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Interesting
stops on the tour include the 65‑year‑old Turtle House,
built by and once the home to perhaps Arizona’s most famous cowboy
artist, Lon Megargee. The Swanson property, the former Quarter
Circle One Ranch, will also be featured in the tour. In Desert
Mountain, the home of Bill and Paula Scully and the Avery home
will be open to visitors.
“Actually
the Quarter Circle One is the brand on the cattle that were here,”
owner Dean Swanson, explained. “Technically the ranch was called
Grapevine Springs Ranch. Research is a little hard to find, but
I found out Dr. Hudson operated the ranch until the 1950s and
Quarter Circle One was his brand.
“Originally
there were a thousand or more acres, some of it leased,” Swanson
said. “The original ranch was750 acres and 500 acres of that are
now part of Carefree. That leaves 250 acres which we now have.
Our part includes the main house and barn. We’ve been here since
2000.
“It’s
beautiful out here. We have about 750 saguaros and all types of
indigenous flora and fauna. The land is coming back from when
the cattle were here. It’s returning to it’s natural state.”
Grace
Schoonover, the museum’s archeology chair, said the Swanson property
contains about 20 sights that indicate an ancient civilization
once inhabited the area.
“As
near as we can tell, there are about 1,150 Hohokam houses, one
of which is partially restored,” she said. “I’ll have archeologists
on sight. People can visit the archeological digs after the
tour.”
Schoonover
said the ranch has been the scene of archeological exploration
since the 1960s.
“We
think we’ve found just about everything,” she said. “The property
has yielded a wealth of artifacts.”
The
Scullys have inhabited their dream home since May 2006.
“It
took two and a half years to build,” Bill said. “That’s not
counting the time it took to design it. There is no drywall
in the whole house. It’s all natural wood and stone. Everything
was made by God.”
The
attention to detail is evident in every facet of the structure.
Visitors
should pay particular attention to the floors and ceilings as
each room has a different design. Individual fireplaces are
built into one wall of each room.
One
of the many interesting details are the curved walls throughout
the house. There are no sharp corners.
The
open floor plan flows out to spacious patios where numerous
fireplaces are strategically placed to take in the vast desert
views surrounding the property in the evenings or enjoy beautiful
sunrises.
“Anything
worth doing is worth over‑doing,” Bill said.
Tour
chair Michele Poetsch has high hopes for the inaugural event.
“We’re
doing this as a fundraiser for the museum,” Poetsch said. “We
just thought the area with its distinct and unique architecture
would be perfect for a tour. Most people really enjoy these
types of affairs. It gives them a chance to see other people’s
homes and the things that make them stand out.”
Patrons
can buy tickets through March 18, the day of the event.
“We’ll
have a shuttle running to the Desert Mountain homes,” Poetsch
said. “It’ll run from the museum to Desert Mountain and back.
For the other two, we’ll supply maps and people can go there
on their own.
“We’re
expecting a good turnout.”
The
tour begins at 10 a.m. Tickets are $30 and available at Cave
Creek Museum, located at 6140 E. Skyline Dr. in Cave Creek.
For information about Cave Creek Museum and its programs, call
(480) 488‑2764, or visit cavecreekmuseum.org.
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