Lacy, Thomas B. & Jack L.

Thomas B. and Jack L. “Mack” Lacy were born in Keatchie, Louisiana, in 1860 and 1862, respectively, to Martin Lacy and Judie McMickin. Raised on the family farm, Tom worked in Texas in 1881, while Mack was employed in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving to Fresno County, California, in 1895. Tom joined his brother in Fresno County in 1901, where they initially worked for local ranchers and mined at Sycamore. In 1909, the brothers purchased a 300-acre ranch along the Copper King road above Academy to engage in stock-raising.

Expanding their agricultural and business ventures, the brothers eventually acquired 480 acres in Watts Valley and 220 acres on the Woodchuck range. Following Mack’s death in May 1918, his interest in the ranch was inherited by their niece, Mrs. Julia Lee Edwards, who had come from Alabama in 1912 to live with them. Mrs. Edwards and Tom Lacy continued to operate and expand the Lacy Bros. Ranch, while Tom also discovered and operated the Lacy chrome mine on their property. Beyond their agricultural success, Tom served as a trustee for the Fancher Creek school district, and the family became widely known for their generosity and Southern hospitality.