The Historical Journey of Lobo Ranch

According to the book Paulden Pioneers by Ruth Gilpin, the Lobo Ranch was originally the King Ranch, homesteaded in 1883 by Tom King and his three nephews, Tom, Arthur, and Charlie. It is one of the oldest ranches in the area. The original home site was near the east bank of the Chino Wash, a little west of the Big Chino Road. All that is left now is an old corral and some Cottonwood trees.

In 1906, the home ranch burned, and another house was moved in on the same foundation by Charlie King and his wife Nellie. The other two brothers, Tom and Arthur, lived on the River Ranch along the Verde River about 25 miles away. They were confirmed bachelors and could not stand being bossed by Nellie.

Charlie was the accountant and Tom and Arthur worked the ranch. In February of 1932, Tom passed away. After his passing, Arthur became very depressed and spent most of his time at the River Ranch. Then one day was found to have committed suicide there.

Charlie and Nellie decided to start selling off the property. Tom and Arthur had always done the ranch work and it was too much for Charlie. First, they sold the River Ranch to Ed Hubbell. Ed Hubbell renamed the River Ranch to the Verde Ranch. In 1934 or 1935, sold the home ranch to Jerome Eddy. This ended fifty years for the King Ranch.

Jerome Eddy renamed the ranch to the Eddy Ranch or the Diamond and Half Ranch. He had all the old corrals and the original ranch house torn down and built a large house and an elaborate barn.

A windmill and some cattle in the background.
A group of men riding horses through the desert.

The ranch house was unusual in design and beautiful. The barn was extremely large, and at one time, was the tallest structure in Arizona, until the Sky Dome at Northern Arizona University was built in 1977. The barn is a landmark and used as a beacon for small aircraft.

In 1942, Jerome Eddy sold the ranch to John Kieckhefer. In 1960, Kieckhefer sold just the Eddy Ranch to Phil Tovrea, who sold to the Evans family. The ranch was renamed the Evans Ranch. The Evans sold to Lew King, no relation to the original King Brothers.

Lew King, a local TV, and radio entertainer from Phoenix, was known for his Lew King Ranger series. He and his wife Patty did not run cattle. In 1977, Lew King sold to Ed and June Hitchcock.

Ed renamed the ranch to the Lobo Ranch and today is managed by Jack and Sandy Ingrao of Chino Valley. The Lobo Ranch is now a cow and calf operation of Corriente cattle which are used for Rodeo events.

The Lobo Ranch has three brands, E Over D, E Lazy Left-Over J Lazy Left Continued, and H W Stacked, a historic brand from the HW Ranch.

For more detailed information about the Paulden area ranches, please read the book Paulden Pioneers by Ruth Gilpin.