The history of ranching in the American West is an engaging one, and it involves a myriad of players, including farmers, politicians, and power brokers of all stripes. The Empire Ranch in southern Arizona was one of the largest cattle ranches in the state, and its story dates back to the 1860s. Homesteader Edward Nye Fish first established the ranch, and it was originally just a mere160 acres. By the 1880s, the ranch was over a million acres and it later became a popular filming destination for many Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the ranch is part of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. This digital collection brings together over 50 documents from the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections department, including photographs and diaries from one of the primary owners of the ranch, Edward Vail. Visitors will also find other documents here, including grazing permits, maps of the property, and railroad ephemera.