Barker Ranch

Author: Jewls Krueger

Barker Ranch is a remote former homestead deep in the southern Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park, on the California side of the California-Nevada border. It is best known as the last hideout of cult leader Charles Manson and several members of the Manson Family, who used the property as a refuge in the months before and after the Tate-LaBianca murders in the summer of 1969. The site is now part of the National Park Service.

Barker Ranch History

The original Barker Ranch structures were built around 1940 by Blouch "Butch" Thomason, a retired Los Angeles County detective, and his wife Helen, who had come to the desert in the late 1930s to try their hand at gold mining. They built a small stone cabin and outbuildings, with electricity supplied by a windmill and generator and water from a nearby spring. After Butch Thomason's death, the property was sold in 1955 to James and Arlene Barker of Oklahoma, who enlarged the main house and added more outbuildings to accommodate family gatherings.

The Manson Family

Charles Manson in his 1968 mugshot - Public Domain

The Manson Family, led by Charles Manson, are now known as some of the most infamous criminals in modern history, but at the time of their crimes they were much less famous. Throughout the 60s the family would travel together from temporary home to temporary home, finding a place to crash for a year or two before moving on to the next location.

Charles Manson first learned of the area in late 1968 through Catherine "Cathy" Gillies, a Manson Family member whose grandmother Barbara Myers owned the neighboring Myers Ranch. The Family began staying at Myers Ranch in November 1968 and soon discovered the nearby Barker Ranch, whose buildings were in better condition. The Family relocated and obtained permission from Arlene Barker to use the property on a temporary basis.

Further Reading

Helter Skelter

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor who put Manson behind bars, is the best-selling true crime book ever written.

Buy on Amazon →

Manson's Arrest

During the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969, some of the Manson Family were living at Barker Ranch. In October of the same year, Manson and several family members were arrested at Barker Ranch, but at the time they were only arrested for suspicion of vandalism in Death Valley National Park. Only later would it be discovered that they were responsible for the crimes that shocked the nation.

The first of two raids was conducted on October 10, 1969 by the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol, and National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers, after authorities tracked the Family as suspects in the torching of a Michigan road grader (a piece of heavy road maintenance equipment) inside the national park. A second raid was carried out on October 12, 1969, and it was during this second raid that Manson himself was discovered. At the time of his arrest, Charles Manson was found hiding under a sink in the small cabin at Barker Ranch, and he was almost missed by the authorities who conducted the raid. California Highway Patrol officer James Pursell later said he had noticed a few strands of Manson's hair hanging out of the cabinet door before pulling him from the hiding spot.

Barker Ranch Today

In 1994 the area was converted into National Park land as part of Death Valley National Park. In May 2008, investigators conducted a forensic dig at the ranch, using ground penetrating radar to search for the remains of possible additional Manson Family victims at sites consistent with clandestine graves. No remains or other evidence was found. On the night of May 5, 2009, an accidental fire, reportedly caused by visitors who knocked over a grill, destroyed the main house and workshop. Most of the wooden structures have burned down in various fires over the years, but some of the stone foundation can still be found. A small picnic table and historical marker were later installed at the site by the National Park Service.

The road leading to the ranch is not consistently well maintained and can be very dangerous, having an SUV is suggested. The Ranch is located a little over an hour's drive from Ballarat, a California ghost town and also the last flush toilet you'll encounter before reaching the ranch. It is suggested that you bring extra water as temperatures can reach well above 100 degrees in the summer months.