Golden Boot Ranch

790 Sanchez Street, San Francisco, CA

The Golden Boot Ranch was a residence located at 790 Sanchez Street, San Francisco, California. From 1991 to 2005, it was the home of three Golden Boot Award recipients Freeman Stamper (1989), Anna Damiani (1993), Scott Carey (1987), plus one (John Conley).

in 1993, Art Smith loaned the original Golden Boot he received in 1983 for permanent display. It remained with Scott Carey until 2023 when it was handed off to Karl Jaeckel, IAGSDC Archivist. Beginning in 2024, it is now given to the Golden Boot Award recipient from the prior recipient.

Remembrances

This was originally a 4 unit building. Raymond & James, a couple and WSD square dancers, purchased the building and completely renovated it. In that process they combined the 2 upper apartments into 1 very modern penthouse with a fabulous view of downtown San Francisco.

Scott Carey & Ron Douglass, two of the founders of Western Star Dancers, had many backyard square dance workshops, WSD meetings and IAGSDC formation activities at their home, a lower flat, at 223 Sanchez St in the early 1980s. They called their place “The Ranch”. Freeman Stamper, fresh from the 3rd WSD class, moved into the upstairs flat and proudly called it the “Chicken Ranch” - he wrote it on the front window!

When Scott Carey, Freeman Stamper, and Anna Damiani, all Golden Boot Recipients, purchased 790 Sanchez on 24 Sep 1993 from the Raymond & James Estate, the name “Golden Boot Ranch” was the perfectly natural name! The Golden Boot Ranch, hosted many square dance workshops, Crossfire filming and premier showings, Western Star meetings and IAGSDC activities. I wished we had kept a visitor’s log; we would have recorded many visiting square dancers over the years. We all jointly sold the building in 2005.
— Scott Carey ^[1]