MI 150497

Madero ranch
It was around 1891 when a man with the name of Rufley homesteaded on Camp Creek at the place now known as the Madero Ranch. Rufley lived there four or five years and then sold his improvements on the land to my father, Thomas J. Wright. Father then located his homestead on the one hundred and sixty acres that had previously been homesteaded by Rufley. During the next several years, father dug some ditches, cleared land, built a big log barn, built fences, piped spring water to the house, and made other improvements.
The ranch buildings were located on the east Camp Creek about half a mile or less up stream from
Creek empties into Camp Creek.
In about 1915 father bought the Miller Ranch A. Wright. The Miller Ranch joins the Madero Ranch
boundary of the Madero Ranch. When father passed away in 1921 the ranch was up in fine
shape and supported a herd of one hundred cattle plus saddle and draft horses.
In about 1925 the ranch was sold to Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Madero and for the next few years the Maderos bought and addedomore land until the ranch included about three thousand acres. However while the- Maderos were still alive they sold off most of the land they had acquired until tile ranch was about the same size as it was when they bought it.
Mrs. Madero passed away in about 1945 and Mr. Madero passed away about five years later. His sister, Mrs. Loupie Diggs, was heir to the property and wthen Mrs. Diggs passed away her two daughters
wereheirs to the property. The two ladies are the present owners
The Madero Ranch - 2
of the ranch but have never lived there. The ranch has been vacant most of the time since Mr. Maldero passed away. The ranch is still known as The Madero Ranch. I spent my boyhood days there when I was going to the little school at the mouth of Camp Creek. Now when I go by or view the ranch from afar I always think of my boyhood days of Long ago. I think of my father and mother, my sisters and brothers,
and when I trapped for skunks and bobcats to buy my first little rifle. I think, too, of the cattle and horses father had on the ranch, of my first round-up on the range, of rounding up the beef cattle and branding the calves, and of my first few tries at bronco busting.