The Kathleen Francis Show: Fourth-Generation Sedona Native on Heritage, UFOs, and Why His Family's Ranch Still Matters

When Mason Bradshaw was two years old, show host Kathleen Francis took a photograph of him wearing his grandfather's cowboy hat. She had no way of knowing then what she knew in her heart: that this toddler would one day carry forward one of Sedona's most iconic legacies.

In the latest episode of The Kathleen Francis Show, filmed at the Humankind Center in the heart of Sedona, Mason opens up about destiny, fourth-dimensional beings, and why the History Channel cut all his speaking parts from a paranormal investigation at his family's legendary ranch.

What Does It Mean to Carry a 75-Year Sedona Legacy?

"My grandfather always wanted to be a cowboy, but he was also very artistic," Mason explains. Bob Bradshaw arrived in Sedona in 1947 when the population was just 300 people and everyone drew water from a well. He became the first color photographer in Sedona, a Hollywood location scout who worked with John Wayne and Elvis Presley, and started the town's first horseback tours.

"He was a very stoic kind of guy," Mason recalls. "Talked very little, but when he did talk, you wanted to listen. Very good stories, very good history."

Bob built Sedona's first photography studio from the abandoned set of "Broken Arrow," which still stands in uptown Sedona as Raleigh Photos. His son John started what became Sedona Jeep Tours, merging several companies including Red Rock Jeep Tours (founded by Mason's uncle in 1963) and the spiritually-focused Earth Wisdom Tours.

But Mason didn't always plan to continue the family business. "I went to school to become a police officer, and it never came to fruition," he admits. Kathleen reminds him of what she told his father years ago: "Mason has to have the heritage of his family... He needs to be the next in line."

Mason returned to Sedona right as COVID hit. His father "didn't pay me the first couple of months," he laughs. "My first pay raise was to minimum wage." Now he's general manager of Sedona Jeep Tours with 80 employees and 50 Jeeps, owns Bradshaw Color Studios, and just launched Sedona Airways with his business partners.

What Really Happened at Bradshaw Ranch—And Why Can't We Talk About It?

The conversation takes a turn into the unexplained when Kathleen brings up the Bradshaw Ranch—640 acres of Red Rock country that became world-famous for paranormal activity before being seized by the Forest Service.

"Bob told me himself," Kathleen says, "that they saw, at night, images, and [Linda Bradshaw] got some photographs of aliens."

When History Channel's "Beyond Skinwalker Ranch" came to film at the property a couple years ago, they brought "heavy-duty equipment" including ground-penetrating technology. "There's always that rumor that there are underground tunnels in Sedona, underground bases," Mason explains. "What they found was pretty much a giant hole that was straight underneath the ranch... it would go directly towards the cement plant and directly towards Secret Canyon, and the ranch is right in the middle of it."

They also investigated a specific alligator juniper tree where a portal had once opened—captured in a photograph showing telephone poles and lines where none existed. "The last time I was there when we were filming, that same tree has been hit by lightning and was destroyed," Mason reveals. "We even tested some different radiations, and they would have radiation portals above it... right above the tree."

So why were all of Mason's speaking segments cut from the show? "I think I kind of got a little bit out there for them," he says with a knowing smile. He's bound by an NDA, but hints there's much more to tell. The crew "left very happy with all the footage they had. We were supposed to get one episode, and they stretched it out into two."

Watch the full episode to hear what Mason can reveal about orb sightings, fourth-dimensional beings, and the "Outer Dimensions" night tour his company now offers with night vision goggles at Bradshaw Point.

Why Should Tourists Care About Cryptobiotic Soil and Forest Service Permits?

Mason brings an unexpected passion to discussing land conservation—revealing a side of the tourism industry most visitors never see.

"The cryptobiotic soil, it's this black, kind of looks like mold out there on the trails," he explains. "To some people, it'd just be dirt, and they step on it not knowing that they're actually killing something that is living, and that affects everything in the ecology of Sedona."

Only three companies in Sedona have Forest Service permits to run commercial Jeep tours, and the responsibilities go far beyond taking tourists into the backcountry. "The Forest Service is very understaffed, so they rely on us to do a lot of the trail maintenance," Mason says. The companies formed a nonprofit—recently renamed Trail Partners of Arizona, led by former Barlow Rentals owner Nina Barlow—to coordinate preservation efforts.

The rise of high-speed Razor rentals has dramatically accelerated trail damage. Mason's nonprofit compared Google Earth images before and after Razors were introduced: "What used to take 5, 10 years to degrade on a trail, takes a month. So now we're out there weekly doing trail maintenance."

His message to visitors is clear but welcoming: "Respect the land, support small businesses... If you're looking for a thrill ride, I wouldn't do it here in town. Sedona should be more spiritually based, more relaxing."

What sets his family's tours apart? "We only do private tours, so we can really cater to the customer," unlike corporate operators with scripted multi-group experiences. His guides—"real cowboys, real Indians"—are encouraged to be themselves and educate visitors on everything from geology to vortex energy to conservation.

"Everyone that thinks of Sedona... they envision Sedona back then where you could go to Slide Rock and you're by yourself," Mason reflects. "We can't be what Sedona used to be, even though that's where everyone wants it to be." His approach? "Let's educate them. Let's embrace them. Let's steer them to the correct companies with that like mindset."

Now a father himself to baby daughter Ree Diana Faye—fourth generation Bradshaw in Sedona—Mason is thinking about legacy in new ways. "Having that now fourth generation coming to town, it's kind of a big milestone," he says softly.

The interview closes with Kathleen—who produced five books for the Bradshaw family including Bob's biography—reflecting on destiny and family heritage. She'd encouraged Mason years ago to stay in Sedona rather than become a police officer, recognizing something he perhaps couldn't see yet himself.

"You carry the heart of Sedona with your heritage, with your family background," she tells him. His response is humble but determined: "I'm big in the community. I try to talk to the city as much as I can, the chamber as much as I can, and trying to make Sedona great for everybody—the residents, the tourists, and Sedona itself, as the land."

Watch the complete conversation to hear more about Bob Bradshaw's Hollywood years, the criminal loss of the ranch, and what Mason saw through night vision goggles that's "pretty much guaranteed" to appear in Sedona's skies.

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