The iconic American Ranch, just outside of Prescott, survived its share of Indian raids during the mid-1800s. It was not until Agnes Taylor Lee and her husband arrived on site that it became one of the most popular and sought-after destinations for freighters, military personnel and pioneers who traveled the desolate and sometimes dangerous Hardyville Road that linked Prescott to points West.
Agnes was born in Bloomfield, Iowa, on Sept. 1, 1841. At age 19, on Feb. 4, 1861, she married Jefferson Harrison (J. H.) Lee. That December, she gave birth to son John.
J. H. wanted to try his luck mining the gold fields of Colorado. He convinced Agnes to leave their 6-month-old son with her parents and head out. It would be nine years before she saw John again.
Agnes found the Colorado mining communities depressing, dark, dirty and dangerous. Hearing of lucrative gold findings in Arizona Territory, the couple headed out with a group that made it as far as Fort Wingate, New Mexico Territory, before the snowy winter of 1863 forced them to hunker down until the spring thaw. J. H. found work as a blacksmith while Agnes cooked for the troops.
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The following summer, Agnes and J. H. started for Prescott. It was not an easy ride.
Along the way they lost one of their two oxen in an Indian raid and had to rely on a milk cow to help pull their wagon. When the wagon axle broke, J. H. cut the boards of the wagon bed in half and crammed what possessions they could salvage into the remaining cart. Agnes had to abandon treasured furniture and dishes.
To make more room in the abbreviated carriage, Agnes walked most of the way. When her shoes began to fall apart, she wrapped them with strips of canvas but her feet felt every rock and thorn she passed over. Sand permeated everything.
Drawing of a covered wagon, 1870鈥'80.
Arriving in Prescott, J. H. found work at Fort Whipple and Agnes cooked at the newly-built Osborn House on Granite Street until she gave birth to son Edward in March 1865.
The Lees staked out 160 acres near Granite Creek to start a farm. That property became known as City Ranch.
Daughter Lillie arrived in 1870. The next year, leaving their two children in the care of friends, Agnes and J. H. made the journey to Iowa to bring back their son, John. But the boy, now 9 years old, did not know his parents. Reluctantly, they left him with his grandparents and returned to Prescott.
Agnes had five more children over the ensuing years.
When the opportunity arose to acquire the American Ranch at the foot of Granite Mountain for the price of a six-shooter, J. H. jumped at the offer. Initially, he built up the property without Agnes and the children as Indian raids were still prevalent in the area. The family moved onto the ranch around 1873 or 鈥74.
Pigs, sheep, cattle and chickens thrived on American Ranch. Apple and pear trees shaded the property. A variety of home-grown vegetables graced the Lee table every evening.
With the ranch serving as a stage stop, travelers were welcome to share in the bounty and bed down for the night. Freighters who frequented the route traded coffee, sugar and flour for produce grown on the ranch. Even the Yavapais who lived nearby trusted the Lees.
Drawing of covered wagons, possibly from 1871.
Agnes expanded their dairy and poultry business, allowing her to sell eggs and chickens at Fort Whipple. She churned her own butter and made cheese. Jams and jellies lined the shelves of her larder. As their overnight clientele grew, Agnes baked bread almost every day and her apple pies became renowned. Her meals gained the reputation as the best in the area.
Agnes and J. H. built a larger home to accommodate their overflow of houseguests. Completed in 1876, the two-story building housed a saloon, parlor, office, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms on the first floor, topped by four bedrooms, a parlor and large hall on the second level. A veranda surrounded three sides of the building while a promenade and observatory topped off the edifice.
To celebrate the new hotel鈥檚 opening, they threw a gala ball. Tickets to the event were $5 for every man. Women were invited free of charge.
Revelers from Prescott, Fort Whipple and surrounding communities feasted on barbequed beef, hams, chickens, salads and a bounty of cakes and pies. They turned the upstairs parlor and hall into a massive ballroom and folks danced quadrilles late into the evening. The dance hall was said to be the largest in the country.
Agnes continued to produce children as she worked the ranch but in 1879, her teenaged son Edward died. Her sorrow was alleviated when her firstborn son John finally came west and joined the family.
Eventually a cutoff that made the trip from Ehrenburg to Prescott one day shorter was built. Much of the business that used to stop at the American Hotel began taking the shorter route, bypassing the Lee place. As traffic slowed, the hotel suffered.
J. H. became restless. He had been a hard taskmaster with his ranch hands as well as his children. When he decided to leave Prescott to seek gold in Alaska, he sold all their cattle to subsidize his venture. Agnes and the children continued working the ranch, but times were hard and little income was derived from the now often-empty large house.
In 1901, J. H., a broke and broken man, returned to Prescott. He mortgaged the American Ranch and rented it out. Agnes was forced to move into town. She relied on friends and her children for sustenance.
J. H. died in 1915. Two years later, on Dec. 23, 1917, Agnes died at age 76. Both of the Lees are buried at Prescott鈥檚 Mountain View Cemetery.
The American Ranch that once served as a successful stage stop, hotel, farm and dairy lay deserted for many years. It no longer stands.
See the A1 covers from the past for this day in history.
Jan Cleere is the author of several historical nonfiction books about the early people of the Southwest. Email her at Jan@JanCleere.com. Website: .
