Faraway Ranch Historic District

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The Faraway Ranch Historic District is in Bonita Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona, near Willcox, at about 5,160 feet elevation. It is part of Chiricahua National Monument and preserves the history of the last frontier settlements and the people who helped establish the monument.

Settlement began in 1879 with the Stafford Homestead, and Ja Hu Stafford’s cabin was later incorporated into the ranch’s development. In 1885–86, the 10th Cavalry—an African‑American unit led by white officers—camped in Bonita Canyon as part of the campaign against Geronimo.

In 1886, Neil Erickson and Emma Sophia Peterson, Swedish immigrants, married and homesteaded in the canyon. The Erickson Homestead, founded in 1887, grew into the Erickson Ranch, with fruit trees, vegetables, and cattle. The 1887–1917 period was important for agriculture, architecture, industry, social history, conservation, and the end of the frontier.

Neil became a forest ranger in 1903 and was promoted to District Ranger in 1917, keeping the ranch as his headquarters until he had to move for the job. Their oldest child, Lillian, a college graduate and part‑time teacher, ran the cattle operations and expanded guest ranching, offering rooms, horse rentals, and guided trail tours for guests.

In 1923 Lillian suffered a head injury that affected her vision, and she eventually lost it completely, but she continued to manage the ranch with foremen into her 80s. She married Ed Riggs in 1923. Ed promoted the nearby Wonderland of Rocks and helped push for a national monument. He supervised trail construction and cared for the ranch’s maintenance until his death in 1950.

The National Park Service later acquired furnishings, papers, and records from the ranch, making them an important part of the district’s story. Today, the buildings have been restored to resemble their early 20th‑century appearance, based on family recollections and photographs. The Faraway Ranch stands as a well‑preserved record of the family’s business and life and its role in the creation of Chiricahua National Monument.