An Afternoon at President Reagan’s Western White House

by Jim Buckley

President Reagan meeting with the Press after signing the Tax Reconciliation Bill, Rancho Del Cielo (1981). Photo Alamy.

RANCHO DEL CIELO

This 688-acre Ranch in the Sky (“Rancho Del Cielo”) really was Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s getaway – better known as the “Western White House” – during the eight years of Reagan’s presidency.

Kody McLain, Curator with the Young America’s Foundation that owns and preserves Rancho Del Cielo was our escort and driver of the six-passenger Ford Expedition who took me and fellow passengers Jon and Josee Cox (my son’s in-laws), Hiroko Benko (longtime friend of mine and owner of Santa Barbara’s whale-watching Condor Express), and John and Pamela Saganich, longtime friends of the Cox’s, up the hazardous, winding, and narrow road leading to the Reagan Ranch high above both the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Valley.

Reagan’s well-worn reading material at the ranch included Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove,” Whittaker Chambers’ “Witness,” William F. Buckley’s “Inveighing We Will Go,” “A History of the English Speaking Peoples,” by Winston Churchill, and other equally meaty (and conservative) tomes.

If you find yourself one day with the opportunity to visit this ranch in the sky, do not pass it up, as no doubt you’ll end up considering it one of the most memorable sites you have ever visited in all of California. When I asked John Saganich, for example, whether he enjoyed the day, his quick and short response was “It was a trip of a lifetime.”

Rancho Del Cielo features miles of riding trails that both he, his wife, Nancy, and of course a small number of Secret Service agents would ride regularly. Agent John Barletta, who co-wrote the best-selling “Riding With Reagan” with Rochelle Schweizer, joined the president on most of those outings.

I’ve chronicled our visit in photos rather than words, so I hope they do justice to the rustic and immutable charm of this humble throwback to early Californio days that meant so much to President Reagan; so much so that he spent nearly a year of the eight years of his presidency (360 days) here.

The modest adobe ranch house is perched above a small dug-out-and-lined Lake Lucky.

Nearly all the wood fencing made of retired telephone poles surrounding the entry to the property was hewn and placed there by President Reagan and a crew that included off-duty Secret Service agents.

Individual trips to the ranch are possible but rare, however there are often occasions to join a group visit. My advice to anyone who’d like a personal visit is to become a “supporter” of the Reagan Ranch Center (see below).

“Ronnie” and “Nancy’s” personal saddles still grace the small shack where the president stored his tools and riding gear.

Visiting Royalty: (from left, President Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Nancy Reagan, and Prince Philip, circa 1983). Most presidential visitors arrived by helicopter, but the weather was too stormy. The visit was going to be canceled but Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t hear of it, and insisted they drive up, braving the torrent and the washed-out roadway. Apparently, the Queen loved it all.

“Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan's Western White House, offers remarkable insights into President Reagan’s life and character. Young America’s Foundation saved the Ranch in 1998, acquiring it directly from the Reagan family to preserve both the property and the legacy of President Reagan. High school, college, and now also middle school students have the opportunity to walk in Ronald Reagan's footsteps at his beloved Ranch through YAF's programs.

Though the lunch triangle was rarely used, the lunch bell was sounded nearly every day the Reagans were at the ranch.

… and where he could also do the hard – and often dirty – work required on a working ranch.

Rancho Del Cielo was a place – perhaps the only place – where President Reagan could really unwind…

The “Inner Sanctum,” where Ron and Nancy would spend most of their evenings together.

Though the mattresses were new, the ever-frugal Reagans continued to use the bed frames and headboards that were there when they bought the ranch. The president was over six-feet-tall but rather than buy new bed frames, he simply added a two-foot extension for his feet (as seen at the end of the bed on the right).

While the scene seemed placid most of the time, the nearby non-descript “security command post” was always kept busy and at the ready. Secret Service Agent John Barletta writes of the Radio Room: “The minute Reagan came out of the Ranch house, the level switched from nothing going on to everything going on. The counter-sniper moved, the K-9 teams re-stationed, the doctor and military aide were notified, the PPD agents would rotate positions, and the agents would get ready to depart in the Humvee – so there was a lot of chatter on different frequencies.” He goes on to describe the security situation at such a remote place: “The whole security plan, implemented by the Secret Service, was well thought-out all the way down to the location of where plants were placed to block the view of the Command Post from the President. It was a very, very unique situation.

“The Reagan Ranch Center, YAF's Schoolhouse for Reaganism in downtown Santa Barbara, offers free public tours of dynamic exhibit galleries that share the history of the Ranch and the 25 years Ronald Reagan called Santa Barbara his home.

“If you are interested in visiting the Center, learning more about YAF's student programs, or becoming a supporter of Young America’s Foundation, please call 888-USA-1776 or visit their website (yaf.org).” Andrew Coffin, Vice President (YAF) and Director of the Reagan Ranch