<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><em><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Sweetwater Ranch</strong></span></em></span><br/>(http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/images/stories/nov09/hacienda-del-sol-ranch-tucson.jpg)</div>Arthur Stevens and his young bride Dolores headed out west during the last years of the Gold Rush, hoping for a chance at the “good life”. One of the lucky few to actually strike it rich, the young couple left the prospecting life behind them, heading off in search of a place to settle down and raise a family.  Finding an area that appealed to them, they used a large portion of their gold to buy out a wealthy Mexican hacienda owner.  Working diligently together, several years later they had created a beautiful and successful ranch for themselves. The couple was well and truly in love, and it wasn’t long before their first child was born, a son they named Randall. Ranch life was strenuous however, and it was five long years later before Arthur and Dolores had another child that survived beyond infancy, a daughter. And as fate would have it, Carmen would be their last.<br/><br/>Sweetwater Ranch is currently owned by Randall Stevens, who inherited the ranch after his father followed his mother into the great hereafter. His sister Carmen still lives and works on the ranch with him, along with a number of long-time trusted ranch hands and the occasional transient worker.<br/><br/>Although they have goats, chickens and even a cow, and they sell their excess milk and eggs to townfolk, the main business of the ranch is horses (http://www.workaway.info/gfx/user/1485713514a2.jpg). Sweetwater has a reputation of producing top quality companion horses for cowboys and others looking for a healthy, well-trained steed. A good quality, reliable horse is a valuable commodity in the west, and those in the know come lookin’ for theirs at Sweetwater Ranch.<br/><br/>Named for the river that runs through the property (http://www.actionrealtynm.com/Ranches/24634/24634pic111.jpg), Sweetwater Ranch is a cozy and well maintained abode. Soft white sand provides a welcoming pathway to the house entrance, edged by well-manicured grass and landscaped with native trees, cactus, shrubs and flowers.  From the fountain gurgling softly in the courtyard, to the horses wandering freely over their vast acres of land, Sweetwater Ranch is a beautiful and peaceful sanctuary nestled into the harsh desert landscape.