I had a great audience at the Beaver Creek Preservation and Historical Society today. They were a fun group and I learned stories of the sheep trailing in this area in past years which I will add in the next couple of days. One woman remembered the Aja’s and the sheep running down 19th Ave in Phoenix. The Aja’s came in the 1920s to Arizona and raised their families along with the sheep. Stay tuned for more stories.
Author: arizonasheephistory
It came to my attention a few years ago that the sheep industry in Arizona was disappearing. I love history, traveling to new places and research. These have been combined in researching this history. I am an independent researcher and speaker and also part of AZ Speaks with the Arizona Humanities. I hold a BA in Anthropology, a MA and Ph.D. in geography. My masters was in land use geography and the Ph.D. was more in historical geography. I love to travel and have visited all seven continents and more than 50 countries. I am a member of the Women Writing the West.
The Arizona Sheep Story
Sheep may not be one of the five “c’s” but the industry has helped build this state in many ways.
“People don’t realize how important agriculture is in their lives. Without food and fiber, you wouldn’t have food on your table and clothes on your back. Sheep are a renewable resource and use less water than cotton. Wool is fire retardant and many products come from sheep.” Irene Echeverria Aja
ArizonaSheepHistory.wordpress.com 