While conducting research in the early Arizona Silver Belt newspapers, 1887 – 1908, for a presentation at the Miami Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum a few mentions were made about the happenings in Globe and Miami relating to sheep. I like to gear presentations to the area I am in for more interest to the audience and to help fill in gaps in the sheep history of the state.
A good place to get some information about who owned sheep is looking at the Delinquent Tax List published each February. This will not give me all those who had sheep in any one year, it does tell me other things about these individuals that are on that delinquent list. For example, for tax year,1887, H. Sidow is listed on the Delinquent Tax List for 35 sheep and Redman for 20 sheep. In 1888, there were three men’s name who were assessed for sheep. Jacobs & Jorgenson had the most sheep, 2,000; Joseph Redman had 20 sheep, and James Wiley had 150 sheep. Redman was a butcher so that explains him having sheep as he was also assessed for his butchering equipment. Jacobs & Jorgenson seem to disappear from any mention in the newspapers after this date as does Wiley. Various news report had Redman traveling to collect sheep in parts of Gila County or elsewhere in the state. Sidow, Jacobs & Jorgenson, and Wiley’s name did not appear in similar announcements so it is unsure whether they were butchers.
Looking at advertising in the newspaper gives other names that haven’t been mentioned before. Such is the case for Denis Murphy that ran the Globe Market; C. Bonne ran the Central Market. C. Bonne name had many mentions I found stating he had left to buy sheep in various parts of Gila County or the state. Denis Murphy was mentioned several times and there was debate whether he was selling goats meat as sheep meat. His ads changed to state that he sold only genuine sheep meat! P. Shanley had one mention that he bought a band of sheep. He did own a butcher shop as the ad below shows. But one thing is for certain, the citizens of the Globe/Miami area were eating lots of sheep meat as the Globe Market said they needed 2,000 sheep each year to keep up with demand! The other markets did not state how many sheep were needed. We also know the price various cuts of meat sold for.
A third market was the Peerless Market that also sold sheep meat. Unfortunately, I do not have one of their ads.
There are still other years to search in the Arizona Silver Belt; it all takes time. You can be assured that any new finding I will post them.
ArizonaSheepHistory.wordpress.com 