This article is excerpted from Tales of West Pasco (1962), by Ralph Bellwood.
Ed Haley’s Moon Lake Dude Ranch (1962)
A few years after the big Florida Boom “busted,” a man by the name of Ed Haley came to the West Pasco area with big dreams, which he proceeded to make come true. He was a financier and promoter who had built Clearwater’s Fort Harrison hotel and many other large enterprises in Pinellas County.
He acquired about six thousand acres of land which lay mainly to the West of Moon Lake, but included Moon Lake and numerous other smaller lakes in the area. Five thousand of these acres he enclosed with a four foot woven wire fence with four or five strands of barbed wire above it. The area surrounded by seventeen miles of this fence was a natural habitat for game. To the native game he added Virginia and English fallow deer, as well as hundreds of wild turkeys, quail and pheasants, and engaged a full time warden, Bill Pittman, who trapped wildcats and panther and shot many hawks and owls that preyed on the game. It is said that at one time the herd of deer numbered up into the thousands.
The greatest attraction and feature of the Dude Ranch was the sprawling rustic lodge that was built of timber and logs cut from the surrounding area. The interior of this structure was almost indescribable. There were chandeliers made from cypress knees, ingeniously put together and wired for hundreds of light bulbs. A majestic stone fireplace with a huge log mantle heated the lobby during the Winter months. Hanging on the walls, or perched about in niches, were mounted animals and heads as well as hawks and owls. A large stuffed alligator, so real looking that many a guest would shy away from it, lay sprawled on the floor. There were dining facilities where, according to Mrs. Laura McIntosh, Haley’s sister, who lived at the lodge, four hundred meals a day were frequently served. The meat that was featured consisted of venison, wild turkey, quail, or fresh water fish, all of which came from the forests or lakes on the ranch.
Included in the tremendous operation of the Dude Ranch was a stable of some thirty Kentucky bred horses, and fifteen miles of bridle paths that rambled about through the semi-tropical foliage and trees, where thousands of exotic shrubs and vines had been set.
In the spacious grounds surrounding the lodge a number of cottages were built and furnished with rustic furniture made from cypress and cedar which had been cut nearby. A quiet serenity, broken only by the joyous sounds of mirth and soft music, prevailed in this remarkable retreat, which attracted many nationally famous people, among whom were Rex Beach and Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., to say nothing about strong political and business leaders throughout the land. It took three years to lay off and build this mammoth playground. It was started in 1933 and opened to the public in 1937.
Workmen on the project lived in tents during the long drawn out process of clearing and beautifying the grounds and building the lodge and cottages. The whole project’s cost was over $600,000. At one time about two hundred people were employed to care for and operate the Dude Ranch. It operated four years, gaining popularity with each passing year, and then came World War II. This changed everything. Help could not be found to operate the place and people couldn't get gas to bring them to this remote spot. The ranch had to be closed, and immediately deterioration set in and some say Haley suffered financial reverses. The place was never opened to the public again, and the area where the lodge was located, including the large lake, was sold to a real estate corporation that laid it off in lots, building hard surface roads that make all the area accessible by car. Many fine homes have been built in the Moon Lake Estates. The old Lodge is now gone The once popular lounge and dining room, along with some of the mounted animals and birds, held festoons of cobwebs and years of accumulated dust, but a nostalgic memory will ever remain with all who visited or knew the magnificence of the place.
Ed Haley’s Moon Lake Dude Ranch (1962)
A few years after the big Florida Boom “busted,” a man by the name of Ed Haley came to the West Pasco area with big dreams, which he proceeded to make come true. He was a financier and promoter who had built Clearwater’s Fort Harrison hotel and many other large enterprises in Pinellas County.
He acquired about six thousand acres of land which lay mainly to the West of Moon Lake, but included Moon Lake and numerous other smaller lakes in the area. Five thousand of these acres he enclosed with a four foot woven wire fence with four or five strands of barbed wire above it. The area surrounded by seventeen miles of this fence was a natural habitat for game. To the native game he added Virginia and English fallow deer, as well as hundreds of wild turkeys, quail and pheasants, and engaged a full time warden, Bill Pittman, who trapped wildcats and panther and shot many hawks and owls that preyed on the game. It is said that at one time the herd of deer numbered up into the thousands.
The greatest attraction and feature of the Dude Ranch was the sprawling rustic lodge that was built of timber and logs cut from the surrounding area. The interior of this structure was almost indescribable. There were chandeliers made from cypress knees, ingeniously put together and wired for hundreds of light bulbs. A majestic stone fireplace with a huge log mantle heated the lobby during the Winter months. Hanging on the walls, or perched about in niches, were mounted animals and heads as well as hawks and owls. A large stuffed alligator, so real looking that many a guest would shy away from it, lay sprawled on the floor. There were dining facilities where, according to Mrs. Laura McIntosh, Haley’s sister, who lived at the lodge, four hundred meals a day were frequently served. The meat that was featured consisted of venison, wild turkey, quail, or fresh water fish, all of which came from the forests or lakes on the ranch.
Included in the tremendous operation of the Dude Ranch was a stable of some thirty Kentucky bred horses, and fifteen miles of bridle paths that rambled about through the semi-tropical foliage and trees, where thousands of exotic shrubs and vines had been set.
In the spacious grounds surrounding the lodge a number of cottages were built and furnished with rustic furniture made from cypress and cedar which had been cut nearby. A quiet serenity, broken only by the joyous sounds of mirth and soft music, prevailed in this remarkable retreat, which attracted many nationally famous people, among whom were Rex Beach and Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., to say nothing about strong political and business leaders throughout the land. It took three years to lay off and build this mammoth playground. It was started in 1933 and opened to the public in 1937.
Workmen on the project lived in tents during the long drawn out process of clearing and beautifying the grounds and building the lodge and cottages. The whole project’s cost was over $600,000. At one time about two hundred people were employed to care for and operate the Dude Ranch. It operated four years, gaining popularity with each passing year, and then came World War II. This changed everything. Help could not be found to operate the place and people couldn't get gas to bring them to this remote spot. The ranch had to be closed, and immediately deterioration set in and some say Haley suffered financial reverses. The place was never opened to the public again, and the area where the lodge was located, including the large lake, was sold to a real estate corporation that laid it off in lots, building hard surface roads that make all the area accessible by car. Many fine homes have been built in the Moon Lake Estates. The old Lodge is now gone The once popular lounge and dining room, along with some of the mounted animals and birds, held festoons of cobwebs and years of accumulated dust, but a nostalgic memory will ever remain with all who visited or knew the magnificence of the place.