Empire Ranch records, 1874-1944 (bulk 1880-1916)

Empire Ranch is located east of Tucson. Started in 1876 by Walter L. Vail, founder of the Empire Land and Cattle Company, it became one of the largest cattle ranches in Arizona. In 1886, Vail formed a partnership with Carrol W. Gates. Soon after Vail and Gates expanded land and cattle operations to California, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Their headquarters were the Empire Ranch and Warner's Ranch in California. Chiricahua Ranches Company purchased the Empire Ranch operations in 1928.

Scope and Content Note

This collection includes correspondence, legal documents, financial records, livestock records, and other materials relating to the history, development, and operation of ranch property in Southern Arizona and California. Includes records of cattle companies associated with the Empire Ranch. Some ranches covered are Onyx Ranch, Bonita Ranch, El Dorado Ranch, Rosemont Ranch, Pantano Ranch, and Rancho Corral de Quati. Also present are land and mining papers including Arizona land patents, land grant materials, abstracts of titles, and papers relating to mines such as the Total Wreck Mine. Abstracts of title involve land of the Whetstone and San Pedro Land and Cattle Co., Arivaca Land and Cattle Co., Las Jarillas Cattle Co. and others.

Organization

Restrictions

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Access Terms

Personal Name(s)

Gates, Carrol W., d. 1920

Vail, Edward L., 1849-1936

Vail, Walter L., 1852-1906

Corporate Name(s)

Arivaca Land and Cattle Company

Boice-Gates-Johnson Cattle Company -- Records and correspondence

Chiricahua Cattle Company -- Records and correspondence

Chiricahua Ranches Company -- Records and correspondence

Crittenden Cattle Company -- Records and correspondence

Doyle Cattle Company -- Records and correspondence

Empire Land and Cattle Company -- Records and correspondence

Las Jarillas Cattle Company

United States. Forest Service. Sierra Forest Reserve

Vail and Gates (Firm) -- Records and correspondence

Warner's Ranch (Calif.)

Whetstone and San Pedro Land and Cattle Company (Ariz.)

Geographic Name(s)

Babocamari Land Grant

San Jose de Sonoita Land Grant

Subject(s)

Total Wreck Mine (Ariz.)

Cattle trade -- Arizona -- History -- Sources

Cattle trade -- California -- History -- Sources

Forest reserves -- Arizona -- History -- Sources

Land grants -- Arizona

Land titles -- Arizona -- History -- Sources

Ranches -- Arizona -- Records and correspondence

Sheep industry -- Arizona -- History -- Sources

Genre Form(s)

Account books

Correspondence

Land grants

Ledgers

Administrative Information

Credit Line

Empire Ranch records (AZ 249). Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.


Collection Summary
Creator:	Empire Ranch (Ariz.)
Collection Name:	Empire Ranch records,
Inclusive Dates:	1874-1944 (bulk 1880-1916)
Physical Description:	7 linear feet
Abstract:	This collection includes correspondence, legal documents, financial records, livestock records, and other materials relating to the history, development, and operation of ranch property in Southern Arizona and California. Includes records of cattle companies associated with the Empire Ranch. Some ranches covered are Onyx Ranch, Bonita Ranch, El Dorado Ranch, Rosemont Ranch, Pantano Ranch, and Rancho Corral de Quati.
Collection Number:	AZ 246
Repository:	University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections University of Arizona PO Box 210055 Tucson, AZ 85721-0055 Phone: 520-621-6423 Fax: 520-621-9733 URL:http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/


Series I: Papers of the 1870's and Personal Material, 1874-1916
box	folder
1	1	Papers of the 1870's including legal papers and live stock sales. , ca. 1874
1	2	Membership receipts in American National Live Stock Association. , 1902-1913
1	2	Associated Charities of Los Angeles. , 1896-1906
1	2	YMCA Committee of Safety, Los Angeles. , 1900-1901
1	2	Papers of the Arizona Cattle Grower's Association. , 1904-1912
1	2	Appointment of Walter L. Vail as Live Stock Sanitary Commissioner of Arizona by Governor N. O. Murphy. , February 15, 1893
1	3-4	Personal correspondence. , 1887-1916


Series II: Empire Land and Cattle Co. Records, 1880-1934
box
1		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Letter Book (Edward L. Vail). , 1898-1900
1		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Letter Book (Carroll W. Gates). , 1898-1900
1		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Letter Book (Edward L. Vail). , 1899
volume
2		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Ledger no. 2. , 1894-1898
volume
3		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Ledger no. 3. , 1899-1905
volume
4		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Ledger no. 4. , 1899-1905
volume
5		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Index to Ledger no. 4 (2 copies). , 1899-1905

	Empire Land & Cattle Co. Livestock Papers and Financial Records, 1880-1928
box	folder
6	1		Livestock sales (legal papers). , 1880-1920
6	2		Miscellaneous livestock papers including various papers of the Live Stock Sanitary Board of Arizona. , 1885-1914
6	3-4		Miscellaneous financial papers. , 1880-1910, 1915
6	5		Promissory notes. , 1880-1918
6	6		Bank records including checks, deposit slips, etc. , 1881-1928
6	7		Assessments and taxes. , 1884-1891, 1893, 1900-1901
6			Rosemont Ranch Ledger (Edward L. Vail). , 1900-1905
box
7		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Abstract of Lands.
box
8		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Abstract of Titles.
				Documents relating to land involved in the history, development and operation of the Empire Ranch, including: Arivaca Land & Cattle Company Las Jarillas Cattle Company Crittenden Cattle Company Chiricahua Ranches Company Vail and Ashburn Southern Arizona Mining Company

box
9		Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Abstract of Titles (continued from Box 8).
9	1	Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings. , 1883-1884
9	2	Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings. , 1889-1908
9	3	Empire Land & Cattle Co.: Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings. , 1909-1934


Series III: Miscellaneous Property Records, 1876-1916

	Legal Papers, Financial Records, etc., 1884-1928
box	folder
10	1	Babocomari Land Grant. , 1896-1908
10	2	California Development Company. , 1901
10	3	Various California Property.
10	4	Gage Tract, Warner's Ranch. , 1901-1910
10	5	Muleshoe Cattle Company. , 1922-1926
10	6	Pantano Ranch (Vosburg and Vail). , 1884-1890
10	7	Rancho Corral de Quati, etc., California (O. M. Potts). , 1902-1904
10	8	San Jose de Sonoita Land Grant. , 1903-1907
10	9	Vail and Ashburn Papers. , 1908-1928

	Land and Mining Papers, 1876-1916
box	folder
11	1	U. S. General Land Office: Arizona Land Patents. , 1876-1898
11	2	U. S. General Land Office, Sierra Forest Reserve: Legal papers, correspondence, etc. , 1898-1915
11	3	U. S. General Land Office, Sierra Forest Reserve: Land Patents. , 1899-1902, 1912
11	4	U. S. Forest Service Permits: Correspondence, receipts, etc. , 1903-1911
11	5	Arizona Land: Legal papers.
11	6	Miscellaneous land papers.
11	7	Miscellaneous Mining Papers: Total Wreck Mine, etc. , 1879-1881, 1908


Series IV: Crittenden Cattle Co. Records, 1881-1938
	Formerly Crittenden Land and Cattle Co.

box	folder
12	1	Crittenden Cattle Co.: Legal Papers including deeds, leases of school lands. , 1881-1909
12	2	Crittenden Cattle Co.: Legal Papers. , 1896-1923
12	3	Crittenden Cattle Co.: Financial Records. , 1901-1915
12	4	Crittenden Cattle Co.: Correspondence. , 1901-1916
12	5	Crittenden Cattle Co.: Miscellaneous Papers including Articles of Incorporation, Abstract of Title to lands, stock certificates, etc.
12		Canceled Bonds.
12	1	Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings. , 1886-1887
12	2	Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings. , 1887-1901
12	3	Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings. , 1903-1938