Centennial Celebration: Circle Z Ranch reaches 100th Anniversary

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Celebrating a centennial anniversary isn't a common occurrence for businesses, but this upcoming fall will be the 100th season for Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia.

Owner Diana Nash took over the business after her mother-in-law passed away. She purchased it from the original owners because she loved coming to the ranch.

“We still maintain it to that that same level of riding as they did back in the 1920s,” Nash said. “We just keep going off the traditions that the Zinsmeister started making it a very horse-centric.”

Guests spend time riding horses and exploring nature, all while making new friends and memories. There are different trails that riders can go on, and Nash says they offer lessons to those who haven't ridden a horse before.

The rooms have the original furniture from the 1920s, adding a uniqueness to the experience. Nash says they keep reservations limited to 30 people to provide a more personal experience to anyone who stays at the ranch.

"It's hard not to treat them like family," said foreman for the ranch, Miko Lorta. "They're not pawns, just that one week, they're here (and then a) new group (comes) the next week. Everybody's treated like family.”

Lorta is also a second-generation worker on the ranch.

“It’s been a blessing all the way up," he said. "I get to follow my dad in his footsteps, and not too many kids get to.”

Nash and Lorta believe their family-like atmosphere is why they’ve been open for almost a century.

“We help to build confidence through the forces and through our program, so... that's what you do with families. You build confidence,” Nash said. “We know their names, we get to know them—bam right off the bat—when they first get here because we're small, and I think you know, we're two families running this. but we're also a small extended family, each week.”

Many of their visitors are the next generation of families that visited in the past.

"Seeing kids as I grew up here with now, them bringing their kids, so it's a neat thing to see,” Lorta said.

The ranch operates six months of the year, taking the summer months off. They're preparing to close for this season, but when they reopen in the fall, they'll be celebrating their centennial and will have a number of events to commemorate their milestones.