LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A natural spring in the middle of the Mojave Desert has drawn people to the Las Vegas Valley for centuries, and the park built around it is now seeing record visitation.
Kiel Ranch Historic Park in North Las Vegas sits on land where a natural spring once served as a critical water source for Indigenous people and early settlers.
The spring, established as a ranch site by Conrad Kiel by 1850, became a gathering point for people traveling across southern Nevada.
“This is where the Indians first came to find a source of water,” said Edward Rodriguez, municipal forester for the city of North Las Vegas.
A living orchard more than 100 years old
Rodriguez manages the trees at the park, some of which are more than 100 years old. He said the site traces its origins to that original spring.
“When they came upon this area, there was a natural spring and that is when, or the beginning, of what would later become the Kyle Ranch Orchard,” Rodriguez said.
The water feeding the spring comes from snowmelt in the surrounding mountains.
“This water is primarily runoff from the mountains. As the snow melts, it runs underneath the ground and it reaches here to North Las Vegas,” Rodriguez said.
Orchard restored with original crops
Formal preservation efforts at what is now Kiel Ranch Historic Park did not begin until the 1970s. Since then, the orchard has been restored to reflect what was grown on the site in the 1850s.
“When we put this orchard together, we brought back all the original fruits and vegetables that were once here in the 1850s. We also brought in historical wagons, the same wagons that were used to take the fruits and vegetables and follow the railroad down as far as Laughlin,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the park’s history is not widely known, but that is part of what makes it distinctive.
“I’m very surprised that people didn’t know about Kyle Ranch, but that’s what makes it so unique,” he said.
Since the orchard was restored, visitation to the park has tripled. Roughly 35,000 people visit each year.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
