Barker Ranch<\/a> is a remote property located in the Panamint Range<\/a> within Death Valley National Park<\/a> in Inyo County<\/a>, California<\/a>. The ranch gained international notoriety in 1969 as the final hideout for Charles Manson<\/a> and the Manson Family<\/a> following a series of murders in Los_Angeles<\/a>.<\/p> The ranch was originally built in the 1930s by Butch Thomason<\/a> and Helen Thomason<\/a>, who intended to use the site for recreational mining and a getaway from city life. It was later sold to James Barker<\/a> and Arlene Barker<\/a>, who expanded the facilities. The location was chosen by the Manson Family<\/a> due to its extreme isolation, accessible only by rugged dirt tracks and 4x4 vehicles. In October 1969, law enforcement officers from the California Highway Patrol<\/a>, the Inyo County Sheriff's Office<\/a>, and the National Park Service<\/a> raided the ranch, apprehending Charles Manson<\/a>, who was famously discovered hiding inside a small cabinet beneath a bathroom sink.<\/p> In May 2009, a fire destroyed the main ranch house, leaving only the stone foundations and a few outbuildings. Despite the damage, the site continues to attract visitors interested in true crime history and the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert<\/a>. Documentation of the site's history and the 1969 raid can be explored through the National Park Service archives<\/a> and historical records at Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/p>