Chris Brown will sometimes work 16-hour shifts at U.S. Steel’s Gary Works facility. When he leaves the steel mill, his work day still isn’t over.
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Instead, he’ll drive at least three miles away to Brown Family Ranch, located at 2246 Mississippi Street, and spend at least a couple of hours working there, caring for the animals and preparing events.
“At first, it was hard, but then it just became another chore,” Brown said. “After a while, it became easy, because I work around the clock at (Gary Works), and I’m nearby, so it made sense to stop by after my shifts. … Plus, I like to be here.”
The ranch has cattle, horses, chickens, goats and sheep, Brown said, and they’re hoping to get more animals soon. The space also has two arenas for rodeos and other events, he added.
Brown was born and raised in Gary, and he grew up on his family ranch, living next door. His father taught him to ride horses, Brown said, and he’s passed the love of the ranch down to his four daughters.
About 10 years ago, he opened the ranch up to the public, hosting rodeos, summer camps and other activities.
“(My dad) asked me if we could open it publicly and teach agriculture and even equestrianship here,” Brown said. “He thought that he felt it was a dying subject to be learned, and you don’t see a lot of it around here. So essentially, that’s what we did. We opened it publicly, and we started having bonfire parties and teaching agriculture and equestrianship.”
The ranch’s busy months are in the spring and summer, Brown said, but he keeps busy year-round.
From noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, the Brown Family Ranch will host a Christmas toy giveaway, giving out more than 700 gifts to children. They will also provide free cookies, cupcakes and hot chocolate, Brown said.
“I’ve got a feeling it’s going to go past 2 (p.m.),” he said. “Our idea was just to help out the less fortunate. Sometimes, it isn’t always about making money but just taking time to give back to the community and those who help you.”
Brown is dedicated to giving back to the Gary community, especially the children. He likes teaching them about the animals and believes all children can learn something from the ranch.
During this year’s summer camp, the Brown Family Ranch hosted about 1,000 children and taught them about equestrianship and agriculture.
“One time, we were teaching them about chickens, and we held up an egg and asked where it came from,” Brown said. “One kid said, ‘That’s an egg, and it comes from McDonald’s!’ … We just laughed.”
Brown believes it’s important to have the ranch operating in an area like Gary, where there are fewer farms and animals around. If people are interested in the ranch, they can learn more about the animals, Brown said.
“Sometimes we’ll walk the horses out on the public streets,” he said. “Then, we’re right here off Martin Luther King Drive, and a lot of times the horses are out exercising and eating, and people often go by and wonder about this. With the traffic going past, we get people interested, and we get more people at the ranch.”
Brown’s family, including his wife, mother and children, help at the ranch. During the spring, summer and fall, the ranch also has about five employees, Brown said.
In the winter, Brown tries to do most of the work by himself.
“(Sometimes in the winter) you can be here for two to three minutes, and your hands are going to be frozen,” he added. “I try to not have anyone out here when it’s like that, and most of the time, I’ll just come, feed the animals, clean the stalls, get them some water, and that’ll be it.”
Louise Litt-Hall, Brown’s mother, said she’s proud of how her son has run the ranch.
“It’s truly a joy,” Litt-Hall said. “I don’t have to tell him what to do, and he just picked it up and started doing everything on his own. … I still work with him in the background, and he’s out in the front helping with programs and running things.”
Litt-Hall said she’s enjoyed watching the ranch grow and seeing the community embrace everything it has to offer. She’s also happy to have her family involved, including her daughter-in-law and granddaughters.
“The girls, they drive the tractors, and they have their own horses,” Litt-Hall said. “They ride their own horses, and they started teaching riding lessons and giving tours. … I’m really proud of them.”
Litt-Hall helps when she can, she said, including with cleaning the stalls and repairs around the ranch. She also helps oversee ranch operations, Litt-Hall said, especially because she’s helped since Brown was a child.
Both Brown and Litt-Hall are excited for what the ranch’s future holds, and Brown hopes that his daughters would be interested in running it when he’s done. He believes at least one will take over, especially because they’re interested in the rodeos and other events.
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“They all like it here, and that makes me happy,” Brown said. “Sometimes they like to bring their friends by, and they’ll go to each other’s barns.”
Litt-Hall’s goal is for the ranch to remain in the family, so she hopes one of her grandchildren will take it over once Brown is done.
As of now, the Brown Family Ranch is working with the city to expand to get more parking space for their events, specifically the rodeos.
“We have contestants from all over the United States and from Canada,” Litt-Hall said. “It’s really growing, and we just need more space. That’s a good problem to have, and it makes me happy.”