Our family has raised cattle and grown crops in Douglas County for 6 generations.

In 1867, Alex Scott Sr. brought his family to the United States from Scotland. In 1885, Alex purchased the first 160 acres of his ranch using the U.S. Homestead Act. He would add another 400 acres in the coming decade. The original Scott homestead was maintained and operated by Alex Sr., and then his son, Alex Jr. for the next 3 decades. In the early 1900s, Alex Jr. passed his land down to his son, Earnest. This forced Alex Jr.’s other son, Walter, to find his own homestead; he didn’t have to look far.

Walter’s grandfather, James Dallas Wilson, had owned the ranch just over a mile from the Scott homestead since 1909. Walter purchased that ranch from James Wilson in 1917. That property became known at the Scott Cattle Ranch - 1/3 of which is now known as Pine Canyon Ranch.

Soon after buying his father-in-law’s ranch, Walter enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his country during World War I. He was selected to an elite program and became one of the United State’s first fighter pilots, flying in the U.S. Army Air Service. While he was away, the ranch was sold to an extended family member who could take care of the land and the livestock. However, upon his return, Walter and his wife, Ida, quickly re-purchased his beloved property.

After the war, Walter was keen to ensure that his ranch would operate on the cutting-edge of technology and best practices - an ideal that we still uphold today. In 1927, John Deere used the ranch to showcase its newest and best line of tractors. In 1929, the Scott ranch became the first ranch in the area to have electricity.

Throughout the rest of his life, Walter took great care of his property and the livestock her raised upon it. He was also an active member of his community - he trained members of the Civilian Conservation Corps at a nearby project, and coordinated the effort to fight a fire at the nearby Spruce Mountain ranch.

Taking care of the ranch was not a one-man show. Walter and Ida worked the land together for many years, and their three children, Bob, Bonnie, and Glen were raised on the property, balancing school-work with their ranching duties. As a family, the Scotts were a ranching and agricultural institution in Douglas County.

In 1938, the family attended the National Western Stock Show for the first time as a whole, another long-standing tradition that we are proud to carry on today. Throughout the 1940s, the Scott home hosted events for 4-H and other youth agricultural societies. In 1950, the family, alongside volunteer firefighters from the area, fought a brush fire that broke out on the land. As he grew older, Walter evenly divided his ranch, and passed it onto his children. The property we now know as Pine Canyon Ranch was Bonnie’s share of the ranch.