In 1924, Brown and his railroad heiress wife Hélène Hooper Brown bought the Saddle Rock Ranch in Big Sur, California from the pioneer family of John and Julia Pfieffer Burns, totalling 1,600 acres.
In 1924, Brown and his railroad heiress wife Hélène Hooper Brown visited Big Sur, California, seeking some wild land on which they might build a house. They bought the Saddle Rock Ranch from the pioneer family of John and Julia Pfieffer Burns, totalling 1,600 acres.