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 In 1854, the southern part of New Mexico and Arizona was added to the United States with the completion of the Gadsden Purchase. Suddenly, many Mexicans living there became Americans, and the ranches that had been Spanish Land Grants became available. Many retained their ownership, but they became known as Territorial Ranches, ranches established within these “new” United States territories. As the Civil War raged, President Lincoln split this new acquisition from North to South in 1863, making us the Arizona Territory (AT)
Ranching in the Arizona territories had begun long before with the arrival of those early Spanish conquistadors, who introduced cattle to southern Arizona and designated vast land grant haciendas like the Arivaca, Reventon, Sopori and Canoa along the Santa Cruz River and the San Bernardino (now the Slaughter Ranch) in the southeast corner of the state. Before the arrival of the railroad in 1881-1882, only two ranches of any size existed in the AT: the Hooker Ranch, the Sierra Bonito, in the north end of the Sulphur Spring Valley; and the Empire Ranch, north of Sonoita on Cienega Creek. The railroads directly influenced the rapid growth of the ranching industry in the AT. Our cover home is the historic San Rafael ranch house. It was part of an original 1825 Spanish land grant known as “San Rafael de la Zanja”. The southern part of Arizona was well known as one of the finest grassland areas in Arizona. This land was part of the Pimeria Alta, Northern Mexico, and under Spanish control until 1854. Originally, there was a simple strip-form adobe house on the property. A cattle rancher, named Colin Cameron purchased the property in 1884, and added seven rooms to the adobe ranch house. He built a second ranch house and expanded to ten rooms. He then built a third home in the 1880’s but it mysteriously burned to the ground on Christmas Eve of 1889. Then, in 1900, he built the present ranch house. In 1903, William Green, who had come to Tombstone in 1880, purchased the ranch. Greene had married Ella Roberts Moson around 1884 and farmed along the San Pedro River near Hereford. In 1900, he acquired the Cananea mine, and then purchased the San Rafael Ranch in 1903. William’s daughter, Florence Sharp, inherited the Cattle Company, and the San Rafael Cattle Company and Ranch has been operated by their family for more than 95 years. Recently, the Nature Conservancy purchased the ranch from the Sharp family and the Arizona State Parks (AZP) purchased 3,550 acres on the lower section of the Ranch. The remainder of the 17,000 acre "San Rafael de La Zanja" land grant property is protected by a Conservation Easement which will maintain the land’s natural, undeveloped condition indefinitely. The ranch is currently closed to the public but eventually will be opened to visitors (http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/parkhtml/sanrafael.html) We hope you join us at the 17th Annual Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering scheduled for February 6-8, 2009 at the Buena Performing Arts Center. The year’s theme is “Territorial Ranches,” so come learn of the history of the Arizona Territory, and enjoy the richness and wonderment of the talent brought to Sierra Vista by 50-plus poets and musicians who come from all over the US and Canada! |
