In the 1950's Queen Creek was a community of farmers who lived far away from many conveniences we take for granted. Margaret Ann Ellsworth-Schnepf raised her five children on the farm that she and her husband ran, where their nearest neighbor lived 4 miles away. The kids were, in her words, 'free range'. As she got on with her daily activities, the children would go off to play for hours. Yet while they lacked the amenities and various activities that keep modern families busy today, back then everyone knew one another and it was a far simpler time.
We met Margaret at her old family home which is now the offices for the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce. She sat by the original fireplace pointing out her childhood bedroom and outside where her mother, Margaret Ellsworth, had planted a rose garden. A stone's throw away was the original church. Now called the Historic Town Hall, it was originally where residents saw each other every Sunday. The church would organize community events, potlucks, picnics, and 4th of July gatherings.
Margaret herself, was born in Mesa and moved to her childhood home in Queen Creek where her father purchased and developed the land for farming as a newlywed in the 1920's. At 18, Margaret married Darel Schnepf in 1958 and they farmed land off of Ocotillo and Schnepf Road for the next 18 years. Her children, Brad, Russell, Deann, Matt, and Mikel Ann all grew up on the farm. Her memories of that time still stay with her, and she fondly recalls having picnics and bonfires with the other families in the desert. The children would go for rides on the little tractor and there was a general sense of freedom.
Margaret's eldest son, Brad (our publisher), particularly remembers the fireworks show or baseball games that were organized through the church. Everything was organically done via a community that was tight knit and rooted in the land they farmed. Margaret said that the first pool was built by Grandpa Jack Schnepf in his backyard in the 50's, to which all the children would drop by and have a spontaneous swim and play.
As a mother of five, Margaret was busy with the farm and the school board. However, by the 1970's the price of their crops had dropped, water had become expensive, and the farm life too hard to maintain. Margaret and her family moved to Scottsdale with their remaining children. Today, Margaret is a widow and a grandmother and has moved back to Queen Creek. She still loves the sense of community and the kindness of the people. Though it is less agricultural and more suburban, she still sees Queen Creek as a wonderful place to raise a family and create memories.
'The children would go for rides on the little tractor and there was a general sense of freedom.'