Nestled deep in the San Rafael Valley, The Little Outfit Ranch is one of Arizona’s oldest original family ranches. Once a boys’ school for Midwestern kids, later a Hereford cattle ranch, now lovingly restored as a rustic-luxe escape for families and seekers craving a slower pace and open skies.
In 1940, Katharine (“Kit”) Hutchinson and her husband Buel left their life in Chicago and founded The Little Outfit Ranch in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley.
That same year, they built a one-room ranch school—the Little Outfit Schoolhouse—which welcomed Midwestern children , melding traditional academics with Western values and daily horseback riding.
Kit served as both headmistress and ranch guide, leading students on rodeo outings, treasure hunts, and plays behind the schoolhouse
Decades later, in the early 1960s, a Cleveland investment banker desired a seachange and chose the ranch as his new home and lifestyle. He became a champion breeder of Hereford cattle, living into his 90s and enriching the land’s story with his journey of renewal and rugged determination.
Today, the ranch is stewarded by his granddaughter, who honours this legacy. From Kit’s schoolhouse and pioneering spirit to her grandfather’s love of the land—passed down to his son and now to her—she is the custodian of these layers, preserving and preparing the place to welcome guests seeking connection, quiet discovery, and a sense of heritage.
This land raised our family.
Now we’re opening it to yours.
“Arizona changes you….It's bright skies and red rocks have a way of taking hold of your heart—and never letting go.”
– Edgar Rice Burroughs
