D. H. Lawrence Ranch
Encyclopedia
The D. H. Lawrence Ranch, as it is now known, was the New Mexico
home of the English
novelist, D. H. Lawrence
for about two years during the 1920s. The 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) property, originally named the Kiowa Ranch, is located at 8600 feet (2,621.3 m) above sea level on Lobo Mountain near San Cristobal in Taos County
, about twenty miles (32 km) northwest of Taos
and approximately a six-mile drive from the marked turnoff on route NM522.
It was owned by Mabel Dodge Luhan
as part of more extensive holdings nearby, although it had been occupied by homesteaders and several structures existed on the property dating back to the 1890s. In giving it to Frieda Lawrence (after Lawrence himself declined), it became first the summer home of the couple and then Frieda's home until her death in 1956, at which time she beqeathed it to the University of New Mexico
, its present owner. The Ranch is now placed on the National Register of Historic Places
and the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
. It may be visited year-round at no charge.
received an invitation dated November 1921 from Mabel Dodge Sterne, who had read some of Lawrence's Sea and Sardinia, excerpts from which had appeared in The Dial, a literary magazine to which Lawrence contributed. Mabel was a wealthy society hostess and arts patron who had taken up residence in Taos and who was to marry Tony Luhan, a Native American
from Taos Pueblo
, thus becoming Mabel Dodge Luhan in 1923. Traveling via Australia, then to San Francisco, Lawrence and Frieda arrived in Taos in mid-September 1922.
After some conflict between the Lawrences and Mabel and Tony, during which the Lawrences moved into one of Tony's guest houses, then into another belonging to friends, Lawrence and Freida went south to Mexico in March 1923, after which Frieda returned to Europe. Finally, a reluctant Lawrence sailed for England that November. In London, an attempt to lure friends to return to Taos with him brought only one recruit, Lady Dorothy Brett, an artist in her own right. Lawrence, Frieda, and Dorothy Brett arrived in Taos in March 1924, again as guests of Mabel. Again, tensions arose and possibly to keep Lawrence in New Mexico, it was proposed to give Lawrence the Kiowa Ranch, some 20 miles from Taos. He refused, but Frieda accepted and the deed was in her name. Some evidence suggests that Lawrence and Frieda acquired the ranch in exchange for the manuscript
of one of Lawrence’s most well-known novels, Sons and Lovers
.
While the couple spent a relatively short time there, the ranch became the only property that they ever owned during their marriage and it became a place of rest and relaxation, where Lawrence wrote much of his novel, St Mawr
and began The Plumed Serpent
, during five months of the summer of 1924. Aldous Huxley
is known to have visited the Lawrences at the ranch.
By October 1924, Lawrence and Frieda left for Mexico and it was while they were in Oaxaca that he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The couple returned to the US, and by April 1925 they were back at the Ranch where they spent the summer, Lawrence continuing work on the novel which became The Plumed Serpent. However, with his better health and their six-month visa about to expire, Lawrence was determined to return to Europe. They left Taos on September 11, Lawrence's 40th birthday, and settled in Italy. Although he never returned to New Mexico, in a letter to Brett in December 1929 from Bandol, France Lawrence expressed some interest in doing so: "I really think that I shall try to come back in the spring. I begin to believe that I shall never get well over here."
However, D. H. Lawrence died in France
on March 2, 1930 and his body was buried near Vence
. In 1935, at Frieda's request, his remains were exhumed and then cremated and his ashes were brought to the ranch by Angelo Ravagli (Frieda's lover and the man who became her third husband in 1934) with the intention that they be buried there.
While some controversy surrounds the issue of what exactly happened to the writer's ashes after the cremation, it is generally agreed that they were brought to New Mexico and then mixed with concrete to form part of the large memorial stone which was placed in a small covered building on the ranch site, now known as the Lawrence Memorial, although the term "shrine" had been used in the past.
At her death in Taos in 1956, Frieda was buried on the ranch property and she bequeathed it to the University of New Mexico
at Albuquerque
, the present owner. Her grave is located just outside the Memorial building and visible on the left of the picture.
UNM has not maintained the ranch as well as many travelers think desirable, based on opinions expressed in the guest visitors' book in the Memorial. The book allows visitors to sign in, see who has been there and from where they have traveled. For example, in Spring 1979, the guest book showed the bold, black signature of English novelist "Iris Murdoch
, Oxford, England".
Later, on one of her early visits to New Mexico in the summer of 1929, the painter Georgia O'Keeffe
spent some weeks there after being invited to Taos and to the Ranch by Mabel Dodge Luhan. This was the year in which she painted her now-famous "The Lawrence Tree" with its unusual viewpoint gained from lying on a long bench and looking up into the branches of the tree.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
home of the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
novelist, D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
for about two years during the 1920s. The 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) property, originally named the Kiowa Ranch, is located at 8600 feet (2,621.3 m) above sea level on Lobo Mountain near San Cristobal in Taos County
Taos County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*68.7% White*0.4% Black*6.2% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.9% Two or more races*20.1% Other races*55.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, about twenty miles (32 km) northwest of Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
and approximately a six-mile drive from the marked turnoff on route NM522.
It was owned by Mabel Dodge Luhan
Mabel Dodge Luhan
Mabel Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan , née Ganson was a wealthy American patron of the arts. She is particularly associated with the Taos art colony.-Early life:...
as part of more extensive holdings nearby, although it had been occupied by homesteaders and several structures existed on the property dating back to the 1890s. In giving it to Frieda Lawrence (after Lawrence himself declined), it became first the summer home of the couple and then Frieda's home until her death in 1956, at which time she beqeathed it to the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, its present owner. The Ranch is now placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The Cultural Properties Review Committee...
. It may be visited year-round at no charge.
Lawrence in New Mexico
Lawrence and his wife FriedaFrieda von Richthofen
Frieda Freiin von Richthofen , a distant relative of the "Red Baron" Manfred von Richthofen, who is best known for her marriage to the British novelist D. H. Lawrence.-Life:...
received an invitation dated November 1921 from Mabel Dodge Sterne, who had read some of Lawrence's Sea and Sardinia, excerpts from which had appeared in The Dial, a literary magazine to which Lawrence contributed. Mabel was a wealthy society hostess and arts patron who had taken up residence in Taos and who was to marry Tony Luhan, a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
from Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos speaking Native American tribe of Pueblo people. It is approximately 1000 years old and lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico, USA...
, thus becoming Mabel Dodge Luhan in 1923. Traveling via Australia, then to San Francisco, Lawrence and Frieda arrived in Taos in mid-September 1922.
After some conflict between the Lawrences and Mabel and Tony, during which the Lawrences moved into one of Tony's guest houses, then into another belonging to friends, Lawrence and Freida went south to Mexico in March 1923, after which Frieda returned to Europe. Finally, a reluctant Lawrence sailed for England that November. In London, an attempt to lure friends to return to Taos with him brought only one recruit, Lady Dorothy Brett, an artist in her own right. Lawrence, Frieda, and Dorothy Brett arrived in Taos in March 1924, again as guests of Mabel. Again, tensions arose and possibly to keep Lawrence in New Mexico, it was proposed to give Lawrence the Kiowa Ranch, some 20 miles from Taos. He refused, but Frieda accepted and the deed was in her name. Some evidence suggests that Lawrence and Frieda acquired the ranch in exchange for the manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
of one of Lawrence’s most well-known novels, Sons and Lovers
Sons and Lovers
Sons and Lovers is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. The Modern Library placed it ninth on their list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century.-Plot introduction and history:...
.
While the couple spent a relatively short time there, the ranch became the only property that they ever owned during their marriage and it became a place of rest and relaxation, where Lawrence wrote much of his novel, St Mawr
St Mawr
St Mawr is a short novel written by D. H. Lawrence. It was first published in 1925.The heroine of the story, Lou Witt, abandons her sterile marriage and a brittle, cynical post-First World War England. Her sense of alienation is associated with her encounter with a high-spirited stallion, the St...
and began The Plumed Serpent
The Plumed Serpent
The Plumed Serpent is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, begun when writer was living at the D. H. Lawrence Ranch near Taos in U.S. state of New Mexico in 1924. It was first published by Martin Secker in 1926...
, during five months of the summer of 1924. Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
is known to have visited the Lawrences at the ranch.
By October 1924, Lawrence and Frieda left for Mexico and it was while they were in Oaxaca that he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The couple returned to the US, and by April 1925 they were back at the Ranch where they spent the summer, Lawrence continuing work on the novel which became The Plumed Serpent. However, with his better health and their six-month visa about to expire, Lawrence was determined to return to Europe. They left Taos on September 11, Lawrence's 40th birthday, and settled in Italy. Although he never returned to New Mexico, in a letter to Brett in December 1929 from Bandol, France Lawrence expressed some interest in doing so: "I really think that I shall try to come back in the spring. I begin to believe that I shall never get well over here."
However, D. H. Lawrence died in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on March 2, 1930 and his body was buried near Vence
Vence
Vence is a commune set in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France between Nice and Antibes.-Population:-Sights:...
. In 1935, at Frieda's request, his remains were exhumed and then cremated and his ashes were brought to the ranch by Angelo Ravagli (Frieda's lover and the man who became her third husband in 1934) with the intention that they be buried there.
The Memorial
After Lawrence's death, Frieda returned to the ranch and lived there with Ravagli, who constructed the white plastered 12 ft. x 15 ft. Memorial building in 1934.While some controversy surrounds the issue of what exactly happened to the writer's ashes after the cremation, it is generally agreed that they were brought to New Mexico and then mixed with concrete to form part of the large memorial stone which was placed in a small covered building on the ranch site, now known as the Lawrence Memorial, although the term "shrine" had been used in the past.
At her death in Taos in 1956, Frieda was buried on the ranch property and she bequeathed it to the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
at Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, the present owner. Her grave is located just outside the Memorial building and visible on the left of the picture.
UNM has not maintained the ranch as well as many travelers think desirable, based on opinions expressed in the guest visitors' book in the Memorial. The book allows visitors to sign in, see who has been there and from where they have traveled. For example, in Spring 1979, the guest book showed the bold, black signature of English novelist "Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch
Dame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
, Oxford, England".
Dwellings
"Two dwellings and a small barn existed on the property" when Lawrence, Frieda, and Dorothy Brett went to live there in early May, 1924. The largest, "The Homesteader's Cabin" was chosen by the couple while Lady Brett occupied the small one-room cabin, which may be visited. Neither log cabin was in good repair and renovations were necessary in the early months of their occupancy."The Lawrence Tree"
A striking feature of the exterior is the very large pine which became known as the "Lawrence Tree". The writer frequently worked at a small table at its base and he expressed his love for it as follows:The big pine tree in front of the house, standing still and unconcerned and alive...the overshadowing tree whose green top one never looks at...One goes out of the door and the tree-trunk is there, like a guardian angel. The tree-trunk, the long work table and the fence!"
Later, on one of her early visits to New Mexico in the summer of 1929, the painter Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist.Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America’s colleges and universities, and before any of its women artists...
spent some weeks there after being invited to Taos and to the Ranch by Mabel Dodge Luhan. This was the year in which she painted her now-famous "The Lawrence Tree" with its unusual viewpoint gained from lying on a long bench and looking up into the branches of the tree.
External links
- Friends of D.H. Lawrence - provide ranch tours
- Brown, Lawrence, “Homage to the DH Lawrence Ranch in Taos, New Mexico “, 1997 on ukonline.co.uk Retrieved 12 September 2009
- Lawrence’s Memorial with photographs on poetsgraves.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2009
- Maurer, Rachel, "The D. H. Lawrence Ranch" (A detailed history of the Lawrence Ranch) on unm.edu. Retrieved 15 September 2009
- Mallin, Dea Adria “The Frontier Spirit: D. H. Lawrence in Taos” from The Cultured Traveler website, September 2004; a detailed account of Lawrence in New Mexico