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Aztec Land & Cattle Company facts for kids
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| Traded as | OTC Pink: AZLCZ |
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| Founded | 1884 |
| Founder | Edward Kinsley |
| Headquarters |
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US
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The Aztec Land and Cattle Company, Limited ("Aztec") is a company that owns a lot of land in Arizona. It was started in 1884. In 1885, it became a cattle ranching business. The company bought one million acres of land in northern Arizona from the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.
Then, Aztec brought about 32,000 cattle from Texas to Arizona. They started their ranching work there. The company's special mark, or brand, for its cattle was called the Hashknife. This was a type of knife used on ranches. Because of this brand, the company was often called The Hashknife Outfit. The Aztec company has been around continuously since 1884.
Contents
History of the Hashknife Outfit
How the Company Started
The Aztec company officially began in New York, New York, in 1885. A group of investors, led by Edward Kinsley, started it. Kinsley was a wool merchant. Another important person was Henry Warren, who had some experience with ranching.
These investors hoped to make money because cattle prices had recently dropped. In the early 1880s, many ranchers in Texas faced serious drought. They kept their cattle instead of selling them, hoping for better prices later. This led to too many cattle eating the grass, which is called overgrazing. By 1885, the beef market had crashed. Thousands of cattle in west Texas were starving or had died.
At the same time, the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad was having money problems. So, they sold one million acres of land in Arizona to Aztec for 50 cents an acre. Aztec then worked with the Continental Cattle Company of Texas. They began moving cattle from Texas, where it was very dry, to Arizona. They used both trains and traditional cattle drives to move the animals. The first main office for Aztec was near Saint Joseph, Arizona. This town is now called Joseph City. Soon after, the office moved to Holbrook, Arizona.
Aztec also got the Hashknife brand from Continental Cattle Company. The cattle they brought from Texas already had this brand. On these new ranches in the American West, it was very important to brand cattle. This showed who owned them and helped stop theft, which was a big problem. The Hashknife brand was officially registered in Arizona, just like it was in Texas. After 1895, it was placed on the left side of cattle and the left shoulder of horses. For both, the blade of the knife faced up. Some of the first Hashknife cowboys also came from Texas to work on the new ranch. One of them was known only as "Baconrind Bill."
Ranch Life and Future Leaders
Many early employees of Aztec were cowboys from Texas. Their skills made them well-known among other ranchers in Arizona. Some of them were involved in a long-standing disagreement called the Pleasant Valley War. This conflict happened in the late 1880s and early 1890s. It was a fight between cattle ranchers and sheep herders over land and resources. Part of this conflict took place on Aztec's land.
While some people faced difficulties during this time, many former Aztec employees went on to become important leaders. They served their local communities, their state, and even the country. For example, E. J. Simpson was one of Aztec's first ranch managers. He later became a member of the Arizona Territory Legislature. His son, William Hood Simpson, became a commander in the 9th Army in Europe during World War II.
Another former employee was Henry M. Atkinson. He was the son of an Aztec stockholder. He later started Georgia Power in Atlanta in 1902. This company is now part of the Southern Company, which provides electricity in the southeastern U.S.
Aztec Today
A New Plan for the Company
Aztec continued to be a ranching company until about 1905. After many years of dry weather, harsh winters, and low cattle prices, the company sold its cattle. Robert H. Carlock, who worked with Aztec for a long time and wrote a history of the company, explained why they changed their plan. He said that the cattle were supposed to bring in money for the owners. The land was meant to help with loans and costs until the cattle business could support itself. But, as he put it, "the cattle never made it."
After selling its cattle, Aztec started a new plan. They began leasing their grazing land to local cattle ranchers. This means they let other ranchers use their land for a fee. This program is still going on today. Many of the ranchers who lease land from Aztec now are direct descendants of the first people who leased land from them.
As of 2017, Aztec and its related companies own about 240,000 acres of land in Navajo County, Arizona. They also own the rights to minerals under about 320,000 acres in Navajo and Coconino Counties. Aztec is the second largest private landowner in Arizona. It has one of the few remaining large areas of private land in the state that can be developed. Robert H. Carlock noted that "Aztec's land has changed little in the past century." He added that if you travel between Winslow and Flagstaff on I-40, you can see the Mogollon Rim to the south. This rim is still the southern border of Aztec's huge land.
Aztec also owns the Apache Railway with a partner. This is a Class III short-line railroad that runs for 55 miles. It connects to the BNSF Railway's main line near Holbrook, Arizona. The Apache Railway serves much of Aztec's land. It helps connect the land to markets across the country and even around the world. This railway has been running continuously since it was started in 1917.
See also
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arizona
- Canyon Diablo shootout
- Empire Ranch