I will get back to writing about the Etchamendy’s next week but today in researching the sheep industry of the Arizona strip I have found some early sheep ranchers.
One source said that in the early 1900’s a minimum of 50,000 sheep grazed the Strip. Who these sheep belonged to is still being researched and more information will follow soon.
Mohave County tax records for 1936 showed 56 people owned a total of 64,470 sheep. In comparison 5 people owned 1,590 goats and 131 people owned 20,523 cattle which included milk cows.
A few names – Mr, Trumbull, Wayne Gardner and Persia Heston. The records showed that Gardner had 600 ewes and 15 bucks. Heston had 1,008 ewes and 20 bucks. Heston lived in Alton, Utah. He along with the other 77 taxpayers from Utah and Nevada would pay taxes in Arizona. Of those 77 taxpayers 52 lived in St. George, Utah and 16 lived in Mesquite and St. Thomas, both in Nevada.
These three cities were close to the Arizona Strip and would be easy to trail sheep down into this area. A bridge had been built over the Virgin River for easy access for the sheep. I’m looking for a picture of the bridge and will add when I find.
So a start on the history of the Arizona Strip sheep industry. Stay tuned as next will be information on Woolley who had sheep that he leased to others that had those sheep on the Strip. Woolley lived in Kanab, Utah. And then there are the sheep brought into Pipe Springs in the mid 1800s.
ArizonaSheepHistory.wordpress.com 