Silver n' Spurs; Rancho Oso Guest Ranch & Stables

You might not know this about me, but I’m a cowgirl. Yup, I love a good coating of dust and a bit of saddle sore after a long day on the trail. Sadly, I don’t ride much these days, but I’ve never fallen out of love with horses. So you can imagine how excited I was when Santa Barbara Silver Safari was recently invited to saddle up and spend the weekend at Rancho Oso Guest Ranch & Stables just outside of Santa Barbara.

When I was just a lil’ doggie, my family and I used to camp at Rancho Oso. It was a small operation back then, with just a few campsites, a swimming pool, a friendly general store, and an old stone lodge. As we towed our Airstream over the mountains separating Santa Barbara from Santa Ynez, and I reminisced about the good ol' days, little did I know that I was about to get a full history lesson on the life of Rancho Oso.

Upon our arrival, we were met by the Ranch Manager, Bill Kryzston. After we settled our silver bullet into a sweet little campsite under an ancient acorn-studded Oak tree in the original portion of the campground towards the back of the property, Bill scooted his cattle dog, Cutter, out of the guest seat of his golf cart and whisked us off for a whirlwind tour of the ranch.

Over the next hour, Bill zigged and zagged over the guest ranch, pointing out the property’s newer two-story dormered guest cottages, terraced full hook-up RV sites, kids’ play area (complete with a wooden play structure, 9-hole miniature golf course, and basketball and tennis courts), two swimming pools, the Stone Lodge where family meals are served twice a day on the weekends, and the little country store that sells everything from bubble gum to bottles of Rancho Oso Merlot. Our tour ended at the livestock stables where Bill proudly showed off the myriad farm animals housed for the delight of the guests; goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, steers, and herd of nice looking ranch horses.

While showing us around, Bill explained how Ranch Oso Guest Ranch & Stables came into existence. It turns out that back in the day, the property was a vast 50,000 acres and was once home to a Chumash Indian settlement. The area still houses several Indian ceremonial and burial grounds and they proudly display some of the artifacts found on the grounds. In 1845 the land was granted to Jose Dominguez by the governor of Mexico, Pio Rico and then in 1911, Edward Alexander bought a 310-acre parcel of it. Ten years later, in 1926, President Calvin Coolidge signed a U.S. Government deed assigning ownership to Mr. Alexander. The rest of the acreage became a National forest.

For many years, silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were regular visitors to Mr. Alexander’s ranch. Bill even showed us some original art work painted by renowned Western artist, Edward Borein, on the Stone Lodge’s fireplace mantle. From the late 1930’s to the early 1950’s, the property was sold several times until Jay Jamison purchased it in 1952. Now named Rancho Oso (which translates to “Bear Ranch”), the Jamison family used the rolling pastures along the river to raise livestock until the state imposed a ban on cattle ranching because of the close proximity to the city water supplies of Lake Cachuma and Gibraltar Reservoir.

In the 1960’s the Jamison family added the swimming pools, country store, campground, and small trailer park and then re-opened the ranch to the public as a “Fun Ranch” of Western heritage. The Jamison family operated Rancho Oso for 30 years until they sold it to American Trails in 1984. The ranch ducked out of sight as it transitioned into a private, individually held campground for over 10 years. In 1996, Thousand Trails, Inc. became the next, and now current, owner.

For the last ten years, Thousand Trails, Inc. has worked hard to bring the Jamison family’s guest ranch concept to life. The company has added several rustic ranch cabins, some fun Conestoga-style covered wagons sleeping accommodations, and a complete horse camping facility to the ranch. They also expanded the amenities to include guided horseback rides, farm animals, calf-roping and bull-riding demonstrations, a chuck wagon, wagon rides, and family style meals at the Stone Lodge.

After our “education” on the life of Bear Ranch, Jack and I returned to our silver trailer to sip a beer and marvel at what we had just seen. Who knew that all of this has been right in our own backyard! We vowed to start fostering our new relationship with Rancho Oso just as soon as we returned to the city.

The next morning we got up early so we could dart back into town, pick up our kids, and return in time for the working dog demonstration and chuck wagon lunch. Our kids were riveted as Cutter glided around the bull pen, moving left or right at the sound of Bill’s whistles. Finally, it came time for our trail ride. After my daughter and I were introduced to our guide, Mike, and our trusty steeds, Bandit and Dude, we set out on a nearly 2 hour ride across the Santa Ynez River and through the Manzanita and sage covered hillsides. The ride was pure heaven for my daughter and me.

Now that we have become acquainted (or, should I say reacquainted?) with Rancho Oso, I know our family will make it a regular destination. But, more importantly, I will be sharing my new found Rancho Oso Guest Ranch & Stables knowledge with our Santa Barbara Silver Safari guests. What fun to know that a step back into California’s Western history awaits anyone with a little cowboy - or girl - in them. And it’s all just a few miles beyond the Santa Barbara horizon. Rancho Oso Guest Ranch & Stables just might be THIS cowgirl’s new favorite hangout.