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The D. H. Lawrence Ranch was the New Mexico residence of English novelist D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) for a total of 11 months in the 1920s. It’s located about 20 miles north of Taos in the Carson National Forest.
History
The 160 acre property was originally named the Kiowa Ranch and is near San Cristobal. It was briefly owned by American arts patron Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879-1962), who donated it to Frieda Lawrence (1879-1956) in 1924. It was the only property the Lawrences ever owned, and they lived there together for about two years. They left on September 11, 1925, D. H. Lawrence’s 40th birthday.
After her husband’s death, Frieda returned to the ranch in 1931 with her lover and future husband, Angelo Ravagli (1891-1976). She lived there until she died in 1956, and bequeathed the property to the University of New Mexico, which operates the ranch to this day.
Visiting
The D. H. Lawrence Ranch is open to visitors from Thursday to Saturday. There’s no charge to enter. It was our first stop on a day trip along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway from Taos and found it to be very interesting. We also enjoyed the friendly and knowledgable guide.
Dorothy Brett Cabin
The first structure we visited was the Dorothy Brett Cabin. It’s a small one-room cabin occupied by English artist Dorothy Brett (1883-1977). She arrived with the Lawrences in March 1924 and continued to live on the property alone after they left in 1925. Much of Brett’s time at the ranch was spent painting.
Lawrence Tree
Next, we walked by a ponderosa pine known as the Lawrence Tree. In September 1929, American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) visited the D. H. Lawrence Ranch and painted the tree. The work is called The Lawrence Tree is owned by the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut.
Homesteader’s Cabin
From there, we entered the Homesteader’s Cabin, which is the larger of the two dwellings on the site. It’s where the Lawrences made their home. The buffalo on the side of the house was painted by Taos Pueblo artist Trinidad Archuleta in 1935.
The cabin was probably built around 1891 by former ranch owner John Craig. It contains a kitchen and dining area, large middle room, and a bedroom. Lawrence worked on his manuscripts in the cabin.
Lawrence Memorial
The final stop on our tour of the D. H. Lawrence ranch was the Lawrence Memorial. D. H. Lawrence died in Vence, France, in 1930, and Frieda had it built for him in 1934.
Frieda had her late husband’s remains exhumed and cremated in 1935. Her original plan was to keep his ashes in an urn in the Homesteader’s Cabin, but Dorothy Brett and Mabel Dodge Luhan (Lawrence’s lovers) wanted to scatter them over the ranch. In response, Frieda dumped his ashes into the wet cement used to make the memorial’s altar. She exclaimed, “now let’s see them steal this!”
The altar contains Lawrence’s initials flanked by green leaves and yellow flowers. On top is the statue of a phoenix. Also inside the memorial are documents related to the exhumation, cremation, and repatriation of Lawrence’s remains. Frieda’s grave is to the left just outside the entrance to the memorial.
