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.

More Williams News 1923

Just a few more sheep stories that were reported in the Williams News for 1923. Not all pertain to Arizona but were included as some of these articles would have been of interest to the sheep men and maybe the public. Newspapers back in the day certainly carried more newsworthy stories to the public then they do today.

In the February 2, 1923, Williams News an article appeared on the many attributes associated with Williams.  Besides the fact that it had prospered because it was the “gateway to the Grand Canyon” mention was made that the outlying country was “still grazed by profitable herds of cattle and well-paying sheep herds.” There were many sheep men who summered in the Williams area that I have previously wrote about – Aleman’s, Pouquettes, Wm. Pitts, R. E. Diahl, etc. It was also reported that J. F. Daggs, who had extensive sheep interests in the state, had passed in May 1923. His son had a home in Williams and was aslo connected with the sheep industry.

An interesting piece of information came from the William’s Woman’s Club November meeting. The women’s club held a meeting and discussed many things. One of which was how to beautify their town. Some one thought flower gardening worthy of our intensive attention, then came the water problem and finally the question of keeping the town herds, pet goats and sheep and range cattle out of their lawns and backyards. Just how this was to be done was not decided but the ladies thought perhaps they could cooperate with the Rotary Club and gain something definite in the way of means to make Williams the most beautiful town in Northern Arizona.  It will be interesting to see if further information of a joint adventure with the Rotary Club produces any results of ridding the town of sheep and other livestock!

In December the Williams News reported on the Articles of Incorporation for the Chevelon Sheep Company by P.J. Moran, C.J. Babbitt and H.G. Babbitt. Once again, this information helps with names of the sheep companies and those who were in the business.

Among these 1923 newspapers were many articles that would have been of interest to those in the sheep business.  One was “Department Film on Wool  One-reel motion picture on phases of wool handling and marketing is released”. It had been prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture and could be borrowed from them.  Another from the Department of Agriculture dealt with “Sheep are Particularly Subject to Parasites.” A third  informational article was titled “Commercial Life of Ewe”.  It stated that the  life of a breeding ewe is six to eight years, depending on type of sheep, range, feed, care, etc. The first lamb is dropped when the ewe is about two years of age. Four to six more are gotten before the animal is discarded. Many sheep breeds the ewes have two and sometimes three lambs thus this number cited could have been low but it did say depending on the breed!

And for our conclusion: the humorous story – “Maxim for Moral Maidens – To keep a man from dancing – cheek to cheek with you, wash your hair in sheep dip.”

Williams News and Sheep Citations 1923

A few happenings in the sheep industry found in the Williams News. Most of these are about sheep raisers in the northern portion of the state but one deals with the Prescott area.

In one story found in the January 12th Williams News a group of nine sheep raisers purchased a section of land for a sheep driveway. The land was located 16 miles northwest of Prescott near the Cooper ranch (one of the purchasers) and four miles beyond the American ranch. It cost them $2,880 which in 2023 dollars would be $50,578.42. Unfortunately, more research will be needed to find how many acres were bought and the exact location for the trail.

Those part of the land deal included Nathan Bankhead, R. E. Daggs, Lou Charlebois, Charles E. Burton, George Campbell, R. F. Cooper, M. I. Powers, Peter Espil, Simon Pacquette and the Howard Sheep Company.

Some other information were sheep raisers visiting Williams:William Pitts and Mr. R. E. Diahl who had interests in the Howard Sheep Company. Finding these little tidbits gives me names of sheep raisers I might already know but sometimes it is a new one.

In 1923 there was the announcement of 10-year permits for stockmen who desired to graze cattle and sheep on National Forests ranges. This would take place in 1925. Permits of the past have only been for 5 years. But in an effort to help stockmen recover from the period of depression that it had suffered the past few years after World War I, they (the Federal government) felt that the increase time would help stockmen secure financial aid to carry on their grazing operations. New rates for grazing will also take place in 1925 occurring simultaneously with the new 10-year permits.

There are other mentions about sheep for 1923 in the Williams News which will be posted in the next day or so as I have the time to organize it. One will be about the range conditions for the year as it seemed that that changed very quickly from favorable to unfavorable.

Globe/Miami and Sheep

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.

Photograph courtesy of Janice Bryson from her book Irish Arizona.

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.

137 Years Plus of Arizona Sheep Producers

This year, 2023, marks the 137 year of Arizona sheep industry, raising sheep for their wool and meat. In 1886, sheep men realized the importance of joining together for the good of their industry and to preserve a way of life that many coming to the United States had participated in in their own countries but could not sustain that lifestyle in their own country for a variety of reasons. Sheep raising had taken place in Arizona from the time of the Spaniards who brought them into the pueblos of New Mexico and the Navajo brought them into Arizona. And Father Kino is also credited with bringing domestic sheep into Arizona in the late 1680s. But this was the first time the men joined together to promote the industry. While not germane, the cattle people didn’t organize as early as this. Forgive me if the date slips my mind!

In 1961, the 75th anniversary of the industry, The Arizona Wool Growers’ Association, took place in Flagstaff as it had in past years.  The men and a few women would have the opportunity to “talk shop” – discuss common problems of the sheep raisers, the problems of the trade and seek ways of maintaining their rightful position in the ever-changing industrial world that had seen synthetics developed that resulted in a decline for wool to be used for fabrics. Today, there is no meeting of the sheep families in Arizona as there is only one family of three generations still in the business of raising sheep.

In 1961, sheep numbers had been decreasing and in fact, every year since the end of World War II when wool was used for service personnel uniforms, backpacks, blankets, and other items. Military uniforms, or at least dress blues, are once again being made from wool. But the amount of wool needed to produce these uniforms will never equal what had been used by the military in the past.

There are sewing contests across the country to promote the use of wool by both men and women. In Arizona the contest is sponsored by the few ladies and those interested who have joined together and are known as the Arizona Wool Growers’ Auxiliary. Each year, the contest is held in November and price money is given for the first, second and third place winners in each of the categories.

Other ways that were used in the past to increase the interest in and buying of wool and sheep meat will be presented in a future blog.

A picture and a Conference.

Thanks to everyone who continues to follow my blog. I don’t always get the time to post as much as I would like to. Today’s blog will include a picture from The Stockman, July 1959. I love when I can add pictures as a picture is worth a thousand words and, in fact, we are getting three pictures in one here. The caption has been included.

I am also including information of the first national lamb and wool conference that was to be held during August of 1960 in Laramie, Wyoming.  In the 1950s lamb and wool prices were down and the industry was being reduced – by the numbers in the business, price for the wool and lamb sold for meat.  This not only affected the sheep raisers but the textile manufacturers, who also attended the conference.

The main aim of the conference was “to improve the economic position of the sheep industry and to enable it to better fulfill its responsibility to the consuming public and to the nation through… examination of problems, … review of new developments, and … stimulation of industry action”. 

Hopefully in future The Stockman information will be forthcoming on the decisions that the two industries agreed upon to improve the economic outlook for both sheep raisers and the textile manufacturers. Nevertheless, I will be pursuing this conference from other sources if The Stockman does not report on it. The magazine had a few more years of publication; however, I have only found two more years. Luckily, this won’t be the only source of information for this conference.

So, stay tuned as further research is needed to report on the happening at this conference!

Depends on the Dogs

This story is about sheep and sheep dogs but nothing to do with Arizona but I suppose it could have occurred here.

One summer morning a man driving a car came upon a great flock of sheep coming towards him. The driver being courteous pulled over to allow the sheep to easily pass. Watching with interest, the shepherd, his dogs and sheep just kept coming toward him. As the flock passed him while he was sitting in his car, he became courteous about the sheep.

Stopping the herder as he went by his car, he asked the shepherd what would happen if he met a flock of sheep coming in the opposite direction? The man replied that both herders keep driving the sheep in the direction you want them to go and the one that has the best dogs gets the most sheep!

This is just one of many stories found when researching sheep industry that is just too comical not to share!

Hope you enjoy!

Sheep crossings

Found this on the front cover of Stockman magazine. There are some problems with their description.

“For many years the sheep and wool industry has played an important part in the economy of Arizona and the southwest.

“From the irrigated pasture lands of the Salt River Valley to the natural grazing range land near Springerville in the White Mountains some 200 miles to the north, each year sheep by the hundreds make their way across the rugged desert and mountain land along the Heber-Reno Stock Trail, cross rivers and streams to reach this summer grazing area.

“In more recent years a sheep bridge has been constructed across the Salt River northeast of Mesa to provide faster crossing and eliminate the loss by drowning previously experienced. Here on our cover are scenes of a typical crossing of the Salt. Sheep are funneled on the suspension bridge approach, and as the leaders are crowded forward the bridge swings and sways under the thousands of trampling feet.”

Author’s note: The picture of the bridge above is on the Verde River built during World War II by Frank Auza and other sheepmen. A new bridge was built across in the 1980s (I believe that is the correct time period because it was dangerous to cross when campers began taking its wood for camp fires.

Salt River Bridge

I received the above picture from Gerald Hancock whose grandfather, Gunnar Thude was in the sheep business.

Back to their description of the pictures: “Long time secretary of that organization, and one of the most popular and well respected men in the industry is the genial Harry Embach shown in the inset of our (Stockman Magazine cover picture. Mr. Embach has been secretary of the Arizona Wool Growers for more years than he cares to recall, though he insists they have been pleasant years.”

Verde River Bridge today. Courtesy of Gerald Hancock!

I have been to this new bridge and walked a portion of the trail. I would have loved to have been there when the sheepmen brought their sheep across. A perfect place for photographs would have been on top of that little hill or on that hill tucked away out of the way of the sheep and sheepmen and herders. The forest service would have a ranger here counting the sheep for assessment to the sheepmen for use of the trail on the forest.

Keep watch for more Arizona sheep history.

Lisa Had a Little Lamb “Baa” “Baa” 

The following article appeared in the January 1957 issue of Stockman.

Now no one could ever accuse sultry actress Lisa Ferraday of being a 4-H’er, but this is one publicity chore that the Hungarian-born television star actually enjoyed with all the enthusiasm of a born farm-hand. Actually, she had never been closer to a lamb than a fine woolen suit, but when Miss Ferraday received a contract to tour the United States with a baby lamb on behalf of Woolite, a new cold-water soap, she actually fell in love with Wooly Woolite. (Woolite dates to 1951 with it was introduced to protect wool, silks, nylons and other delicate fabrics from shrinking, stretching and fading.)

The glamourous actress has appeared opposite of host of screen idols – Burt Lancaster, Jon Hall, George Sanders and Fred Astaire among them – but it was her fleecy “co-star” who won her heart.

The daughter of Hungary’s Baron Nicholas De Mezey, Miss Ferraday was taught to speak fluent Rumanian, German, Hungarian, French, Italian and English – as a matter of fact, she was so well versed in just about everything but lambs. So with her usual thirst for information, Lisa set about to find out all there was to know about the lamb-kingdom. Just about a lamb-expert now, she can boast that she knows: how to give a lamb a bath.

Although the lambs’ usual comment on all this bathing is “Baa”, the lambs we know never had it so good.

Sidenote:  Lisa Ferraday was born on a 7,000 acre produce farm in Romania. She was no stranger to farm animals but no reference has been found that the family farm had sheep. Her father died when she was young and she and her mother moved to Paris where she took up acting. You may find more about Ms. Ferraday and her acting career with an internet search.