Ghost Ranch
Encyclopedia
Ghost Ranch is a 21000 acres (85 km²) retreat and education center located close to the village of Abiquiu in Rio Arriba County
in north central New Mexico
. The conference center and lodgings at Ghost Ranch are run by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
but open to the general public.
. Arthur Newton Pack, the co-founder of the American Nature Association
and one-time editor of its Nature magazine (not to be confused with the UK scientific journal of the same name)
), bought Ghost Ranch in 1936, and donated it to the Presbyterian Church in 1955.
Ghost Ranch is the subject of many landscapes by the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe
, who maintained a summer home there in 1934, then her permanent residence on the property from 1949 until her death. Her ashes were scattered at Ghost Ranch.
site preserving Triassic
dinosaur
s. Fossil bones were found here as early as 1885. In 1947 the palaeontologist Edwin H. Colbert documented the discovery of over a thousand well-preserved fossilized skeletons of a small Triassic
dinosaur called Coelophysis
in a quarry here. In 2007, fossil remains of Dromomeron romeri, one of the archaic group of animals called "basal dinosauromorphs," were found in the Hayden Quarry. In April 2010, a team of scientists led by Hans-Dieter Sues
of the Smithsonian Institution
reported the discovery of Daemonosaurus
chauliodus, a basal
theropod species, at Ghost Ranch. Daemonosaurus existed 205 million years ago, making it a missing link
between the oldest known dinosaurs such as Herrerasaurus
, which existed during the Late Triassic
period in what is now known as Argentina
and Brazil
, and the more advanced theropod dinosaurs.
industries major movies to be filmed upon the 21,000 acres of the ranch has to offer. Here are most of the movies that have been filmed on Ghost Ranch:
Cowboys and Aliens (film) (2011),
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008),
Brothers (film)
(2009),
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*51.6% White*0.5% Black*16.0% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*28.2% Other races*71.3% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
in north central New Mexico
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...
. The conference center and lodgings at Ghost Ranch are run by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
but open to the general public.
History
Ghost Ranch is part of Piedra Lumbre (Shining Rock), a 1766 land grant to Pedro Martin Serrano from Charles III of SpainCharles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
. Arthur Newton Pack, the co-founder of the American Nature Association
American Nature Association
American Nature Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C., was the publisher of Nature Magazine from 1923 to 1959; and a discount reseller of natural science books for its members. It was founded by Arthur Newton Pack and his father, Charles...
and one-time editor of its Nature magazine (not to be confused with the UK scientific journal of the same name)
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
), bought Ghost Ranch in 1936, and donated it to the Presbyterian Church in 1955.
Ghost Ranch is the subject of many landscapes by the American 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...
, who maintained a summer home there in 1934, then her permanent residence on the property from 1949 until her death. Her ashes were scattered at Ghost Ranch.
Palaeontological site
200 million years ago Ghost Ranch and the American Southwest were located close to the equator, and had a warm, monsoon-like climate with heavy seasonal precipitation. Ghost Ranch includes a famous palaeontologicalPaleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
site preserving Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. Fossil bones were found here as early as 1885. In 1947 the palaeontologist Edwin H. Colbert documented the discovery of over a thousand well-preserved fossilized skeletons of a small Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
dinosaur called Coelophysis
Coelophysis
Coelophysis , meaning "hollow form" in reference to its hollow bones , is one of the earliest known genera of dinosaur...
in a quarry here. In 2007, fossil remains of Dromomeron romeri, one of the archaic group of animals called "basal dinosauromorphs," were found in the Hayden Quarry. In April 2010, a team of scientists led by Hans-Dieter Sues
Hans-Dieter Sues
Hans-Dieter Sues is a German-born paleontologist who is Senior Scientist and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He received his education at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , University of Alberta, and...
of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
reported the discovery of Daemonosaurus
Daemonosaurus
Daemonosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Late Triassic of New Mexico. Fossils have been found from deposits in the Chinle Formation, which is latest Triassic in age. While theropods had diversified into several specialized groups by this time, Daemonosaurus is a basal theropod that...
chauliodus, a basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
theropod species, at Ghost Ranch. Daemonosaurus existed 205 million years ago, making it a missing link
Missing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
between the oldest known dinosaurs such as Herrerasaurus
Herrerasaurus
Herrerasaurus was one of the earliest dinosaurs. All known specimens of this carnivore have been discovered in rocks of late Ladinian age in northwestern Argentina...
, which existed during the Late Triassic
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is in the geologic timescale the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. The corresponding series is known as the Upper Triassic. In the past it was sometimes called the Keuper, after a German lithostratigraphic group that has a roughly corresponding age...
period in what is now known as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and the more advanced theropod dinosaurs.
Cinematography
Ghost Ranch's incredible scenery attracts some of the filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
industries major movies to be filmed upon the 21,000 acres of the ranch has to offer. Here are most of the movies that have been filmed on Ghost Ranch:
Cowboys and Aliens (film) (2011),
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008),
Brothers (film)
Brothers (film)
Brothers is a 2004 Danish drama film directed by Susanne Bier and written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen. It stars Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Connie Nielsen and Ulrich Thomsen....
(2009),