Sedona News – Judy McBride will be the next speaker in the Sedona Heritage Museum’s Sedona Stories speaker program on Thursday, January 9, at 10 am in the historic Apple Shed. Her program, about the history of nearby Rimrock Ranch, is called “Rimrock Ranch…From Dudes to Mobsters.”
McBride, owner of Rimrock Ranch from 1974 to 2019, will share historical facts, colorful stories, photos, and film clips about the guest ranch built by Virginia Finnie, Russell Boardman, and Romaine Lowdermilk on 265 acres in 1928. For the times, the 14-bedroom main house built on a prominent knoll was quite luxurious and attracted Hollywood stars and entertainers. Fred Harvey’s “Indian Detours” includes silent film of Russell Boardman taking off and landing his TravelAire near the Ranch, and guests being taken to the Ranch in Packard motor cars and “Harvey cars”. The dude-ranch era lasted well into the 1950s.
In the mid 1960s, the Ranch was purchased by three brothers with mafia connections and became a safe haven for some questionable folks from Chicago. Their actions resulted in an FBI informant and a raid.
Judy taught at Beaver Creek School for seven years and was the Principal and Superintendent there for twenty years, retiring in 2004. She is active in the Beaver Creek Preservation and Historical Society and Friends of Beaver Creek Library.
The Sedona Historical Society operates the Sedona Heritage Museum located in Jordan Historical Park, 735 Jordan Road in Uptown Sedona, Arizona. Open daily 11 am – 3 pm. For more information call 928-282-7038 or visit www.sedonamuseum.org.