The Original Owners of DC Ranch

Posted By The Peak on Aug 14, 2013

The cover of The Peak magazine’s June 2003 issue featured a signed photograph of E. E. Brown, provided courtesy of the Brown family.

Brown’s Ranch Trailhead opened to the public on June 10, 2013. From the trailhead in north Scottsdale, visitors can enjoy hiking, trail running, bicycle riding, horseback riding, rock climbing, sightseeing, and bird watching in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. A signature trail, the 5- to 6 mile Granite Mountain Loop Trail, can be accessed from the trailhead.

The grand opening of the trailhead is set for October 19th. To celebrate the event, GPPA is re-publishing “The Original Owners of DC Ranch” on its website, gppaaz.org, during the months of September and October. The article, which was published in the June 2003 issue of our A Peek at the Peak (The Peak) magazine, tells the story of the Brown family and their ranch. Reading it will enrich your visit to the new trailhead and your understanding of north Scottsdale’s cowboy past.

Nancy Lucas, a resident of north Scottsdale, was the editor of The Peak when she wrote the article. She included information from personal interviews with members of the Brown family. The article is one of many excellent pieces that Nancy wrote about our community.

Nancy’s article was based on an earlier Peak article, researched and written by former GPPA president, the late Don Schoenau. In the 1990s, Don spent many hours researching and recording our area’s colorful past. We’re indebted to past editorial contributors to The Peak, like Nancy and Don, for helping to preserve a historical record that would have been otherwise lost.

During the month of August, we will be posting sections of the article on GPPABlog. The entire article will be posted by September 1, 2013 and available on our website, gppaaz.org (The Peak). The posting of the entire article coincides with the publishing of the September-October issue of The Peak magazine, which contains an article about the new Brown’s Ranch Trailhead.

Continued … The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 1 Post Date: 8/14/13

The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Introduction Published: 8/14/13
The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 1 Published: 8/14/13
The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 2 Published: 8/16/13
The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 3 Published: 8/18/13
The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 4, Published: 8/18/13