of mature foliage, including cottonwoods, but further evaluation is needed to determine the trees' fate.Β
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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A burned electrical pole smolders east of Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017, burning in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.Β
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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As the wind kicks up, what might normally be a dust devil becomes an ash devil in the charred landscape near Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017, burning in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.Β
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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A Wolf Mountain hotshot crew packs in to mop up areas along Cienega Creek east of Empire Ranch while the Sawmill Fire burns on April 27, 2017, burning in Southeastern Arizona between Green Valley and J-6.Β
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Rainbow over Empire Ranch
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Rancher Mac Donaldson rounds up cattle on the Empire Ranch on April 17, 2008 near Sonoita, Ariz.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Old stone house at Empire Ranch in 1977.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Cienega Creek near the Empire Ranch in 1966.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Cienega Creek near the Empire Ranch in 1966.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Empire Ranch stage coach stop in 1966. The enclosure protected passengers from Apache Indian raids.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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The Empire Ranch house, shown in 1966, which featured four rooms overlooking the Sonoita Hills.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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The original stone corral at Empire Ranch in 1966.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Empire Ranch interior in 1977.
Historic Empire Ranch near Sonoita
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Empire Ranch interior in 1977.
