engine won't crank - heavy draw

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I have an 89? Ranger that is on it's last legs. I'm using it to clean up the accumulation of parts from my obsession. The rear brakes leak like a sieve, as does the motor and anything else with fluid in it. It WILL be going to the scrapper after I salvage whatever is worth my time.
However I still need it right now.
It was running fine other than a weak battery. I had to jump it every morning. After the initial first jumpstart it would fire up all day. The last time I tried to start it after running it for an hour it was grinding for the first attempt. The following attempts sounded like a dead battery. I checked voltage and it was at ~9.5 V. After disconnecting the battery the charge in the battery came back to ~12 v. I've had problems with the starter before so I removed it and tested it, it seems fine. Next I removed the fender solenoid and tested it and it also seems fine. Any time I turn on the ignition key there is a major draw. I've now reached the limits of my knowledge but remembered about pulling fuses to isolate the problem circuit. The first fuse I pull seems to be the problem circuit, the 60 Amp ignition fuse.
So where do I look from here? I'm not great with electrical circuits and diagrams but do have a haynes I'm going to check into. Thinking out loud, I'm thinking there must be a relay or switch that has failed. I'll check the fender relays and also see what I can see on the steering column. Any other suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks,

Richard

 

[4.0B2]

check your grounds... all of them.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Good point, will do.
Thanks

Richard

 

[wildbill23c]

Sounds really weird, let us know if you figure anything out. I was thinking the solenoid was bad, but when mine failed it would always keep the starter engaged even when the key was in the off position. Something is definitely wrong in the electrical department somewhere, maybe a wire grounding out that shouldn't be?