After losing a legal battle to his neighbor over land rights in 1903, Cameron decided the ranch was not worth the trouble and sold it to his rival.

The Greene Cattle Company was so successful it even attracted the attention of Pancho Villa, who raided the San Rafael Ranch for horses on more than one occasion in the early 1910s.

Shortly thereafter, Florence Sharp and her family began the long process of having the ranch house and surrounding rangeland preserved for future generations.

The San Rafael Ranch includes 18,500 deeded acres and a grazing preference established in 1999 on the natural area held by Arizona State Parks.

[3][4] The historic district consists of the main ranch house and several ancillary buildings including a machine/blacksmith shop, two barns, corrals, and other structures used in livestock operations.