Two passionate dude ranch owner/operators are partnering to save historic Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe on the Arizona/Mexico border.

The storied property dates from the 1700s and was operated as a guest ranch from 1925 to 2014. The new owners plan to reopen the ranch resort and welcome guests on Feb. 1.

The partners are Robert Bucksbaum, who owns the Majestic Dude Ranch outside of Durango, Colorado, and Tucson’s own Russell True, who grew up at and is now co-owner of the White Stallion Ranch.

The 240-acre property with 10 buildings was auctioned to the highest bidder on Oct. 22 and the sale closed Nov. 23. La Osa had been owned and operated for the past 20 years by Veronica and Richard Schultz who fully restored and upgraded the ranch that abuts the 117,000-acre Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

La Osa has ties to Father Kino, the King of Spain, Pancho Villa, Hollywood stars and U.S. Presidents. The original adobe structure is believed to be the oldest continually used building in Arizona and was constructed by Jesuit missionaries to serve as a trading post for local tribes and a resting place for traveling missionaries.

For much of the next century it was a large cattle ranch. The main hacienda, still in use today, was built in 1889 with adobe bricks made on-site. In 1916 Pancho Villa attempted to capture the ranch during the Mexican Revolution. A cannonball from the attack was removed from the adobe and is now on display. In 1925 La Osa was converted into a dude ranch.

Bucksbaum and True plan to continue to showcase the ranch history and retain its traditional emphasis on fine cuisine, wines and tequila. They’ll bring back the horses and cattle – essential for the authentic dude ranch experience. They also have ambitious plans to add more adventure to the guest experience – providing opportunities for rock climbing, fat-tire and electric bikes, hiking, stargazing, archery and shooting, birding, croquet, even human foosball, which Bucksbaum says is insanely popular at ranches in Colorado.

La Osa is surrounded by pristine high desert vistas as far as the eye can see – including the Baboquivari  Wilderness and the Tohono O’odham nation to the west and the Buenos Aires National Wilderness Refuge to the east. La Osa is located roughly 70 miles southwest of Tucson just outside of Sasabe, a community of some 2,500 residents that straddles the Arizona/Mexico border.

“We are stewards of this one-of-a-kind property. La Osa deserves to be open to the public. We will keep the authenticity, yet expand the options. We’re going to introduce Colorado’s adventure-style dude ranching to Arizona,” True said.