Old Ranch Road, located in the Dragoon area of Cochise County, has a long-established history as a public road. Records indicate that the Board of Supervisors first recognized the road as a County Highway on September 24, 1884, as recorded in Board of Supervisors meeting minutes, Volume 1, page 523. The road also appears on the November 2, 1912 County Road Map, recorded in Book 0, Map 131 of the Cochise County Recorder’s Office, further confirming its public designation.

Pursuant to A.R.S. §11-251(4), the Board of Supervisors has the authority to manage and control public roads within the County. In accordance with A.R.S. §§28-6701(B), 28-7041(C), and 28-7042(A), the County Engineer recommends formal affirmation of Old Ranch Road as a declared public highway sixty-six feet (66’) wide. Although the County does not currently maintain Old Ranch Road, it remains an open public right-of-way that cannot be blocked or restricted.

Old Ranch Road provides public access to several significant historic and cultural sites, including:

• The Dragoon Stagecoach Stop, a portion of the historic Butterfield Overland Route, and

• The Cemetery of Confederate Graves at Dragoon Springs, the only known burial site of Confederate soldiers killed in battle within Arizona.

This resolution does not create a new roadway nor impose maintenance obligations upon the County, but rather reaffirms the historical and legal status of Old Ranch Road as a public highway to ensure continued public access and to prevent unlawful obstruction.