News
Willcox Cowbelles to have Ranch History Display at Wings Over Willcox
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| The NY Ranch House 1895 (PHOTO COURTESY/Bill Busenbark Collection courtesy K. Graham) |
By Joan Hammer/Willcox Cowbelles
In the summer of 1883, three men met in Tucson and decided to establish a ranch. A.J. Spencer, an experienced horse and cattleman, Walter Servoss and John A. Rockfellow, both young and able but lacking experience, began to make plans. Spencer suggested the ranch be located in Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains since that area was unoccupied and open for settlement.
At first Servoss and Rockfellow were reluctant. The Sulphur Springs Valley was a notorious hangout for outlaws, cattle rustlers and the Stronghold itself was still used by renegade Apache, but soon all three men became excited about the idea and set out to inspect the area.
On August 8, 1883, they made camp at the mouth of Stronghold Canyon and explored the area. The summer rains had been good and the area was covered with knee-high green grass and in some places even hip-high. The camp was improved and Spencer returned to Tucson for his herd of well-bred horses.
In October while in Dragoon for mail and supplies, Rockfellow was told Apaches had killed some men at the southern end of the Dragoons and were heading north. Fearing they would go the Stronghold, he rapidly rode back to camp, they packed their possessions, gathered the horses and after dark left the Stronghold and set up camp in the valley below. The next morning they took the herd to Sulphur Springs for water. While grazing the horses on a low ridge west of Sulphur Springs they noticed an unusual depression with water in the bottom. Water so near the surface was a surprise. They dug a well and found water eight feet below the surface. The conditions were so favorable they relocated the ranch headquarters.
Servoss went east to raise capital, while Rockfellow and Spencer started developing the ranch. Materials were purchased in Willcox and lumber was hauled from the Ross Sawmill in the Chiricahua Mountains. Rose, an experienced carpenter, was hired and Mexican workers were brought from Willcox to make adobes for the house. By November 1883, when Servoss returned from the east, the NY house was completed and a fire crackled in the fireplace. By the spring of 1884, cattle were purchased and the ranch began to thrive.
Visit the Willcox Cowbelle booth at the Wings Over Willcox Trade Fair held at the Willcox Community Center January 16-18, and learn more about historic ranches in this valley.
At first Servoss and Rockfellow were reluctant. The Sulphur Springs Valley was a notorious hangout for outlaws, cattle rustlers and the Stronghold itself was still used by renegade Apache, but soon all three men became excited about the idea and set out to inspect the area.
On August 8, 1883, they made camp at the mouth of Stronghold Canyon and explored the area. The summer rains had been good and the area was covered with knee-high green grass and in some places even hip-high. The camp was improved and Spencer returned to Tucson for his herd of well-bred horses.
In October while in Dragoon for mail and supplies, Rockfellow was told Apaches had killed some men at the southern end of the Dragoons and were heading north. Fearing they would go the Stronghold, he rapidly rode back to camp, they packed their possessions, gathered the horses and after dark left the Stronghold and set up camp in the valley below. The next morning they took the herd to Sulphur Springs for water. While grazing the horses on a low ridge west of Sulphur Springs they noticed an unusual depression with water in the bottom. Water so near the surface was a surprise. They dug a well and found water eight feet below the surface. The conditions were so favorable they relocated the ranch headquarters.
Servoss went east to raise capital, while Rockfellow and Spencer started developing the ranch. Materials were purchased in Willcox and lumber was hauled from the Ross Sawmill in the Chiricahua Mountains. Rose, an experienced carpenter, was hired and Mexican workers were brought from Willcox to make adobes for the house. By November 1883, when Servoss returned from the east, the NY house was completed and a fire crackled in the fireplace. By the spring of 1884, cattle were purchased and the ranch began to thrive.
Visit the Willcox Cowbelle booth at the Wings Over Willcox Trade Fair held at the Willcox Community Center January 16-18, and learn more about historic ranches in this valley.
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