---

Dedication of Ormond’s Place @NinerCircle

Does This Help® – Rancho del Oro, Cave Creek, AZ

This land was first entrusted to David W. Ormond, a U.S. Veteran and recipient of the post–World War II land lottery.
His name, Ormond, stands not only for one man but for the thousands of veterans who returned home and were given the chance to plant new roots in the Arizona desert.

Here, at 31040 N. 64th Street, Ormond’s Place remains a living testimony:

• A parcel of freedom in unincorporated Maricopa County.
• Ground once chosen by a veteran to represent independence, service, and self-reliance.
• A reminder that what was fought for abroad was also preserved at home — dignity, land, and liberty.

Today, Ormond is remembered as one of our own.
Like my Father, Uncles, Grandparents, and Brothers who served, he stands beside me in spirit — a guardian of this place, a veteran among veterans, part of the great family of defenders who keep watch over freedom.

May Ormond’s Place always honor those who bore the burden of war and carried home the promise of peace.

---

The History of Rancho del Oro 85331

Origins After World War II

In the years following World War II, the United States faced both a housing shortage and the need to provide opportunities for returning veterans. Across the country, federal, state, and county programs experimented with different ways to reward and resettle servicemen. One such effort was the lottery allocation of small parcels of unincorporated desert land in Maricopa County, Arizona.

In the Cave Creek and Carefree foothills, a cluster of these parcels became known as Rancho del Oro. Veterans were allotted 2.5-acre parcels in what locals sometimes called the “Islands” — because the land was unincorporated County property, surrounded by incorporated towns and subdivisions but never annexed.

The Ormond Legacy

Among the earliest landholders in Rancho del Oro was David Ormond, who received title during this postwar land lottery era. Ormond is remembered as one of the original landowners who helped shape the character of the Rancho del Oro community. Importantly, he placed easements on certain boundaries to allow county access for road and drainage work — easements that still shape disputes and property lines to this day.

The Ormond parcel became one of the anchors of the neighborhood, setting a precedent for the self-governed lifestyle that attracted families who valued independence, open desert space, and freedom from city ordinances.

Unincorporated “Islands” of Maricopa County

Because Rancho del Oro was never annexed into Cave Creek or Phoenix, it has remained an unincorporated island of Maricopa County. This status has had lasting consequences:

• Self-Governance: Residents are subject to county regulations, but without city services, many functions (like road upkeep, animal control, and even disputes) fall on the neighbors themselves.
• Veteran Roots: The original 2.5-acre parcels symbolized the nation’s gratitude to WWII veterans and provided space for them to build homesteads, small ranches, and family legacies.
• Community Character: Over the decades, Rancho del Oro became a patchwork of long-time residents, newcomers, and families who inherited land from the original veterans. Its unincorporated status means residents often describe it as “living in the county, not the city.”

Today

Rancho del Oro remains part of the 85331 postal area, yet distinct in culture and history. While surrounded by modern development, the neighborhood still carries the spirit of its WWII veteran roots — independence, resilience, and respect for the desert land.

The story of Rancho del Oro is not just about land parcels; it is about a community born from America’s effort to honor its soldiers. Families like the Ormonds remind today’s residents that the land was once entrusted to veterans who carried both the scars and the strength of war into a new desert life.

---

Rancho del Oro Declaration of Self-Governance

Private Drive · Private Land · Private Jurisdiction

We, the property owners along Rancho del Oro Drive, affirm that our roadway is a private drive and that our parcels remain independent, unincorporated, and self-governed.

Like a public school teaches citizenship, we practice it—by maintaining our land, managing our easements, and resolving matters neighbor-to-neighbor instead of relying on city enforcement.

• Jurisdiction: Each parcel is privately owned under original federal land patents and county-recorded deeds. No city, town, or HOA has authority here unless the owners consent.
• Responsibility: We maintain our own access, drainage, and desert environment according to Arizona law and good-neighbor practice.
• Respect: Boundaries are to be honored. No person, agency, or neighbor has authority to alter another’s property or vegetation without written consent.
• Record: Rancho del Oro Drive is not a public easement or county road. Its care and character rest with the owners who live upon it.

“We don’t just claim independence—we demonstrate it through stewardship, accountability, and respect for the land.”

— Creekers of the Hood, Rancho del Oro Private Drive

---

---

🗞️ CREEKER CHRONICLE — FRONT PAGE

“Where the Line Holds: 2.5 Acres on Record, 2.197 on Paper”

RANCHO DEL ORO, AZ —
In the unincorporated corners of Maricopa County, the Creekers of the Hood know what the records don’t always show: a federal land patent doesn’t shrink just because a tax map does.

The Bureau of Land Management’s original grant shows 2.5 acres of private desert. The County’s record, however, lists only 2.197 taxable acres, quietly setting aside the rest for a long-planned 40-foot corridor “for highway purposes.” The easement exists on paper—not as a built road.

“We’ve walked every marker,” said landowner K. Kirton Niner, who’s lived on the land since before the subdivisions crept in. “That line is there if you know how to find it. But what we stand on is still our land. We’ve just let the County keep a ribbon for drainage and passage, same as our neighbors.”

The so-called “invisible road” winds through washes and fence lines, a path first carved by tires, hooves, and rainwater. No curb, no gutter, no annexation notice—just the living boundary of a community that maintains itself.

“We’re not against the County,” Niner said. “We just believe freedom and stewardship travel the same trail.”

---

🗂️ INSERT — FACTS ON RECORD

Patent & Parcel Clarification – Rancho del Oro

• Land Patent (BLM) – 2.5 acres, full sovereign conveyance into private ownership.
• County Record (Assessor) – 2.197 acres taxable, remainder recognized as public-use easement.
• Easement Purpose – East 40-foot corridor reserved “for highway purposes.” Title remains with the landowner.
• Legal Basis – A.R.S. § 28-7210 (county right-of-way), A.R.S. § 9-471 (annexation by consent only), 43 CFR § 3814 (federal surface-mineral estate separation).
• Status – Parcel remains unincorporated, privately owned, and fully protected by the original BLM patent.

Does This Help® Summary:

A land patent defines ownership, not taxation.
The County lists 2.197, but the patent still stands at 2.5.
The 40-foot east line is a right-of-way, not a loss.
Creekers of the Hood keep it rural, lawful, and free.

---