Rooney Ranch

 house, farm, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, vernacular (architecture)

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The buildings located within this approximately 200-acre agricultural district are especially noteworthy due to the extensive use of native sandstone in their construction. The 1¾-story ranch house was built by Alexander Rooney and his brother-in-law Thomas Littlefield in the early 1860s. The coursed walls are of large, smooth-faced sandstone blocks, and an 1867 spring house is of similar construction. The 1890 barn and most of the numerous buildings constructed through the mid-20th century are of uncoursed rubble. Rooney, a stonemason and farmer, arrived in 1859 and soon realized there was money to be made in provisioning the miners flocking to the area. He started a dairy farm and later raised horses and cattle on his ranch, which at one time encompassed 4,500 acres. Descendants of Alexander Rooney still own the property, and currently run a hardwood flooring business here. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) for its architectural and agricultural significance.