Fanny “Fannie” Belle Gulick (1892–1963) was a bold and unconventional figure whose influence on Sedona, Arizona, emerged from her audacious personality and entrepreneurial spirit, leaving a lasting mark on the region’s development. Born in 1892—though exact details of her early life remain elusive—she grew up in Missouri before carving out a colorful career that eventually brought her to Northern Arizona. Known for her sharp wit and unapologetic demeanor, Gulick’s journey to Sedona was paved with ventures that defied societal norms, blending grit, ingenuity, and a knack for turning opportunity into legacy.
Fanny’s early years are shrouded in some mystery, but by the 1920s, she had established herself as a formidable businesswoman in Las Vegas, Nevada. There, she ran a “rooming house” for over four decades—a polite euphemism for what historians suggest was a brothel. Her oft-quoted quip, “I’d give ’em a bed and I’d give ’em hell,” captures her no-nonsense approach to life and work. This enterprise, along with prospecting and mining ventures, amassed her a small fortune, which she later leveraged to reshape the Sedona area. Her time in Vegas honed her independence and resourcefulness, traits that would define her impact on Arizona’s red rock country.
In the early 1940s, Fanny arrived in Sedona, a then-sleepy outpost of ranchers and homesteaders, and began “mining land,” as the Red Rock News put it in 1974. She purchased vast tracts south of the town, including what was known as Big Park—a sprawling 1,000-acre expanse of rolling hills and scrubland. Her arrival marked a shift for Sedona, which was still decades away from its modern identity as a tourist mecca. With her wealth and vision, she speculated on the land’s potential, acquiring property at a time when few saw its future value. Her bold personality left an impression; as Sedona Heritage Museum director Nate Meyers noted, “Nobody had ever really seen anything like Fanny before in this area.”
Fanny’s influence crystallized after her death on December 31, 1963, at age 71. Her Big Park holdings passed to developer Irving A. Jennings Jr., who in 1967 announced plans to transform the area into a planned community. This became the Village of Oak Creek, now a thriving unincorporated enclave seven miles south of Sedona, home to golf courses, resorts, and over 6,000 residents. While Fanny didn’t live to see this transformation, her land acquisition laid the groundwork, shifting Sedona’s orbit from a scattered collection of homesteads toward a broader, more connected region. Her role as a catalyst for growth ties her to the area’s evolution from frontier to destination.
Beyond her real estate legacy, Fanny’s story resonates in Sedona’s cultural narrative. She was portrayed by Lisa Schatz Glinsky in The Dead Quilters Society, a 2024 musical dramedy premiered at the Sedona Heritage Museum, alongside figures like Marguerite Staude and Katie Lee. The production highlighted her as a larger-than-life character—brash, determined, and pivotal to the Verde Valley’s history. Local lore credits her with an eclectic past, including unverified tales of helping build the Hoover Dam, though this may be more myth than fact. What’s certain is her knack for seizing opportunities others overlooked, a trait that echoes Sedona’s own rise from obscurity.
Fanny Belle Gulick’s time in Sedona was brief but transformative. She brought an outsider’s audacity to a quiet corner of Arizona, using her hard-earned wealth to stake a claim in its future. While she left no direct descendants in the area—her personal life remains largely private—her legacy endures in the Village of Oak Creek and the stories that still circulate among locals. A woman of contradictions, she blended frontier toughness with a speculator’s foresight, helping nudge Sedona toward the vibrant community it is today.