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168:. By 1885, the beef industry had collapsed because thousands of cattle in west Texas, held off the market for better prices, were either dead or starving on barren plains. Separately, the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad was having financial difficulties and sold 1,000,000 acres of Arizona grassland to Aztec at $ 0.50 per acre. Aztec then entered a joint venture with the Continental Cattle Company of Texas and began exporting droughted-out cattle from Continental's Texas range to Arizona via
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was common and at times rampant. The
Hashknife brand was registered in Arizona, as it was in Texas, and placed, after 1895, on the left rib of cattle and left shoulder of horses. For both cattle and horses, the blade faced up. Some of the original Hashknife cowboys also came west to work the new ranch in Arizona, among them, according to Aztec's records, a cowboy known only as "Baconrind Bill".
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Aztec continued ranching until about 1905, when after years of drought, harsh winters and low cattle prices, the company sold its cattle. Robert H. Carlock, a long-time principal in Aztec and author of Aztec's most comprehensive history, summarized both Aztec's initial business strategy and the cause
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in the late 1880s and early 1890s, a decade-long feud between cattlemen and sheep herders over rangeland and resources that took place, in part, on Aztec land. A few were killed in that war, but a number went on to become local, state, and national leaders of some repute. Among these, E. J. Simpson,
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In addition to the cattle, Aztec acquired one of
Continental's brands, the Hashknife, because the cattle it imported from Texas were already branded with it. In these new and unsettled Western ranches, it was especially important for cattle to be branded to prove ownership and minimize theft, which
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Counties. It is the second largest private landowner in
Arizona and holds one of the few remaining large-scale tracts of rural private land available for development in the state. Robert H. Carlock observed, "Aztec's land has changed little in the past century. When traveling between
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After selling its cattle, Aztec embarked on a program of leasing its grazing land to local cattle ranchers—a program that continues to this day. Many of the company's current grazing lessees are direct descendants of its original lessees.
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transcontinental mainline near
Holbrook, Arizona. The Apache Railway serves much of Aztec's land, providing access to both national and international markets, and has operated continuously since its incorporation in 1917.
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Cattle were supposed to generate the cash flow that would be paid to the stockholders as dividends. The land would be there … to secure the loans and expenses until the cattle could carry it. But the cattle never made
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one of the Aztec's earliest ranch superintendents and member of the
Arizona Territory Legislature had a son in this time frame, William Hood Simpson, who became the commander of the
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Several of Aztec's early employees were Texas cowboys whose abilities made them legends among their fellow ranchers during their years in
Arizona. Some were involved in Arizona's
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with some, albeit limited, ranching experience. The investors were hoping to take advantage of the recent drop in cattle prices. In the early 1880s,
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was the
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The
Hashknife: The Early Days of the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, Limited
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Corporate records – 100th
Anniversary of Georgia Power, a Southern Company
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As of 2017, Aztec and its affiliates own approximately 240,000 acres in
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Hell on the Range: A Story of Honor, Conscience, and the
American West
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operation that purchased 1,000,000 acres in northern Arizona from the
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is the title of a Zane Grey western novel published in 1933.
112:. It was formed in 1884 and incorporated in early 1885 as a
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A Little War of Our Own: The Pleasant Valley Feud Revisited
131:. The company has been in continuous existence since 1884.
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arizona
176:. The original Aztec headquarters was located across the
108:("Aztec") is a land company with a historic presence in
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in Atlanta in 1902, which is now a subsidiary of the
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418:"The Hashknife Outfit of the Aztec Cattle Company"
507:, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press,
280:(some without surface ownership) in Navajo and
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233:, an electrical utility in the southeast U.S.
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160:had become a serious problem to ranchers in
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1233:1884 establishments in Arizona Territory
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469:. Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Press.
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396:. Tucson, Arizona: Westernlore Press.
106:Aztec Land and Cattle Company, Limited
1248:Cattle companies of the United States
304:Aztec, with a partner, also owns the
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180:from Saint Joseph, Arizona (now
16:Historic land company in Arizona
1228:Aztec Land & Cattle Company
1122:Aztec Land & Cattle Company
276:, Arizona and 320,000 acres of
254:Hashknife cowboys in Holbrook,
121:Atlantic & Pacific Railroad
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312:running for 55 miles off the
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221:during the worst fighting of
204:Sheep wars and future leaders
188:, Arizona shortly afterward.
20:Aztec Land and Cattle Company
861:San Francisco Volcanic Field
1258:Economic history of Arizona
392:Carlock, Robert H. (1994).
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1253:Crime in Arizona Territory
503:Herman, Daniel J. (2010),
144:Aztec was incorporated in
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851:Phoenix Metropolitan Area
645:Congressional Delegations
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422:www.legendsofamerica.com
1127:Battle of Ambos Nogales
446:www.vandevertranch.org
363:Canyon Diablo shootout
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1157:Territorial evolution
1152:Sitgreaves Expedition
831:North Central Arizona
465:Derdera, Don (1987).
442:"The Hashknife Brand"
328:The Hash Knife Outfit
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178:Little Colorado River
786:Arizona Sun Corridor
184:), but was moved to
129:The Hashknife Outfit
876:Traditional Arizona
687:Tourist attractions
310:short-line railroad
210:Pleasant Valley War
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1208:Arizona portal
321:In popular culture
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242:Change of strategy
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1238:American frontier
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1117:Arizona Territory
836:Northeast Arizona
247:of its troubles:
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1189:Women's suffrage
1049:Lake Havasu City
871:Southern Arizona
846:Oak Creek Canyon
841:Northern Arizona
811:Mogollon Plateau
796:Colorado Plateau
791:Coconino Plateau
672:Native Americans
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538:Official website
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306:Apache Railway
278:mineral rights
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1184:World War II
1132:Hualapai War
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1084:Sierra Vista
888:Verde Valley
856:Safford area
816:Mogollon Rim
801:Grand Canyon
763:Homelessness
728:Demographics
623:Constitution
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449:. Retrieved
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425:. Retrieved
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368:Empire Ranch
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223:World War II
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95:.azteclandco
68:Headquarters
1014:Casa Grande
753:LGBT rights
633:Legislature
608:Agriculture
182:Joseph City
166:overgrazing
1263:Sheep Wars
1222:Categories
1147:Sheep wars
1137:Mohave War
1074:Scottsdale
971:Santa Cruz
618:Government
451:2017-04-12
427:2017-04-12
374:References
154:Union army
140:Foundation
1024:Flagstaff
743:Elections
738:Education
613:Geography
593:(capital)
523:601348221
291:Flagstaff
36:Traded as
1162:Timeline
1079:Surprise
1069:Prescott
1039:Goodyear
1034:Glendale
1019:Chandler
999:Avondale
946:Maricopa
936:Greenlee
921:Coconino
903:Counties
758:Politics
748:Gun laws
708:Abortion
650:Senators
628:Governor
336:See also
282:Coconino
215:9th Army
186:Holbrook
150:New York
146:New York
117:ranching
42:OTC Pink
1268:Cowboys
1172:Phoenix
1109:History
1064:Phoenix
1044:Kingman
1029:Gilbert
1004:Buckeye
976:Yavapai
916:Cochise
773:Regions
733:Economy
718:Culture
701:Society
682:Symbols
662:Museums
590:Phoenix
580:Arizona
287:Winslow
237:Present
158:drought
135:History
110:Arizona
88:Website
77:Arizona
73:Phoenix
60:Founder
52:Founded
1177:Tucson
1094:Tucson
1059:Peoria
991:Cities
956:Navajo
951:Mohave
941:La Paz
931:Graham
911:Apache
677:People
600:Topics
521:
511:
473:
400:
219:Europe
114:cattle
1089:Tempe
966:Pinal
723:Crime
667:Music
640:Index
576:State
162:Texas
125:brand
46:AZLCZ
1167:Mesa
1099:Yuma
1054:Mesa
981:Yuma
961:Pima
926:Gila
519:OCLC
509:ISBN
471:ISBN
398:ISBN
295:I-40
289:and
258:1900
170:rail
97:.com
55:1884
578:of
299:Rim
293:on
264:it.
217:in
93:www
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256:c.
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82:US
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
