Hamilton era (1897 - 1907) Herbert W. Hamilton was a wealthy lumber baron from Wisconsin who homesteaded lands in what was to become the future the City of Glendale founded by
William John Murphy. What made an investment attractive was the completion of the
Arizona Canal in 1885. The canal allowed 100,000
acres (40468.564 hec or 40468 hec (
hectare) and 5642.2 m2) of desert land to be opened up to homesteading and irrigation farming. The
Homestead Act was a
United States federal law that gave an applicant ownership at no cost of farmland called a "homestead." By 1897, Hamilton had under his control 320 (129.499 hectares or 129 hec and 4994.0 m2) of farmland in Glendale. He established a farm where he planted large
citrus orchards and
dates. Hamilton built a home for his family, unlike any of the typical Arizona farm houses of the time. It was a
Queen Anne Victorian style house with a "Sky Parlor," a square windowed tower rising above the building's center.
Sands era (1907 - 1996) In 1907, Hamilton sold the farm to Louis M. Sands, a native of
Manistee, Michigan. Sands, a prominent Arizona businessman and rancher, named the farm "Manistee Ranch" after his hometown. Sands developed techniques in his ranch for rotating cattle pastures to work within the limits of the land. Besides harvesting feed for the livestock, which included cattle, sheep, horses, ducks and chickens, the farm workers also harvested dates which at the time were sold for 25¢ a pound. Over 11 different species of palm trees were planted. Currently there are some palm trees on the property which are over 100 years old. ==National Register of Historic Places==