About the Ranch

Margaret Duncan Brown purchased the ranch in 1915 from the McPhee Family. After losing her husband, she continued the operation, sold her cattle, and turned to raising sheep. She worked as one of the few female sheepherders in the state and ran a successful operation. Writing was also one of her passions, and one short story, “A Little Bunch of Sheep” was featured in Reader’s Digest. Readers can find a collection of her diary entries and snippets of wisdom in her book Shepherdess of Elk River Valley. The Brown Ranch is a Centennial Ranch (2019). Images of Margaret Duncan Brown can be found at the Tread of Pioneers Museum digital collections.