Zeniff, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zeniff, Arizona
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 Zeniff, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Zeniff, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arizona |
| County | Navajo |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Abandoned | 1956 |
| Founded by | Preston Bushman |
| Named for | Zeniff, Book of Mormon |
| Elevation | 5,889 ft (1,795 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| GNIS ID(s) | 36502 |
Zeniff, Arizona was a small town in Navajo County, Arizona. It was located about 15 miles southwest of Holbrook, Arizona, near a place called "Dry Lake." Today, Zeniff is a ghost town, meaning it's abandoned and only a few old buildings remain.
Contents
History of Zeniff
Founding the Town
Zeniff was settled in 1911 by the Preston Bushman family. They hoped to start a farm using a method called dry farming. This means growing crops without irrigation, relying only on rainfall. Preston's father, John Bushman, had helped settle another town, Heber, Arizona. Preston wanted to create his own community.
When the Bushmans arrived, they built dams and dug wells. This was important for getting drinking water. Other families, like the Gardners, Hewards, and Hunts, joined them that same year. They bought all their land from the Aztec Land and Cattle Company.
Life in Early Zeniff
Water was always hard to find in Zeniff, and the soil was very rocky. Owning rights to water sources was key for survival. Most homes in Zeniff were simple one-room adobe cabins or wooden frame houses.
People in Zeniff spent their days farming, canning food, and herding cattle. They also enjoyed playing cards and making music. Music was a big part of their lives, both at home and at school. The town had a single log cabin schoolhouse. It taught students from first to eighth grade. After eighth grade, children would go to Snowflake during the winter to attend the "Stake Academy."
Naming Zeniff
In 1922, the U.S. Post Office was set up in Zeniff. This meant the settlers needed to give their town an official name. They chose "Zeniff" after a person mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The Zeniff U.S. Post Office operated until 1933.
Zeniff and Cattle Trails
Zeniff was located on a route used for moving cattle. This made it an important stop for cowboys driving cattle to Holbrook. Zeniff had a reliable water source and fenced areas for cattle. Because of this, cowboys often stopped there on their journeys.
Farming Company Challenges
In November 1927, some landowners in Zeniff met to form a company. Their goal was to buy or lease land for farming or grazing. By June 1928, they had planted 50 acres of corn, along with oats and clover for young calves. They borrowed $2,000 to help run the company.
However, by December 1928, not much had been done. The company decided they needed another $7,500 to get things moving. To pay for farming that summer and buy sheep for the fall, they used their company stock as a loan guarantee. By November 1931, the company had failed. All its assets were divided among the shareholders. It's not clear why the company failed, but it might have been due to poor decisions or not enough money. The land owned by the company was then sold off.
Water Shortages and New Families
More families arrived in Zeniff in the late 1920s. These included the Fred Baca family and the Burke Prince family. This put even more strain on the already limited water supply. In 1933, new wells were dug to find fresh drinking water. The older wells had dried up. It took 10 men two weeks to dig these new wells. Before this, water had to be brought from three miles away to water crops.
The Bushman Family Leaves
In 1934, the Bushman family bought a large group of cattle. This stretched their money limits. Mr. Bushman signed a $2,700 loan to pay for the cattle. In 1937, to avoid losing their land, a contract was made with Fred Turley. He was a family friend and owned a local dude ranch.
Mr. Turley was supposed to get some land and access to two water tanks. In return, he would cancel the Bushman family's loan. Mr. Bushman trusted his friend and signed the paper. But after getting the loan, Mr. Turley did not cancel it. Instead, he took over the loan himself. He then demanded more water rights from the Bushmans. Next, he wanted full ownership of two Bushman water reservoirs and half of a third.
When the Bushmans refused these demands, Mr. Turley took legal action to claim their land. The Bushmans tried to fight it in a special court, but the court sided with Mr. Turley. The Bushman family was forced to leave Zeniff in 1938. They moved to Mesa, Arizona.
Zeniff Becomes a Ghost Town
After the Bushmans left, other families also started to move away. The Hewards sold their land to the Despains. The Hunts sold to the Tenneys, who then also sold to the Despains. Eventually, the Despains owned most of the land in Zeniff.
In 1956, a company called Southwest Forest Industries bought all the land. They wanted to build a paper pulp mill. They planned to use the "Dry Lakes" to store waste water from the mill. Because of the strong, bad smell coming from the lakes, the land became impossible to live on. The paper mill operated until September 30, 2012, when it closed for good. Today, only three adobe buildings and some stone walls are left of Zeniff.
