LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — For many the stories from the Walking Box Ranch near Searchlight are a window into the golden age of silent films in Hollywood. The sprawling ranch was owned by silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow beginning in the 1930s.

Now the first public tours of the ranch will take place this weekend, guided by students and professors with UNLV’s Public History Program. The tours are being held Saturday from 2 – 5 p.m. and a free to those who make the trip. You can sign up for the Denim and Diamonds tour at this site.

  • 21st December 1932: American actress Clara Bow (1905 – 1965) and her husband, actor Rex Bell (1903 – 1962) arrive in Southampton from America. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
  • circa 1930: American actress Clara Bow, the ‘It’ girl, believes that a ten o’clock curfew will prolong youth and beauty. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
  • 1926: Portrait of American actress Clara Bow, the ‘It’ girl. (Photo by Eugene Robert Richee/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
  • circa 1926: Portrait of American actress Clara Bow, the ‘It’ girl. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

According to UNLV there will be tours “every half hour which will include hands-on activities with the ranch’s collection of material culture; expert-led nature walks on ranching and indigenous plant life of the area; films showcasing former ranch owners and actors Rex Bell and Clara Bow; and a mac n’ cheese contest in honor of Bow’s favorite recipe.”

The ranch served as an escape destination for some of the couple’s famous Hollywood friends, including Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Errol Flynn, and Lionel Barrymore.

In an effort to preserve a key part of Nevada history, UNLV Public History students have spent years learning how to become ‘history detectives’ — using seemingly mundane clues such as paint colors, clothing materials, and styles, and metal carving details to figure out and catalog the likely time periods, manufacturers, and other details of artifacts rescued from a barn at the Walking Box Ranch.