On to the 3rd major event, and the event that actually really pushed me into writing this blog: the history and memories of Brush Ranch Camps, Tererro, New Mexico. The line between historical fact and my memory is a bit blurred, so I apologize in advance for any chronological mistakes or other bits and pieces that I may get a little wrong along the way.
I would like to take a moment to apologize for the lack of photos in this post. Most of the things I’m mentioning in this post should and will have longer posts dedicated to them and I will include photos at that time. Plus, I don’t know where they are right now and since becoming mother of twins, it’s all I can do to get dressed each day, much less search for photos. Yes, it’s nearly 4:00 and I’m not dressed yet. I did remember to brush my teeth!
In 1956, my grandparents, Newcomb and Kitty Rice purchased the Brush Ranch property, 11 miles up the Pecos Canyon, from the Old family. It had previously been owned by Lyle Brush and everyone seemed to thing the name was perfect so it stayed through multiple transitions. The property had been running as a dude ranch for a number of years. It had, at one point, also been called Irvin’s on the Pecos. So the story goes, Newcomb didn’t have “two pennies to rub together” but Mr. Old sold him the property anyway and somehow, over the years, Newcomb was able to complete payments on the property.
Newcomb and Kitty started Brush Ranch Camps for Girls. The original idea was that it would be a performing arts camp that focused on dance, drama, and music. My grandfather came from a performing arts background (I’ll dedicate a later post to his history and how he and my grandmother met) so it seemed a natural transition for them.
As time went on, they added more and more activities, including, at one point, until the insurance world had a fit I’m sure, trampolining! How fun would that be?! They also added horseback riding, arts and crafts, synchronized swimming, and several more traditional “camp” activities to the program. In the mid 60’s, they began to allow boys into camp. They built a separate “boys camp” area just north of the main Brush Ranch property that included one very basic cabin and eventually several tent platforms and a wash house. It was MUCH more crude than the girls cabins that were complete with running water, heating, fireplaces, and even carpet (in some cases). With the addition of the boys camp came the addition of several more activities: shooting, fencing, archery, ropes course, and fishing.
As you can imagine, summer camp is not lucrative all year around, so the Brush Ranch School opened in the 70’s. The school focused on middle school and high school aged students with learning differences and was a boarding school.
At the time, my dad was living and working on the Brush Ranch property doing various odds and ends and my mom had just graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in education. She worked for a few years in Corpus Christi and was then hired as a teacher at Brush Ranch School. One thing led to another, and in 1976, my parents were married in the booming metropolis of Quanah, Texas, where my mother had grown up. They lived for several years in what was used most recently as the nurses cabin, right down by the gurgling Pecos river. They eventually built the house I grew up in on the north end of the property with the help of several of their friends. From what I’ve heard, it was quite the group effort.
Dad living in what eventually became the nurses cabin.
Somewhere along the way, my grandparents purchased another bit of acreage north of the boys camp area with a giant lovely house, guesthouse, and old rickety other building (no idea what it was but I LOVED exploring in there when I was a kid and finding all sorts of really old junk). This was the Timberland property. Eventually, the ropes course for the camp was built on this part of the property.
All in all, the entire property was around 300 acres right on the river with a winding dirt road that connected everything that ran along the back side…think over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go, because that’s exactly how it was!
In the late 70’s or early 80’s, my parents took over full operation of the camp business and expanded it quite a bit, adding various programs throughout the years. At some point, they were involved in the business operations of the school as well, but after a bit of a family feud, they became completely uninvolved in the school and the camp and school ran as two completely different entities.
So, things cooked along like this for the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. In 1996 another piece of property was purchased and used for various camp activities. This property was much farther north up the canyon and was know as Rosilla Peak Ranch.
My parents lived full time on the main property in the house I mentioned earlier. My older brother was born in 1980, I showed up a little over two years after that, and then our youngest brother was born in 1988. We grew up at summer camp, and it was awesome, I can only assume, every little kid’s dream! We had all the playmates we could ask for, plus we had super cool college kids (counselors), as our mentors each summer! We had a blast. (It’s worth mentioning that the winters weren’t too shabby either, with tons of snow and great sledding hills!).
A bazillion kids and staff from all over the world (literally), must have come through that stone front gate, where a bazillion more memories were made, many of which are still cherished today. Of course, there were ups and downs, most of which I was sheltered from since I was a child during a lot of this time.
Brush Ranch Camps staff photo, 1989 (courtesy Barbara Cohen). My parents are on the bottom row directly under the “ch” in “Ranch. And there I am, clearly a staff member, bottom row, far left.
Beginning in the late 90’s, Newcomb and Kitty spent less and less time at Brush Ranch and more time at their second home in Santa Fe. As they grew older, the drive and the weather became too much for them. Newcomb passed away in 1996, and Kitty died several years later in 2001.
After Kitty’s passing, another sort of family feud ensued between my father and his sister. Eventually, my parents decided that the best course of action for everyone in the long run would be to discontinue camp and school operations and sell the majority of the property. Neither the camp or school had been profitable in the years leading up to this decision, and my parents did not want to work their fingers to the bone for the rest of their lives. The last summer of operation was 2004.
They sold the north end of the property (including Timberland, the house I grew up in, and the boy’s camp area) to a couple from Texas. They sold the south end of the property with the majority of the cabins and gathering spaces to a family who owns a large insurance firm in Albuquerque.
They kept 12 acres that they named Rancho Compostela that included the barn and a building that was built in 1994 as a classroom for the school. They hired an architect and a contractor and remodeled and added on to the classroom building and made it into an amazing home. (Meanwhile, they lived in the dining hall for the camp, which only caught on fire once while they lived there!!) They spent lots of time improving the grounds of the property, and did some major work on the barn as well, including chopping it in half and pouring concrete floors. It was a great space for a big party (this is where we had our wedding reception)!
A portion of the 12 acres my parents kept after selling the other parts of the Ranch. This is taken looking from the house to the barn, north, up the Pecos canyon.
Mom and dad were living the life of a retired couple and were settling in nicely. All that changed on April 1st, 2009 when their money manager committed suicide by way of fiery car accident. As weeks and months went by after his passing, it became evident that the money made in the sale of the Brush Ranch property was tied up in multiple lawsuits. I won’t go into too many gory details here, but the short story is that a large portion of the money was lost in what was basically a ponzi scheme, and the rest was tied up in lawsuits and court fees. The Rosilla Peak Ranch property was taken as a part of a settlement, and just this spring, my parents sold their 15 acres to a lovely Albuquerque family so that they can officially get out from under the black cloud of 2009 and MOVE ON!
I won’t pretend that this hasn’t been difficult for our family. It has been. Really, really difficult. The sale of the last piece of property was especially bittersweet, as it means the end to an era for our family, but it also means the beginning of an exciting new era. And era that I have high hopes for, one that includes improved health and happiness, lots of grandparent time, impromptu family get-togethers, and much much more!
I truly believe that Brush Ranch had a major impact on many lives and I intend to share more detailed memories, funny stories, sad stories, traditions, songs, and whatever else comes to mind. If there’s a specific story you’d like to share, please go to my contact page and send it to me or email me at alden@youretheheartofus.com . I just might post it on the blog! Please include any photos you have that might accompany your story!
I cannot guarantee that I will post your story or when it will be posted, but I will do my best to alert you if/when it is posted. I reserve the right to edit stories as I see fit and will do my best not to change any hard facts.
Thanks for writing this blog, Alden! I have heard stories of Brush Ranch back in the day from my dad and it’s nice to have a history to tie in with his stories. I know the rickety building you speak of at Timberland, I helped my dad dismantle it log by log! It was an interesting endeavor to say the least but what was fascinating is that the original builders (dates on the logs were somewhere in the 1920’s, I think) and other folks over the years had used newspapers in the construction and reading those were amazing. We also had found some mostly illegible letters from the 30’s and 40’s stuck in the walls. Unfortunately, what’s left of the building now sits in Ribera on land we no longer own, but it was educational at least!
Amazing that newspaper was ok for construction!!!
Thank you for this Alden! I was a friend of your parents back in the 70’s and 80’s. The last time I saw you, you were a precious little dancing two year old! I was thinking about Brush Ranch and looked it up and found your blog. Thank you again for catching me up with all that happened.
I love reading the history of all of this written by someone other than me! I’ve written it lots of times but a different perspective, from someone who loves it too, is refreshing.
Questions contact me please kay
Hi Kay! Hopefully you remember me, I’m Julie Vance ( formerly Rustmann). My son in law was talking about fishing on the Pecos and it made me think of you guys and the great parties you used to have!!So I looked up Brush Ranch and found this wonderful but sad history from your daughter! So glad to catch up on all that happened since I moved to Colorado in ‘85. So sorry for the heartaches you must have endured! I still live on my family’s ranch in SW Colorado. Best wishes for the future and give my love to Scotty!
There are hundreds of former campers who could still walk the paths of Brush Ranch with our eyes closed. The Pecos runs through our dreams. Brush Ranch is a part of our souls, thanks to your family.
Very well said. Brush ranch is one of the few places in my childhood that I can visualize just by closing my eyes. It is still very much my “happy place”.
I LOVE this visual!
I attended Brush Ranch for the first session, 1973-1976. I truly lived for those 5 weeks of each summer. So many memories, so much of what I am today was molded during those years. I look forward to your future postings, and more stories of Brush Ranch. Thank you! Nancy (Cronin) Singleton
Wow. I didn’t know any of the trouble that you had, I am so sorry.
I needed to improve my riding instructor skills and took a chance (or you took a chance on me) on a place far from home. It was easily one of the best decisions I ever made! A family, summer and group like no other! A part of us indeed.
Thanks Mike! We’re all hanging in there and are just happy to have our health and each other! Hope you are well!
I enjoyed my summers at Brush Ranch and didn’t want to go home at the end of the session. I remember helping to host the open house at Timberland as a Senior Camper and what a treat it was. My parents were friends with Newcolmb and Kitty and they would come to Enid to recruit campers every year. Enid always had a good showing. Brush Ranch will always hold a special place in my heart. When I go to that “favorite place”… It is always that big boulder in the middle of the Pecos River not too far from the Fencing Pavilion!
What great memories! Thank you for sharing!
Dear Alden,
Austin and I still talk about our wonderful summers at Brush Ranch. They remain some of our most cherished childhood memories. The riding, the camping, the rodeo trips, the square dancing, the elusive girls camp that we knew existed but never saw, all of it was so special. Thanks for the brief history. The memories will live on. Congratulations on the two new additions and send my most heartfelt regards to your parents and brothers.
Sincerely,
Clint Work
Wow! I had no idea this blog would bring out so many generations of people! It’s great to hear from you! And, just so you know, main camp was girls camp…think where the pool was, that was girls camp! Haha! Please tell your family hello!
I still think the money manager is alive somewhere. That story isn’t over 😉
I won’t lie…I’ve often thought that myself!
I’m so sorry to hear about the turn of events that lead to your family’s loss of the land. I remember Kaye and Scott Rice, Newcom and Kitty very well. Fly fishing in the Pecos, the Toboggan hill and riding the bus to the Santa Fe basin to go snow skiing. When I think back on these times they are truly some of the best times in my life. I am thankful for the experiences and the things I learned at Brush Ranch.
I will always say that Brush Ranch School was the best thing that ever happened in my young life. Your mom was one of my teachers defore she married your dad. I have such good memories. Thank you
Karyn Axtell
I wrote a long reply. I was your counselor in cabin 8 for two years. You were the sweetest of spirits and will remain one of my favorite students in a 40 year career in education. Hope you are well. Doubt you will see this, but just seeing your name has been a treat for me.
I liked the article. I was a student there from 1987-1989. If you get a chance and find some of the old school newspapers. I wrote a article about the school when it use to be a ghost town in the gold mining days. I am going up to Santa Fe next week for the first time since 1989 (I live in Laguna Niguel, CA). For the “Rice Grandson” your grandparents had a dream that helped out several learning disabled children over the years & greatly appreciated the great efforts in improving peoples lives.
“Jed Bachen”. Chiming in. Love you guys. Can we all hang some time?
Alden: Thank you for posting this. I just learned of your blog and what happened to BR from Cathy Scheder, with whom I worked at Brush Ranch School, from 1992 through 1995. We knew Newcomb, Kitty, Kaye, and Scott, and probably saw you and your siblings running around, too. What a beautiful place to work and live, and what a shame that a crook robbed you and your family. I taught yearbook and photography at the school, and would be happy to share my photographs with you if you don’t have copies of the yearbooks. Best wishes, Scott Semel [ssemel@yahoo.com]
I spent several wonderful summers at Brush Ranch in the 70’s. I have told my children how much I wish it were still operating so I could have sent them and my grandchildren there. I remember your dad and your grandparents and how much I loved my summers there. I still have some of my official camp photos. Such memories.
Amazing, my sister and I spent many summers at Brush Ranch, I always the “Breakfast at Timberland”, Newcomb and Kitty made everything soooo special, loved reading that it has such a history, thank you!!
I worked as a counselor at the school for one year, 1982-83. I believe your mother was pregnant with you during that time, and I think you were born sometime during that year. I think of it as one of the best years of my life–wish I knew then how much I’d cherish those memories now. Living in Massachusetts for the past 34 years, I miss BR and NM pretty much every day!
I was lucky enough to attend Brush Ranch Summer Camp for three years and it was a fantastic experience.
I learned to love fly fishing, the mountains, and many life lessons from the Rice Family and Mike Brown. Thanks!
Drew Cromwell
Dr
My brother. sister and I attended camp for a month in 1966 I think. My parents were good friends of Kittie and Newcomb. We loved camp!!!! Still love the Pecos and Terrero. Scottie in the late 1970s would allow me to park my horse trailer in his parking lot so I could ride over the mountain the Martin’s Ranch for a wonderful day ride. I grew up sommers at Martin’s ranch as well. Thanks for the history lesson. Good memories for me in the 60s. Lots of new names as Scottie had children and the children had children. Life goes on.. Wondered what is going on currently with the place. Hi to Scottie!!! Marjorie McCrory Fiske.
I went to camp there two summers. Either 63 and 65 or 64 and 66. It was fun … we horsebacked in the mountains, did synchronized swimming, sang around the campfire, did crafts, badminton, I think, always went to see Madame Butterfly at the Santa Fe Opera and in to the Santa Fe Square which was empty except for the Native Americans selling their goods.
I remember Scottie. My name was Gwin Massarano.
I went to Rrush Ranch for 4 years I loved all the friends I met. I miss all the horses my dad was in the cattle industry while I was going there. Scotty all always gave me almost everything I needed for barn.