1595 N Sierra St, Reno, NV 89503

Rancho San Rafael Regional Park

Park Description:

Rancho San Rafael Regional Park is a 570-acre Washoe County park with year-round restrooms. The park is home to the Wilbur D. May Museum, Wilbur D. May Arboretum & Botanical Garden, a visitor center, a historic Ranch House, the Nevada Farms and Families Area, Herman's Pond, and the Basque Sheepherder Monument. Backed up to Evans Canyon and the base of Peavine Mountain, the park offers access to miles of hiking and biking trails. Within the park's boundaries are diverse landscapes including manicured lawns, native pasture grasses, wetlands, and high desert.

Park Amenities:

Playground, dog park, volleyball court, horseshoe area, exercise area, pathways, hiking trails, biking trails, picnic area, barbeque area, reservable buildings and spaces, multi-purpose field, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space (775) 828-6612

Park Highlights

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Park History

Click the image to read each topic's full text!

History of Ownership

The history of ownership of the land which is now part of Rancho San Rafael Regional Park is extensive and complex. The local Native American tribes called this area their home before the Western settlers arrived and claimed the land for agriculture. Native American tribes still call this area their home, and more information can be found on the Reno, Sparks Indian Colony website, https://www.rsic.org/. Researchers believe the first owners to use the property for agriculture were the Pincolini brothers.

This Pincolini family consisted of five brothers who came to Reno from Italy between the years from 1897 to 1904. The brothers bought the land for a ranch where they raised cattle, hogs and eggs, which they sold to the hotels in downtown Reno. Later, Russell Jensen purchased the land for raising sheep and built the first structures on the site -- a 5-room house for the ranch manager plus several other buildings for raising sheep.

Image:
Washoe Indians – The Chief’s Family. Source: Lawrence & Houseworth Publisher. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

How the Ranch Got Its Name: Dr. Raphael Herman

The name comes from Dr. Raphael Herman who purchased the farm in 1927, with his brother Norman Herman and sister-in-law Mariana. Sometime during the seventeen years that Dr. Herman lived in Reno, the land became known as Rancho San Rafael. Dr. Herman apparently did not mind the change in spelling from Raphael to Rafael.

Dr. Herman came from Germany to New York in 1890 where he earned his living in the publishing business and the manufacturing of steam products. Along with his brother and sister-in law, Dr. Herman arrived in Reno around 1927 but the three split their time with their other homes in Beverly Hills, California.

Upon his death in 1946, Dr. Herman bequeathed large sums of money to many Reno charities and individuals, but the largest recipient of his $720,000 estate was his brother Norman Herman. Norman died in 1961, and subsequently his wife Mariana only spent a few weeks each summer at the ranch as its sole owner.

Image:
1920s era aerial photograph of Reno looking southeast. Left foreground: Rancho San Rafael, Right: Highland Reservoir, Center: Mary S. Doten School. Photographer: John Sanford. Source: Nevada Historical Society.

The Ranch

Keeping to its agricultural roots, purebred horned Hereford cattle were raised on the land, and there were 130 head at the time the ranch was acquired by Washoe County in 1980. Washoe County continued to graze the land with cattle until the late 1990s when the grazing area was replaced with a dog use area.

The main ranch house on the property was built in 1930 by the Hermans and still resides on the property today; the County rents it for social gatherings and meetings. Besides the main ranch house, there were several smaller buildings, including one called the Foreman’s House. It has a basement which contained an incubator for chicken eggs when the County bought the ranch. A third building adjacent to the ranch house was eventually moved to the area by the Visitors Center and expanded. A dam and pond sat on the ranch, both built by the Hermans in 1955.

Image:
Wilbur May. Source: Wilbur May Museum website.

The Long Road to Public Ownership

After the death of Norman Herman in 1961, proposals surfaced for purchasing the land for park facilities, although it wasn’t until 1976 that Mariana Herman officially put the ranch up for sale. The land was attractive to developers because it was the largest single-owner acreage near Reno. Citizens and legislators got behind the idea of purchasing the land for a park and discussions took place on how to finance the purchase.

In the end, the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) saved the day (and the park) by coming forward to purchase the 408 acres of land for Herman’s asking price of $7.5 million in late 1978. The ranch was then bought by the County with a $9 million general obligation bond issue approved by the voters of Washoe County on June 5, 1979.

Image:
President Reagan with Director Gene Sullivan (who was crucial in the opening of Rancho San Rafael), October 1982. Source: Julee Conway

The Birth of a Regional Park Jewel

An all-volunteer citizen Steering Committee, comprised of over 20 citizen advocates, was formed to help guide the park improvements, as well as the planned use and management of the site. Ultimately, this citizen advocacy effort resulted in the development of a far-reaching Master Plan for the site. Throughout the planning process, the County offered many opportunities for the public to provide suggestions to the plan.

The development of the park got off to a good start when in 1980 the Max C. Fleischmann Foundation gave the Washoe County Parks and Recreation Department $1 million of the $3 million needed to complete the first phase of park development. In this first phase, physical improvements such as parking lots, entry roads, playground, and walking paths were among the initial projects.

Image:
Program from the Grand Opening Ceremony. Source: Julee Conway.

The Early Years as a Park

The park was dedicated in May 1982 and opened in July of that year. The grand celebration opening on July 3, 1982, took a circus theme, including the parade of elephants and horse rides, hot-air balloons, games, ranching demonstrations, a running race and food offerings.

Some of the original features of the park included a picnic area, tree plantings and a playground. The playground was sunken to help keep the look of the land as a ranch, and the ponds were built for irrigation. A par fitness trail course was one of the early improvements and renovation of Mrs. Herman’s ranch house was a big project in the original master plan.

Image:
Grand opening of the park with Gene Sullivan, Julee Conway, and Pat Fenwick. October, 1982. Source: Julee Conway.

The Great Reno Balloon Race

Since 1982, one of the many great activities which occur at Rancho San Rafael Park is the Great Reno Balloon Race (GRBR). This annual event began in 1982 with 20 balloons and has grown to include close to 100 balloons. Due to its philanthropic focus, the event helps to raise funds to finance many local scholarships.

Image:
Great Reno Balloon Race. Source: Kevin Brazell.

Max C. Fleischmann Foundation

This foundation (1951 to 1980) provided Reno with monetary gifts for 29 years, including Rancho San Rafael Park. Mr. Fleischmann made his wealth from the production and sale of yeast, margarine, vinegar and gin in the US and Canada. He had no children or heirs when in 1951 he committed suicide by shooting himself (he was dying of cancer). Before he died, he instructed his trustees to give away all his money within 20 years of his wife’s death.

Image:
Max Fleischmann. Source: UNR collection.

Wilbur May Foundation

The Wilbur May Foundation donated $1 million in 1983 for the park to have a 15-acre arboretum, botanic garden, and a museum of natural history containing artifacts from the late Wilbur May’s collection. The Wilbur May Foundation brought in experts to incorporate Mr. May’s artifacts into realistic dioramas, and to this day the foundation continues to fund the renovation and maintenance of the exhibits.

Image:
Wilbur May. Source: Wilbur May Museum website.

Pagoda Pavilion

Another early park feature was the Pagoda Pavilion, funded with a generous donation by local businessman Henry Fay Ott Yup. This Chinese architecture style, known as ‘Fly Eaves,’ is common in Chinese construction and meant to ward off evil spirits. Mr. Fay Ott Yupp was always involved in the community until his passing away in 2013.

Image:
Pagoda Pavilion. Source: University of Nevada, Reno.

Bob Laxalt and The Basque Monument

The Basque Monument is one of the wonderful contributions to the park. Bob Laxalt was instrumental in this tribute to the Basque people and their importance to Nevada’s history. Bob, who passed away in 2001, was an accomplished writer and was important in overseeing the Basque studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. His brother Paul was a governor of Nevada (1967 to 1971) and a US Senator (1975 to 1987).

Image:
Book about Robert Laxalt. Source: Amazon.

Friends of Rancho San Rafael

During the period when it became known that the Herman land was going up for sale (and until the bond measure passed), a dedicated and energetic group of citizens, business leaders, and influencers known as "Friends of Rancho San Rafael Park" spearheaded the effort to promote the project to the community in advance of the vote for a $9 million bond issue. The group was organized by W. Clark Santini, and included Virginia (Ginnie) and Bob Kersey, Rabbi Abraham L Feinberg, and Patricia Blanchard. The group donated their time and passion to the project because they wanted to preserve the land for the benefit of the community and future generations.

Image:
Clark Santini and Ginnie Kersey. June 5, 1979, Source: Julee Conway.

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iNaturalist:

Out in our parks or open spaces? Try cataloguing the biodiversity around you with iNaturalist! All it takes is downloading the iNaturalist app onto your phone to get started.

Curious what's been seen in this park? Click the link below to see what species other have spotted!

Rancho San Rafael Regional Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

Have a question about our parks or the Parks Project? Email us at parksproject@tmparksfoundation.org!

Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space - Rancho San Rafael Regional Park
Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation: One-page park guide here!
Wilbur May Arboretum: Park Guide
Reno Gazette-Journal
Nevada State Journal
Interviews with:
Virginia ("Ginnie") Kersey
Julee Conway
Karen Mullen-Ehly

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

April 14, 2023 at 1:03:36 PM

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