June/September 2020 Volume 21, Issue 2/3 EMPIRE RANCH FOUNDATION NEWS

P.O Box 842 * Sonoita, Arizona 85637-0842 * (888) 364-2829 www.empireranchfoundation.org

President’s Message Cowboys of the Empire Ranch The past six months have allowed us to From the 1870s to the experience first-hand the isolation and present, cowboys have cared uncertainty that Empire Ranch families for cattle on the Empire and staff must have felt at times. Apache Ranch. When the Vails raiding in the early Vail years, roads made owned and operated the Em- impassable by seasonal rains, or just days pire Ranch, from 1876 to of non-stop work to keep the grasslands 1928, vaqueros (cowboys of and cattle healthy. Mexican descent) worked The COVID-19 pandemic required us with cattle that grazed on to cancel in-person activities and events rangeland from the Rincon starting with the Spring Trail Ride. In Mountains to south of August we made the difficult decision to Sonoita. They moved the cancel the Cowboy Festival, slated for stock, branded, doctored, November 7-8. In these uncertain times and castrated the calves, do- planning and hosting such a large and ing all the jobs involved in complex gathering would not be wise, ranching. and we are conscious that many volun- From 1928 to 1974, teers and guests who make the event pos- when the Boice family sible are in the high-risk age group. owned or leased the Empire In 2019 43% of ERF’s income was Ranch, most of the full-time generated by our events. Thus far we can cowboys were from Arizona maintain the general business of the or other southwestern states. Foundation with volunteer effort, but Their work changed some- your financial support is more important what as time passed; the now than ever. Would you please consid- Boice cowboys provided er a special donation at this time? You additional types of medical can use the envelope enclosed or visit the care for the cattle. But like ERF website to make a secure donation. earlier cowboys, they were involved in Vail vaqueros gathering prior to cattle We are optimistic that it will be pos- roundups, training horses, and working drive to California in 1890 (above); sible to reinstate a few lower risk activi- Boice family branding cattle, in 1950s cattle. (below) ties soon, such as opening our Gift Shop In this issue of the Foundation’s and providing docent-led tours, when it is newsletter we’d like to tell about a few from Los Angeles to Hermosillo via - safe to do so. We will keep everyone of the vaqueros and cowboys who Arizona. While traveling south of Tuc - posted via our website, Facebook, and our worked for the Vail and Boice families. son their wagon was attacked by Chir icahua Apaches and they lost every- electronic newsletter. And we’ll continue Tomás López to share Empire Ranch history stories like thing, forcing them to stay in Arizona. Tomás López was born in Hermosillo, those of Empire Ranch cowboys featured Tomás later homesteaded in the Ciene- Sonora, Mexico in 1827. He emigrated in this issue. ga Valley, near the Empire Ranch. He to Los Angeles in 1850. In 1873, he, his Faith Boice is listed in the 1880 U.S. Census as a wife, Sacramento, and seven children ERF President herder working at the Empire Ranch. including son Blas López, began a trip (continued on p. 2)

Published by the Empire Ranch Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management. The purpose of the Foundation is to protect, restore, and sustain the Empire Ranch historical buildings and landscape as an outstanding western heritage and education center. Donations to the Foundation may be sent to: P.O. Box 842, Sonoita, AZ 85637-0842. Tomás and his son Blas planted “cotton- Ned was known for “his great ability dent of the ranch from 1909-1911 after wood switches” along the Empire Gulch with a rope in rough country as well as his operating his own ranch, serving as San- north of Empire Ranch headquarters, all-around ability as a cowhand.” At some ta Cruz County Sheriff, and working for creating the wonderful cottonwood grove point the Vail family asked Ned to work the Greene Cattle Company. His wife we see today. on their ranch on Santa Rosa Island in Mary and four children, Earl, Jewel, California. Ned did that for a short time Stella, and Verna, lived with Tom on the but grew homesick for Arizona and re- Empire Ranch during this latter period. turned.

Mike Dojaquez on horseback. Henry Blas López with his family, 1900 (photo: Dojaquez far left, Reagen Gardner middle, Hadden McFadden on horseback in Empire courtesy E. Gardner) 1939 (photo: H. Dojaquez) Ranch corral, 1900 (photo: G. McFadden) José Blas López Miguel and Henry Dojaquez Hadden McFadden José Blas López (Blas), the son of Miguel “Mike” Dojaquez was born in Hadden McFadden was born in 1859 in Tomás, was born in Los Angeles in 1868 Santa Cruz, Mexico in 1886. He came to California. He became the foreman of and was five years old when his family work at the Empire Ranch in 1907 under the Empire Ranch in 1896 when the Vail was forced to settle in Arizona. Blas mar- the direction of Empire Ranch foreman family moved to California. He held this ried Maria Pallanes López and together Tom Turner. Mike had worked for Tom position until about 1909. His wife they had three daughters, Rita, Elena, and Turner when he was the foreman of the Martha and two of his children, Perry Rosario. Blas began to work at the Em- Greene Cattle Company, and followed and Esther joined him at the Empire pire Ranch in the early 1900's, first as a him to the Empire Ranch. Ranch. He returned to California after cowboy and ultimately as foreman. Mike’s son Henry Dojaquez was born leaving the Empire Ranch. Blas’ grandson, Edward Gardner, in Arizona in 1917. In 1936 he worked the grew up hearing stories of Blas’ partici- Roundup and helped build a dam designed pation in the 1890 cattle drive from the by Frank S. Boice on the Cienega Creek; Empire Ranch to California led by Ed- the dam was washed out in a flood in ward Vail and Tom Turner (photo, p. 1). 1938.

Harry Heffner on horseback in Empire Ranch corral, 1896 (photo: C. Shirley, L. V. Ingram) Ned Hilliard, 6’2” tall, is likely the third Harry Heffner Empire Ranch cowboy from the right Harry Heffner was born in 1874 in Ohio. (bending over), ca. 1900 (photo: courtesy He moved to California and in 1893 ap- of Special Collections, UofA Library, proached Walter Vail for a job after the Empire Ranch Collection) bank he was working in failed. Vail as- Tom Turner, 1890s (photo: Gary Turner) Edward “Ned” Hilliard signed him to help move cattle from Edward “Ned” Hilliard was born in Thomas J. Turner Catalina Island and soon after he came to Texas in 1866, the son of freed slaves. Tom Turner was born in 1861 in Texas, work at the Empire Ranch under the di- Ned began working as a cowboy at age where he worked as a cowboy until he rection of Tom Turner. He became ranch 14 for Henry Coffield, a well-known moved to Arizona and settled on a ranch manager in 1900 a position he held until Texas rancher. He spent about 12 years in near Benson. He first worked for the Em- 1905. He helped to organize the Arizona Sonora, Mexico, on a Coffield ranch, and pire in the late 1880s. He was foreman Cattle Grower’s Association and served returned to the U.S. about 1890. Ned from 1890 to 1895 and helped lead the as its first secretary in 1904. He returned worked for the Vail family, starting about 1890 cattle drive from the Empire Ranch to California and managed several Cali- 1895. to California. He returned as superinten- fornia ranches until his retirement. 2 Gerald Korte Verne Steen Jack and Gordon Cooper

Gerald Korte telling tales to middle school Jack Cooper, 1990.(photo: L. Harrison students in Empire Ranch Stone Corral, for BLM) 2010 (photo: C. Rogos) Verne Steen and Ruby Barnett in front of Grove House, 1940s. (photo: V. Steen) Jack Cooper and his cousin Gordon Gerald Korte was born in Tucson in Cooper were born in Oklahoma in 1915 1929. He went to work for the Boice Verne Steen was born in 1928 in and 1912, respectively. The cousins first family at age seventeen and was a staff Wyoming. He was Fred Barnett’s worked a roundup at the Eureka Ranch cowboy from 1947-1949. He next nephew and worked as an Empire Ranch under Fred Barnett in 1935. They came worked on the Cienega Ranch, once part cowboy from 1941-1945. He lived with to break horses at the Empire Ranch in of Empire Ranch holdings, from the Barnetts in the Grove House, west of 1936. - the Empire Ranch House. 1950-1969. In 1998 Gerald was instru Bob Haverty mental in the founding of the Empire Ricardo “Dick” Jimenez Ranch Foundation. He was the Founda- tion’s first president and has served con- tinuously on the ERF Board and/or Ad- visory Committee since that time. Fred Barnett

Mercy, Dick, and Eva Jimenez, ca. 1943 (photo: M. J. Sumner) Dick Jimenez was born in Harshaw, AZ in 1913. Dick worked as a cowboy on the Empire Ranch from 1933 until 1945 when he moved to the Crown C Ranch in Sonoita. His wife Eva Ferra was raised Bob Haverty, ca. 1931. (photo: M. Boice) by her grandparents, Mariano and Juana Ferra, on the Empire Ranch, and as a Bob Haverty was born in Arizona in teenager helped Mary Boice with caring 1907. The 1930 U.S. Census records him for Pancho and Bob and with household living and working at the Empire Ranch Fred Barnett, ca. 1931 (photo:M. Boice) chores. Dick and Eva’s daughter Mercy as a “rider.” He was an expert roper and spent her early years at the Empire competed in local rodeos. His involve- Fred Barnett was born in Crittenden, Ranch. ment with the Empire Ranch continued Arizona in 1894. Fred first worked for into the 1950s. the Boice family at the Rail X Ranch, south of Sonoita, and in 1930 began to manage the Eureka Ranch near Willcox. The stories and photos of Empire Ranch He became foreman of the Empire cowboys are made possible by donations Ranch in 1938, a position he held until from family members and research. If you about 1950 when he began managing the have information about individuals who Cienega Ranch for Jack Greenway. Fred may have worked or lived at the Empire and his wife Ruby (seen in next photo) Ranch please contact us: lived in the Grove House and she cooked [email protected] for the cowboys. 3 Modern Departed Dedicated Gifts Communications Friend— Walter The Empire Ranch Foundation grate- Kolbe fully acknowledges gifts recently re- W a l t e r R e e d ceived Kolbe died on In Memory of: Feb. 6, 2020. In Bob & Miriam Boice, 1946, at age 10, Caeser & Heidi, Ben Cooper, he moved from Edward F. Gardner Illinois with his Edward F. Gardner (DNA Match) family to the Rail Carey Ingram, Dusty Vail Ingram, X Cattle Ranch and Casa Rosada Guest Travis Cody Kerekes-Martin The Empire Ranch had one of the first Resort. He worked on the ranch as a David Allen Ladd, telephones in the area when a line was young man and returned to manage it in Ferne Kemp Lewis, installed in the 1890s between the ranch 1960 after graduating from college and George & Nina Masek, and the Pantano railroad town 45 miles serving in the U.S. Navy. Joel McCrea, Christine Shirley, north. Talented volunteer, John Weiss, During his time at the Rail X Ranch Them Ornery Mitchum Boys - refurbished and mounted a 1908 Kel he interacted and worked with the Boice In Honor of: logg candlestick telephone and family at the Empire Ranch. Walter Alison Bunting, Stromberg-Carlson Magneto Ringer (ca. served on the ERF Board of Directors Horse’n Around Rescue Ranch & 1894) in the Office (Room 11). This (2003-2006), held the office of Secretary Foundation, equipment, which was probably used at (2005-2006), and served on the ERF Ad- Susan Hughes, Doug & Sally Pyne - the Los Encinos Guest Ranch in Sonoi visory Committee from 2006 until his Jack & Joann White ta, was donated by Frank Hedgcock, death. ERF Advisory Committee member.