The Castle Ranch Has Been Identified

 July 12, 2022

   A mystery has been solved! Edmundo Segundo sent me this photo and asked me if I knew where it was taken and the year? I didn't know, but I had a hunch I have a friend or two who might know, and sure enough, I posted it here and on Facebook and this just came in from a history friend of mine in Nogales.

   "This picture is of El Alamo Ranch taken about 1930 when it was operating as a guest ranch and a working cattle ranch. Rancho El Álamo is located about 30 miles NW of Magdalena, Sonora. The Adobe castle on the top of the hill was modeled after Harlech Castle, Wales. The bricks were made on the ranch and fired in a mesquite fueled kiln there. I last saw that castle about 5 years ago from a distance of a mile or two away on the Tubatama-Magdalena highway. I imagine it’s still standing. I have to give a shout out to my friend Jean England Neubauer who is the granddaughter of the guy who built the castle. She owns and runs the Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Co. in Tumacacori, Arizona across the road from the Tumacacori National Historic Monument. Jean has written and published a family history along with recipes for chilies. It is well illustrated and has several photos of El Alamo, including the one you showed. I’ll 'borrow' a couple of photos from her book but they have to be credited to her. She and her husband Bill are personal friends and I’ve been a guest in their home at the historic Rock Corral Ranch in Tumacacori. Much more to come."

—Historian Greg Scott

"People knock social media but to me, this kind of connection is a dream come true."

—BBB