We are quite busy at the Ranch this time of year and have lots of different projects in the works! We are so thankful for the many staff and volunteers (and even some contractors!) that have helped us make this progress on the Mountain.
Settlers Bunkhouse was one of the first structures ever built at the Ranch, and this year, we have been working to upgrade the building with a new porch and new siding. We now have a porch on the street side and we are poised to add restrooms to what is currently the back of the building. This will add to our number of top-hand units with bathrooms. This next phase is not yet funded.
Fort Wilderness has been an exciting project. With a grant from the Warren Community Foundation, we built the frame, and with other recent donations, we have been working on the inside. Most of the inside has been finished, but we need about $8,000 to complete beds. This spring, staff and students have worked hard on the new playground, and we got it to a point where several aspects of the playground were open for the summer. This fall, we will continue to finish the area and will probably wrap up work in the spring. Make sure to come see us for Open House 2027 (Memorial Day) to try it out!
We had a major electrical issue in the RV park, so at the end of the summer we dug up the system and replaced lines and boxes and gave it a great update. This will certainly be a blessing to those that choose to RV at the Ranch. The RV park was back up and running and was 100% full for Family Camp!
With the help of the Warren County Conservation District, we have been working on several projects to help mitigate run-off from the horse/farm side of the Ranch. They helped us with a grant that will fund the construction of two barns. One will be an extension off of Santa Fe and will cover the manure that comes from that building (as well as the path the horses take to get to the barn). This will also help keep this area free of mud and ice. The other barn will be back behind the feedlot and hay barn area and we will push manure from the feed lots into that barn for drying and then spreading on the fields for fertilizer. We are so grateful to the District for helping to make this happen!
The staff of Miracle Mountain Ranch are so blessed by your volunteering and donations to help make these projects happen. It is our goal to continue to improve the Ranch and steward it well – and we couldn’t do it without you!
