Alright, on your left is the Brown House-looking sturdy, slightly proud, and probably a little amused that it still stands after all these years. Built in 1893 out of honest-to-goodness brick by F.B. Wightman, this place first opened its doors to a rotating cast of railroad workers, the working-class heroes shuffling between Los Angeles and Tucson. Imagine a night’s stay costing just a couple of bucks back then-about fifty dollars nowadays. The ghosts of heavy boots and louder stories probably lingered long after C.L. Brown snapped up the house in 1907 for his family. The Browns lived here until 1943, barely changing a thing except the roof and shutting off the kitchen breezeway from Yuma’s famous dust storms. Even today, the house is mostly original-no vinyl siding, no TV antennas, just classic charm perched on a rise at the edge of the district and now recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Not many places age so gracefully.
Ready for Ortiz House? Just head west for about two minutes.
