It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978,[1] and represents a significant period in the settlement and ranching of the Guadalupe Mountains.

[2] The ranch was built in close proximity to several other springs, whose surrounding area was inhabited by Native Americans from prehistory.

[3] The Rader brothers, the first settlers on the southeast side of the mountains, left the area in the late 1880s.

They invested in a hydraulic ram to pump water and installed a carbide lamp system in the house, later changing to electric lights operated by a wind generator.

Hunter assembled the "Guadalupe Mountains Ranch" of 43,000 acres (17,000 ha), producing, among other things, mohair wool.