The Barnyard was the center of activity at Sahuaro Ranch. Horses and mules were stabled, trained, and shoed here. Cattle were brought to the corrals for branding, treatment, and shipment. Farm implements and wagons were stored and repaired here.

The oldest structures in the Barnyard- all built under William Bartlett's ownership - are the horse stable, blacksmith shop, tack house, and some of the corrals. Well into the 1920s, horses and mules provided most of the hauling and transport power used on the ranch.

After the Smith family acquired the ranch in 1927, they expanded its livestock holdings to include dairy cows, beef cattle, and eventually thoroughbred horses. The Smiths built the dairy barn, cow pens, and milk house, and they converted the stable into a granary. Later they installed a scale to weigh cattle and erected a large shed to store hay cut from the ranch's alfalfa fields.

Other changes were made to support the transition from horse-drawn to mechanized equipment. The blacksmith shop was expanded to accommodate modern machine tools, a fuel storage shed was built, and later a vehicle maintenance shed (complete with grease pit) was added.

BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES
Dairy Barn (1928) - Feeding and milking cows.
Milk House (1932) - Pasteurizing and bottling milk and cream.
Blacksmith/Machine Shop (Circa 1890) - Machinery repair and horseshoeing.
Stable/Granary (Circa 1890 and 1935) - Originally a horse stable, later used for feed storage.
Corrals (1890s to 1972) - Mostly used for cattle, with one built for training horses.
Tack House (date unknown) - Storage of harnesses and medicine.
Hay Shed (1952) - Storing bales of hay.
Scale House (1950s) - Weighing trucks loaded with livestock.
Vehicle Maintenance Shed (1960s) - Maintaining tractors, trucks, and farm implements.
Fuel Dump (1920s) - Safe storage of fuel, oil and other flammable liquids.