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Fascinating secrets of Ronald Reagan's beloved California ranch
At Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan's treasured California ranch, the president forbade any discussion of politics, and his wife, Nancy, rankled ranch-hands by being 'stingy' with dinner portions, a biographer recently revealed.
Standing amid 688 lush acres in the hills near Santa Barbara, Reagan's ranch-house was his favorite place in the world.
After he moved into the White House on January 20, 1981, the former California governor found his new living quarters to be too sheltered, describing the situation as a 'bird-in-a-gilded-cage sense of isolation.'
Whenever the chance presented itself, the president would ditch Washington for his 688 acre ranch and its modest 1,500 square foot home, where he could ride horses and engage in manual labor.
At Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan's treasured California ranch, the president forbade any discussion of politics, and his wife, Nancy, rankled ranch-hands by being 'stingy' with dinner portions, a biographer recently revealed
Whenever the chance presented itself, the president would ditch Washington for his 1,500 square-foot ranch, where he could ride horses and engage in manual labor
While at the ranch, 'the Gipper' had certain rules and one of them was that discussion of politics was flat-out prohibited, biographer Max Boot revealed.
When Reagan performed routine ranch-work- cutting firewood, repairing fences, pruning trees, clearing brush- he was joined by two companions, Barney Barnett and Dennis LeBlanc.
Asked by Boot about his time assisting the president, LeBlanc, who was 35 in 1981, said that the former California governor would not brook the discussion of politics.
'No politics,' LeBlanc laconically told Boot, who adapted an excerpt of his forthcoming Reagan biography for an article in the Wall Street Journal.
'All we did was talk about ranch stuff or family stuff,' LeBlanc added.
While at the ranch, 'the Gipper' had certain rules and one of them was that discussion of politics was flat-out prohibited, biographer Max Boot revealed
After he moved into the White House on January 20, 1981, the former California governor found his new living quarters to be too sheltered, describing the situation as a 'bird-in-a-gilded-cage sense of isolation'
But the three men were also content to pass the time in silence as they diligently attended to their work.
At the end of the day, they would be bone-weary from their labors. When they would head toward the house for dinner, they would be starving.
'Man, I could eat a house,' LeBlanc told Boot.
Nancy Reagan never cooked, though, and she limited the amount of food that Ann Allman, the housekeeper, could serve. The menu was 'stingy.'
'The petite first lady watched her figure (she was a size 2) and made sure 'Ronnie' did too,' Boot wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
'The petite first lady watched her figure (she was a size 2) and made sure 'Ronnie' did too,' Boot wrote in the Wall Street Journal
Despite the grandeur of its surroundings, the interior of the house was austere
'There was only one plate of food per person, and the men would get up almost as hungry as when they sat down,' he continued.
However, President Reagan never protested or complained, and when the dinner was finished, they would all retire to the living room to watch television.
After their show was over, Barnett and LeBlanc would leave the house, and 'if they were lucky, the housekeeper would sneak them a few cookies to take back to their trailer,' Boot wrote.
Despite the grandeur of its surroundings, the interior of the house was austere, furnished with Formica countertops and furniture that looked 'as if it had been scavenged from a flea market.'
Nancy Reagan never cooked, though, and she limited the amount of food that Ann Allman, the housekeeper, could serve. The menu was 'stingy'
When Reagan was elected as president, the home became known as the 'Western White House,' and a helicopter pad and housing for Secret Service agents were added
When Reagan was elected as president, the home became known as the 'Western White House,' and a helicopter pad and housing for Secret Service agents were added.
Because the former governor was so fond of riding horses, the Secret Service had to establish a 'riding school' for its agents, so that they could accompany him.
Whenever the president took off on horseback, 'trailing behind him would be a Humvee carrying Secret Service agents, a doctor, [and] a military aide with the nuclear football,' Boot explained.
The biographer also revealed that Reagan's ranch-hands were not afraid to disagree with him.
Barnett, who LeBlanc said was the president's 'best buddy,' did not beat about the bush.
'He was the only guy that I knew that could say, ''God damn it, Governor, you can't do it this way,'' in regard to building something if the governor wasn't doing it correctly,' LeBlanc said.
While Reagan often rubbed elbows with the world's most powerful and elite, Boot revealed that he preferred the humble companionship of his ranch employees.
LeBlanc told Boot that the president favored getting sweaty and being 'one of the guys,' over formal events
'They were, in my opinion, his best friends,' Kathy Osborne, Reagan's long-time secretary, told the biographer.
LeBlanc told Boot that the president favored getting sweaty and being 'one of the guys,' over formal events.
'No matter what the day was, we'd be cutting or building something. He didn't have any other down-to-earth, working, get-dirty type friends,' LeBlanc said.
'He just loved getting dirty and working with his hands,' he added.