Rambler Ranch--30s to 70's Nostalgia--Part Two

Last week I wrote about a visit I made to Rambler Ranch, located in Elizabeth, Colorado--click here--to read that post.  That post highlighted the fabulous vintage car collection owned and displayed by collector Terry Gale on his sprawling ranch.  This week is a continuation of our visit to Rambler Ranch but now it is all about his also equally amazing collection of memorabilia from the early '30s to the 70s, beginning with Kelvinator appliances!

As you may remember from my previous post, Mr. Gale also collects mannequins, which adds a touch of realism to his displays, as they are dressed in his collection of vintage clothes and accessories. Mr. Gale began his collections with his father's 1954 Nash automobile which he lovingly restored. He then added almost every year of Nash automobile ever made except for one year that eludes him. He then went on to add many other automobiles from other eras, many of which are on display, and others are still waiting for restoration.  On October 27, 1936, it was announced that Nash Motors and Kelvinator Corp. were merging. The merger took effect on January 4, 1937, to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that placed George W. Mason at the helm of the combined company.  Because of their connection, Mr. Gale also began collecting and restoring Kelvinator appliances among other automotive-owned appliances made between 1930 to 1970.

It is a fascinating walk back in time to see perfectly preserved appliances that may have graced your grandmother's or mother's kitchen or laundry room! 

Even the appliance colors brought back memories. My first apartment kitchen in the 1970s had a harvest gold refrigerator and my neighbor had avocado green.

 My husband is looking at a range that slides out of a one-piece wall unit with an oven in the collage above.

We visited the Rambler Ranch with friends and I asked them to pose on the front porch of one of the buildings that held the appliances.  We were all amazed by the collection and memories they evoked.

Another bend around a corner of a car display building led to a replica of a diner, complete with jukebox, both stand-alone and individual table models

Notice the collection of novelty cookie jars on the shell near the ceiling and also memorabilia on the windowsills.

On the other side of the room was a replica of a 50's or 60s kitchen!

So many vintage collectibles that Mr. Gale is constantly adding to!

He told me that he often falls asleep at night with an iPad in his hands opened to an online auction site.

The very best is yet to come!

Walk into the door of this porch where "grandpa" is enjoying a cold beer...

...and enter a "Twilight Zone" like episode back into time!

It is an entire house decorated like the 1960s!

The formal living room.

The dining room.

The guest bedroom 

The parent's room with bassinet and chenille bedspread...

...and vanity and dresser.

The pink bathroom with "Mr. and Mrs." towels

The colorful kitchen

I smiled when I saw grandma's beehive hairdo, cat's eyeglasses, and cigarette!

Mr. Gale has associates that help him maintain and restore the cars and kitschy memorabilia, including one man who is skilled in dressing and staging the mannequins so creatively.  He allowed us to peek into the area where he has closets full of vintage clothes and accessories.  So much fun!

Also, scattered through the large car display barns are other collections of vintage toys, advertising brochures, camping supplies, and even a Santa Claus waiting for Christmas! We really enjoyed our visit and spent hours browsing all the displays. 

Rambler Ranch is a private collection.

 All tours are by appointment only on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning at 11 AM

 36370 Forest Trail, Elizabeth, CO. 80107

Call 302-324-6750

Bonus photo of an actual ranch we passed on our drive home from Rambler Ranch for Skywatch Friday.  It has been a beautiful autumn in Colorado this year.

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Rambler Ranch --A Nostalgia Collection--Part One

It all began with one car...pictured above is Rambler Ranch owner Terry Gale's father’s 1954 Nash Ambassador, which Gale rescued as a derelict that had sat abandoned for many years in his father's Colorado farm's field.  After his father died Terry acquired the car and spent three years bringing the classic automobile back to showroom quality. This sparked his passion for restoring other Rambler models in this particular era of vehicles.

It also led to an obsession that made Terry Gale become the owner of the largest collection of American Motor Corporation (AMC) vehicles in the world!  Terry is pictured in the lower left of the collage above at the beginning of a tour my husband and I made, with friends, by appointment.

The Rambler Ranch is on a 165-acre parcel of land in the hills of a pine forest in Elizabeth, Colorado.  The ranch is home to well over 800 preserved and restored classic cars of all make and models stored in multiple giant warehouses, such as the one seen in the lower right of the photo collage above. In addition, Terry has also collected some vintage buildings, such as a replica of a vintage Sinclair Gas station and a drug store, and a very large collection of the 50s and 60's memorabilia--more about that will be in my next blog post.

We self toured building after building full of vintage cars.

You will almost be guaranteed to see the same model of car that was your grandfather's, your Dad;'s, your first boyfriend's, or perhaps your first car if it was an AMC model made before 1988.  

So much nostalgia...

...and so many carefully restored cars!

It would be difficult to guess what the collection is worth--certainly many millions of dollars.  To read more about Rambler Ranch and Terry Gale click on this link.

Mr. Gale even has a vintage 1970s Denver bus and Bookmobile on his grounds.

It can easily take 2 to 3 hours to see the entire collection of automobiles and memorabilia. As we strolled around Mr. Gale and his helpers were nearby to answer questions. Terry told us he wanted to preserve as much of old-time "Americana" as he could and enjoyed searching online auction sites as a hobby. He felt too much history was being lost by our very disposable society.

One interesting aspect of his clean and meticulous showrooms are the many mannequins that are also on display that were all perfectly dressed by era or theme.

These are a few of the imaginative scenes that are set up. Click on any of the photos twice to enlarge it to see more detail.  

You must come back to see next week's blog post to see even more ephemera displays in Rambler Ranch of a vintage diner, a 1950s kitchen, and a 1960's era fully furnished house.

Rambler Ranch is certainly a fascinating place to visit!

 Rambler Ranch is a private collection--All tours are by appointment only on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning at 11 AM

36370 Forest Trail, Elizabeth CO 80107

Call 302-324-6750

You can also find me on

Instagram Twitter Facebook 

Pinterest

I'm linking this post to some of the following blog events:

 Mosaic Monday, Blue Monday, Through My Lens Monday, Hearth, and Soul Link Party, You Are the Star Blog Hop, Inspire Me Monday, Home Matters Linky Party,  Good Random Fun, Nature Notes, Grand Social, Travel Photos, Travel Tuesday, Happiness Is Homemade, Create, Bake, Make, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Tuesdays With A Twist, Let's Keep In Touch, Wordless Wednesday on a Tuesday,  Party in Your PJ's, Wordless Wednesday, Oh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday My Corner of the World, Wonderful Wednesday, Signs2,  Little Things Thursday, Thankful Thursday,  Thursday Encouraging Hearts and Home,  Thursday Thinking Out Loud, Friendship Fridays, A Morning Cup of Joe, Friday Features Linky Party, Skywatch Friday, Weekend Roundup,  Pink Saturday, Saturday Sparks, Saturday Critters, Sunday on Silverado