5 C's - Cattle

Photos by Janis Brown

In 1885, Dr. W.B. Crosby bought land at the foot of the McDowell's and began cattle ranching with the DC Ranch Brand.  Early Scottsdale cattle were from Mexico originally bred for Spanish bullrings.  Their meet was tough, but they did well on the open ranges of the desert ranches in Arizona.  E.O. Brown bought DC Ranch and other land to expand the ranch.  Scottsdale had many successful ranches, which featured horses, but also included cattle and sheep.  Names like McCormick Ranch and Gainey Ranch are familiar subdivisions located on these large acreages.  The Richardsons owned a 40-acre dairy farm on Miller and Osborn current home to Scottsdale Memorial Hospital.  And Scottsdale also had dude ranches like Rustler's Roost located at Pima and Pinnacle Peak Road.  Though cattle is no longer a huge part of our economy, Arizona still had over a million head in 2009.  And the "West's Most Western Town" still loves cowboys and cowgirls whom we will celebrate at the Parada del Sol on Feb. 9th.