The article “The Original Owners of DC Ranch” by Nancy Lucas was published in the June 2003 issue of A Peek at the Peak magazine. GPPA is re-publishing the article online, in four installments, as a series of blog posts. The series begins with The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Introduction. Ed.
The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 1
By Nancy Lucas
Prologue
Last year, The Peak ran a story about E.E. Brown, the original owner of DC Ranch. Unfortunately, it contained inaccuracies. I received a phone call from Cindy Lewis, a great-granddaughter of E.O. Brown, Betty Crews, Brownie’s niece by marriage, and Verna Zimmerman, Robert Zimmerman’s daughter-in-law, and a letter from Virgie Brown, widow of Alvin “Cotton” Brown, informing me of my errors.
Rather than chastise me, Cindy, Betty, and Verna treated me to a delightful afternoon of stories and recollections and a tour of their dairy farm in Queen Creek. I spent a charming afternoon with Virgie Brown and her daughter, Jeryl Varsolona, at their home in Cottonwood. And I spoke on the telephone to Brownie’s son, E.O. who took me on a journey through time.
I promised to make things right. Although later than planned, here is the story of E.E. “Brownie” Brown and his family and descendants. Thank you Cindy, Betty, Verna, Virgie, Jeryl, and E.O. for setting me straight. Nancy Lucas
Over the ages, many people have inhabited the western slopes of the McDowell Mountains – ancient man, the Hohokam and Yavapai peoples, and the U.S. Army. The area’s history as DC Ranch, however, began in 1885, when Dr. W. B. Crosby purchased land and registered the “DC” (“D”octor “C”rosby) brand. The Brown family entered the picture in 1919 when E.O. Brown purchased the ranch. In 1940, the ranch conveyed to E.O.’s son, E.E. “Brownie” Brown. In 1963, Brownie and business partner, Kemper Marley, registered the brand as joint tenants.
After E.E.’s death, the brand transferred to Kemper Marley. Today, the famous brand belongs to DMB Associates as part of their 8,300-acre home, retail and golf course development.
Brown’s Ranch, referred to by the family as the “Upper Ranch.” Photo Courtesy of Scottsdale Historical Society.
Since 1919, DC Ranch has passed from generation to generation of Browns. Concurrently, the cattle industry in Scottsdale began and ended, and Scottsdale grew from a hamlet with a handful of pioneers to a city of more than 250,000 citizens. The Brown family’s story is so closely intertwined with all these events that the story of one must include the story of the others.
E.O. Brown Helps Establish Scottsdale
Edwin Orpheus (E.O.) Brown and his wife, Mary Jane Coldwell Brown, were the first Browns to set foot in Arizona. They came to Scottsdale in 1904 at the request of Mary Jane’s sister, Sarah Thomas. Sarah and her husband had arrived from Illinois in 1899, seeking treatment for tuberculosis. Sarah’s husband died in 1902, and she used his insurance check to buy a post office and general store. Her store catered to ranchers, who often brought in their wagons for a year’s supplies. The store sold items ranging from Indian baskets to windmills.
When Sara Thomas succumbed in 1913, she left her land and store to E.O. and Mary Jane and asked them to raise her two surviving children, Grace Ellen and George Thomas. The two were added to the family and raised along with the Brown’s four children, Alvin, Elsworth Edwin (E.E., who became known as Brownie), Benton Russell, and daughter Ruth. The close-knit Brown clan has ever since carried on their tradition of family taking care of family.
E.O. was a highly respected member of the community. He was responsible for much of the early development in Scottsdale. He served as postmaster, school trustee, and irrigation director. He was vice president of Western Oil Company, president of the Scottsdale Cotton Gin Company, and a controlling stockholder of Farmer’s State Bank of Scottsdale. He also owned the water works and local ice plant. To supply water to the town, he drilled several wells and also brought water from the filtration plant on the Verde River. Downtown’s Brown Avenue is named in his honor for his many contributions to the young city of Scottsdale.
Cowboys Branding at Brown’s Ranch. Photo Courtesy of Scottsdale Historical Society.
E.O. cleared desert land to prepare it for agricultural use. He also raised cattle. According to his obituary, “He cleared desert growth from much of the agricultural land in the vicinity of Scottsdale. Until development of huge cotton and citrus acreages, he fed cattle in valley lands, and then in 1916 moved his cattle northwards to a ranch in the McDowell Mountains district. There he drilled three wells to develop water.”
Continued … The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 2 Post Date: 8/16/13
A Peek at the Peak magazine is published by the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the natural environment and enhancement of quality of life in the north Scottsdale Sonoran Desert.
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Greater Pinnacle Peak Association
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Related Articles
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
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