Nathaniel Lyon Houston (1861-1941) was born in Clinton County, New York. He arrived in Arizona about 1902 to serve as agent and manager for the Manila Mine, located about ten miles west of Ft. Huachuca. [The Arizona Republic, 6/26/1906]. N.L. had worked in mining in Utah and Idaho prior to his move to Arizona. By 1910 N.L. was cattle ranching in Elgin—he was granted title to over 1,200 acres of land in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties between 1921 and 1926. He added to his land holdings over the years, purchasing adjacent ranches as they became available. The ranch headquarters were initially located in Cochise County but later moved to Santa Cruz County (Township 21S, Range 18E, Section 25). N.L. was active in the Republican party and served as an officer in the Arizona Cattlegrowers Association.
N.L. had one son, Nathaniel Lyon, Jr. (1896-1948), born in Salt Lake City, UT. He was raised by N.L. and N.L.’s brother, Dr. Grant Houston, an Oak Park, IL physician. By 1920 N.L., Jr. was teaching high school in Gilbert, AZ. In 1921 he married a fellow teacher, Edna Ethlyn Lawton (1891-1981). Edna was born in Kansas and graduated from Kansas State University. The couple had three children: Dorothy (1922-2016), Nathaniel Lawton (1923-1924) and Ethlyn (1926-2003). The family lived in Laveen and Ray as N.L., Jr. assumed increasingly responsible teaching positions. In 1929 they moved to Tucson where N.L., Jr. attended the University of Arizona and became principal of the Davis Elementary school in the Tucson Unified School District. N.L., Jr. was an active member of the Army Reserves, eventually attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel. He was called to active duty in 1941, serving until 1945.
When N.L., Sr. died in 1941, N.L., Jr. and Edna took over management of the Houston ranch. In 1948 N.L., Jr. died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound and Edna became solely responsible. She ably continued ranching operations and was active in Elgin community activities. Edna was Treasurer (1945-1946) and President (1953-1954) of the Elgin Community Club. She was a founding member of the Santa Cruz County Cowbelles and was active in the Arizona Cattlegrowers Association and the Elgin Book Circle (1947-1966). In 1968, at age 77, Edna sold the Houston ranch and moved to Tucson where she was a member of the Congregational Church, an active P.E.O. member, and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Opera Guild and the Arizona Historical Society. She died in 1981.
N.L., Jr. and Edna’s oldest daughter Dorothy graduated from the University of Arizona and trained as a dietician. She married Landon Bowers in 1947 and had two children, Barbara and James. Dorothy and her children were frequent visitors to the Houston ranch and Barbara recalls that her grandmother was an avid naturalist and birder. She was delighted when a phoebe built a nest on the front porch and incensed when a snake killed it. When facing difficult times Edna was known to say: “You can do anything you have to do.”
Ethlyn attended Patagonia High School and married Juan Rafael “Ralph” Telles (1918-2003) in 1952. The couple had three sons, Ralph Lawton (1953-1954), David Houston (b. 1955), and William Lyon (1957-1979). Ralph worked on the Houston ranch, and he and Ethlyn later ranched in Elgin.
Alison Bunting can be contacted at alisbunting@gmail.com.