Bonham Ranch

The Bonham Ranch is located on the west side of the Smoke Creek Desert within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, so day use permits are required. Sand Pass is to the south, Laird Spring is to the north.

The ranch was owned by the Bonham family starting in 1887.

Rolland Bonham (d. 1952) operated stage stops in the area: Twenty Mile House, Sheep's Head Station, Round Hole Station. He bought the Round Hole Station and established a cattle operation.

Florence Drew was a telegraph operator at Sand Pass and married Rolland Bonham. In 1970, their son, Jack F. Bonham (b. 1922), was reported as living at the ranch.

Remote Resources

• GNIS for Bonham Ranch
• John C. Evanoff, "Deep Hole and Sand Pass," February, 2007. Bonham Ranch was a stage stop.
• Nevada Historical Society Photography Collection, Photos: WA05913 "Bonham Ranch".
• Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, "Smoke Creek Desert Geothermal," Description of springs near Bonham Ranch, including a map.
• Jeffrey D. Johnson, "Julia’s Unequivocal Nevada Klampout #32" (2011). A good description of Bonham Ranch, reproduced as An ECV History of the Smoke Creek Desert
• A.J. Liebling, "The Mustang Hunters," The New Yorker, April 3, 1954 and April 10, 1954. The articles are about Hugh Marchbank and Bill Garaventa gathering horses for slaughter. Garaventa's plane is stored at the Bonham Ranch.
• Peggy Trego, "The 40 Wilderness Miles North of Gerlach, Nevada," Desert Magazine, p. 36, November 1960. Garaventa's plane is stored at one of the ranches along the Smoke Creek Desert.
• http://tomgreenphotography.com/thebonhamranch.html - photos and history
• Bonham School is located near Flanigan.
  • GNIS for Bonham School
  • Washoe County, Nevada 1936 Tax List Page 013 Bonham School
    • Aden, Anderson, Athey, Austin, Baker, Becar, Beckley, Benedeich, Bergendahl, Bettega, Bolton, Bonham, Bonn, Brittain, Brosnhan, Brown, Bush, Clark, Corcoran, Craig, Deaver, De Bar, Dodge, Duetcher, Durieux, Falkenburg, Farr, Fish, Fritts, Fry, Gaines, Gallagher, Gasperoni, Giant, Gillespie, Gleason, Gunther, Hall, Harrington, Hassmer, Haynes, Heler, Henrickson, Henry, Herzog, Hill, Hobson, Holdt, Horabin, Hutton, Jenkins, Johnson, June, Keast, Kessell, Lake, Lee
  • Washoe County, Nevada 1936 Tax List Page 014 Bonham School
    • Little, Lohman, Mahoney, Maltry, Manvel, Marvin, Matley, McKay, McKenzie, McKinley, McMillan, Molcan, Nachbauer, Newton, O'Keefe, O'Neil, Page, Phillips, Rees, Rhodes, Richards, Riordan, Rode, Ross, Rossier, Rule, Smith, Stallings, Stevens, Strode, Stuarte, Sturgis, Sutherland, Symonds, Tobin, Tomey, Ulrich, Waymere, Weber, Weesner, Wharff, Williams, Winchell, Wood, Younger
• Sheepshead 20 miles north of Sand Pass
  • Reno, Washoe Cty, Nevada 1920-21 City Directory Page 234 Lists Bonham Bros. and Bonham, Maud (milliner) along with others.

• John Francis Bonham (Find-a-grave) b. 1839, d. 1895. Includes obit.
• Martha Sutcliff Bonham/Ross (Find-a-grave) b. 1852, d. 1950. Includes obit.

• Here is what I have leared about the Bonham Ranch and the Smoke Creek Desert January 30, 2016 (facebook)