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. The series begins with The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Introduction.
The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Part 4
By Nancy Lucas
The Brown-Marley Partnership
Cattle Drive on Scottsdale Road. Photo Courtesy of Scottsdale Historical Society.
After WWII, Brownie became partners in the ranch with his lifelong friend, Kemper Marley. Their friendship had begun with their fathers’ long association. Brownie and Kemper would meet with other cattlemen at the Pink Pony or the cattleman’s bar at the Adams Hotel in Phoenix and make deals sealed with a handshake and a couple of VO’s and water. Brownie was rich in land but lacking in cash. Kemper Marley had grown up with ranching and was also an astute businessman with wide political and business connections. Brownie and Kemper were both men of few words and strong opinions who were willing to take risks.
During their partnership, they grew and improved the ranch. Much of DC Ranch was on government-leased land. They arranged to buy land in California that the government needed, and traded the California land for land they were leasing at DC Ranch. They tapped the natural spring and piped water throughout the ranch. They eventually had more than 4,000 head of cattle and 44,000 acres of land, or 64 “sections” (a section is equal to 640 acres). They dug several wells and built windmills to pump the water. They installed pipes to carry water to holding tanks. The windmills were irresistible targets to passers-by who riddled them with bullets. Big Brownie’s presence, however, was a strong deterrent. When he was riding the range, there wasn’t a problem.
In the 1950s, the ranch was at its peak. Buildings were improved, and pens and pastures were enclosed by wooden fences. Hereford and purebred Brahmas replaced Mexican longhorns. Electricity and paved roads were added, and radios and telephones connected the ranch to the outside world. The city was becoming a resort, and real estate investors were turning their eyes to the land in the north, recently annexed by the rapidly growing City of Scottsdale. The 1950s was also the time of the last cattle drive from DC Ranch to Phoenix.
After the Last Cattle Drive
When Brownie died in 1966, the land was split between his children and Kemper Marley, sometime later it was purchased by developers. Goldie contested her pre-nuptial agreement and ended up owning a good portion of the land around the home on the Upper Ranch. Goldie passed away in the 1970s. Her property was divided between her relatives and her lawyer (as payment for the work she did in contesting the pre-nuptial agreement).
Years later, Kemper Marley was implicated, but never charged, in the murder of Don Bolles, an Arizona Republic investigative reporter who was looking into connections between Arizona businessmen, including Marley, and reputed Mafia connections. It was a sensational story that was covered on national news programs for years.
The original DC Ranch brand. Courtesy of the Scottsdale Historical Society.
The City of Scottsdale purchased much of the Upper Ranch, and it is now part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Part of the Lower Ranch is the current DC Ranch planned community, and part of the Lower Ranch is included in the Preserve.
This tale has the ingredients of a best-selling book – spirited heroes and heroines shaping history and the romance of the West. It’s a tale that is still being told in the lives of E.O. Brown’s descendants and all the people of Scottsdale. The story enriches our experience and understanding of our special corner of the world. It’s also a reminder that we’re just here for a while, and someday we’ll pass it along to others.
The End … Read it again? The Original Owners of DC Ranch, Introduction Post Date: 8/14/2013
A Peek at the Peak 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
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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