Abstract
Commercial cattle ranching began in east central Arizona during the late 1880s when thousands of head of cattle were introduced onto the previously unexploited grasslands of the Little Colorado River Basin. Most of these animals were imported from western Texas where serious overgrazing had resulted in both catastrophic cattle losses and widespread range deterioration. By the turn of the century, the Texas experience had been repeated in Arizona, because Texas cattlemen continued to follow the same destructive stocking practices in this new region. This paper examines: (1) the early development of cattle ranching in the Little Colorado River Basin; (2) the various factors which contributed to overgrazing in the region; and (3) the consequences that commercial cattle ranching had on the local environment and on the pre-existing farming communities of the region.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abruzzi, W. S. (1985). Water and community development in the Little Colorado River Basin.Human Ecology 12: 241–269.
Abruzzi, W. S. (1989). Ecology, resource redistribution and Mormon settlement in Northeastern Arizona.American Anthropologist 91: 642–655.
Abruzzi, W. S. (1993).Dam That River! Ecology and Mormon Settlement in the Little Colorado River Basin. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.
Akers, J. P. (1964).Geology and Ground Water in the Central Part of Apache County, Arizona. U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 1771, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Babcock, H. M., and Snyder, C. T. (1947).Ground-Water Resources of the Holbrook Area, Navajo County, Arizona. U.S. Geological Survey, Ground-Water Resources of Arizona 4.
Barnes, W. C. (1931). The Pleasant Valley War of 1887: Its genesis, history, and necrology, Part I.Arizona Historical Review 4 (October): 5–34.
Barnes, W. C. (1932). The Pleasant Valley War of 1887: Its genesis, history, and necrology, Part II.Arizona Historical Review 4 (January): 23–40.
Bureau of the Census (1930).1930 Decennial Census. U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
Bureau of Reclamation (1947).Snowflake Project Arizona. Project Planning Report 3-8b.2-0, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Bureau of Reclamation (1950).Report on Joseph City Unit, Holbrook Project, Arizona. Project Planning Report 3-8b.6-l, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Colton, H. S. (1937). Some notes on the original condition of the Little Colorado River: A side light on the problem of erosion.Museum Notes of the Museum of Northern Arizona 10(6): 17–20.
Dames & Moore, Inc. (1973).Environmental Report, Cholla Power Project, Joseph City, Arizona. Arizona Public Service Company, Phoenix.
Fish, J. (n.d.). History of the Eastern Arizona Stake of Zion and the Establishment of the Snowflake Stake. Historical Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City.
Forrest, E. R. (1952).Arizona's Dark and Bloody Ground, Revised Edition. Caxton Printers, Caldwell, Idaho.
Greenwood, N. H. (1960).A Geographical Survey of the Upper Watershed of the Little Colorado River, Arizona. M.S. thesis, Department of Geography, Brigham Young University.
Harrell, M. A. and Eckel, E. B. (1939).Ground-Water Resources of the Holbrook Region, Arizona. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 836-B, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Jensen, A. (n.d.). Eastern Arizona State Manuscript History. Historical Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City.
Kennedy, S. A. (1968). A General History of the Hashknife Range under the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, Limited. Unpublished Manuscript. Arizona Collection, Arizona State University Library, Tempe.
Lone, M. P. (1979).The Roots of Modern Mormonism. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
LeSueur, J. W. (n.d.). Trouble with the Hashknife Company. James W. LeSueur Collection, File LeSu 6445, Arizona Pioneer Historical Society, Tucson.
LeVine, A. J. (1977).From Indian Trails to Jet Trails: Snowflake's Centennial History. Snowflake Historical Society, Snowflake, Arizona.
McClintock, J. H. (1921).Mormon Settlement in Arizona: A Record of Peaceful Conquest of the Desert. Manufacturing Stationers, Phoenix.
Nichol, A. A. (1937).The Natural Vegetation of Arizona. University of Arizona Agricultural Experimental Station Technical Bulletin No. 68, pp. 181–222.
Peterson, C. S. (1973).Take Up Your Mission: Mormon Colonizing along the Little Colorado River 1870–1900. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
Peterson, S. (1978). Shepherd of the open range.Arizona Highways 54 (August): 2–9.
Porter, R. E. (n.d.). Joseph City Irrigation Company. Box 4, Filder 2, Special Collections, Northern Arizona University Library, Flagstaff.
Salt River Project (1974).Environmental Report, Arizona Station Project: Snowflake and St. Johns Generating Station Sites. Salt River Project, Phoenix.
Schmutz, E. M., Freeman, B. N., and Reed, R. E. (1968).Livestock-Poisoning Plants of Arizona. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
Tanner, G. M., and Richards, J. M. (1977).Colonization on the Little Colorado: The Joseph City Region. Northland Press, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Underwood, A. H. (1970). A Study of Ranch Management Practices in Navajo County, Arizona. M. A. thesis, Department of Agricultural Education, University of Arizona.
U.S. Department of Interior (1946).The Colorado River. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Warner, R. W. (1968). United Order of the Little Colorado Stake in Arizona. Unpublished manuscript, Historical Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City.
Wayte, H. C. (1962). A History of Holbrook and the Little Colorado Country (1540-1962). M. A. thesis, Department of History, University of Arizona.
Webb, W. P. (1931).The Great Plains. Grossett and Dunlap, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abruzzi, W.S. The social and ecological consequences of early cattle ranching in the Little Colorado River Basin. Hum Ecol 23, 75–98 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01190099
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01190099