1965 Revision
The story takes place in Arizona, and still features Alice Regor's subplot, but otherwise bears little in common to the original story. The title changed to The Secret of Shadow Ranch, Nancy travels with her friends Bess and George to Arizona, and while the mystery of Alice Regor's father was kept for the revision, Nancy also tries to solve two other mysteries: Why is a phantom horse haunting the ranch, and what happened to the treasure promised by Dirk Valentine, legendary Old West outlaw, to his estranged sweetheart, one of the original residents of the ranch? This book is filled with action and local color, including a square dance, and serves as something of a travelogue. It also introduces a theme common in Nancy Drew books after 1950, an ill-fated romance from another historical era. The girls find diversion with attractive young men at the ranch and in the community, and are already skilled with horses and western life.
Read more about this topic: The Secret At Shadow Ranch