Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-07-01
UoOkcr's Rancho.

/ laY. seen nothing in Arizoua
Which las excited move interest ana
given Ljorc zeal pleasure than nv visi:
to Hooker's i.inchc. Mr.. II. &. Hook
IT, 10 proprietor tnd manager, is known
al through this territory az the cattle
XIII Il Arizona. lie IS al intc!lireut,
cultivated and highly respected bust
ness Imam, who, after extensive opera.
lions in commercial life in California,
came 10 this country ana turned bis
attention - raising cattle and hors. s
lie cana here and located his rancho
with great foresight where there WAS
scarcely q white man within Il hundred
miles, when 1t required great personal
courage, net to say hardihood, to i've
here, when mur,: roUs bands of Indi rs
Ts... crlHy to cut Of any and all ia
t.rts"~s. Ibo Iaua he embraces about
;Dar hHuGIu,| square miles, is ab0u;
twenty N les long by twenty wide, Wit!
T. ,.slf GCzaN n"vc- falling SPRINGS e..
wells with ii capacity If feeding and
Watering tTs,nty thousand head Of stock
frluc for three days with him behind
a magnificent team CT Hambletcnians II
his own raising, lnSpt citing hi5 domain.
His western boundary is the Gal,uro
mountaIus. The eastern boundary is
fine pinalo range. This valley is like .
level plain, across which from his d0O.
sill hu can look for twelve miles ana
see Fort Grant. while in that beautiful
valley md among the foot hills Of either
range thousands of cattle are feeding
the year through on the most nutri-
tious grasses. His adobe dwelling
looks 1T distance like small fortifca-
ton built Oh three sides OF hollow
square. y morning walk around his
buildings aud corrals prepares the
appetite for breakfast. He has at PRES
emit four thousand head of cattle and
three hundred and fifty horses. Looking
from his doorway at any hour of the
day yOu can see lis herdsmtn on
horseback passing TO and fro with
bands OF horses aud stock. uc has
several magnificent stations of Gold
dust, Messenger and Hambletonian
stock while his cattle have been graded
up from oregon cuws until you see the
youUg short horns by tho hundred. No
cattle ever die here by starvation or
stcf,ns. y few inches OF snow some
times fall IN winter to disappear with
in twenty-fOur hours. The beef for
quality is equal to anything which ever
reaches the Burlington meat market.
The cattle are never driven before the
storms as III Colorado and Wyoming,
ami never experience anything like the
Iexas northers. They are comparative
ly free from disease-while the demand
for beef here exceeds the supply. The
San Carlos reservation alone furnishes
market for three aud half million
pounds of beef, while the beef supplies
ior the army in this territory must
come from this region. California Is
also buying cattle here. The growing
mining camps also increase the demand.
At an altitude If 4 400 feet the climate
Is delightful and the grasses far supe-
rior to those of lower level. The
prices range from three cents to three
and three-fourth cents per pound on
the hoof, and from six to eight cents
net weight In most places in AriZo-
ns, life, with its surroundings. is rude
indeed. 1t was refreshing to be enter
tanned for few days at the magnificent
hrmc of Mr.. lIookc-, where found all
the G0nvenir 'es and adornments
which grace the homes of tue veal
al, in oar la-4c cities carpets, furni-
ture, pictures, easy chairs, musical
Instruments. all on a Grade of excel
leucs which demonstrates The fifty per
cent profit ger aunum. about which the
cattle men If this section talk Unhesi
tatingly. | presume that ~ man in
the territory entertsins as many guests
as are slrc to find royal welcome here,
and there is scarcely Il day that visit
ors arc not thus entertained. 1t is tke
oasis Of Arizona, socially rs we'll as in
pastoral sense.
Eoughs and trsmps on the principle
of natural selection pass by ard go to
their own place, while from Ill parts OF
the nation men Of distinction in the
various departments OF life turn aside
to rest while amid the inviting attrac-
lions of Hooker's rancho.
The fortune he has built up has been
freely spent ia securing to his family
all the advantages OF real culture and
the reputation Mr.. Hooker enjoys as
cattle king of Arizona has substantial
basis. He can retire at any time on
fortune earned by honest methods. and
when he does happy is the man who
shall be his successor at Hookers
rancho. Tomorrow l am TO turn my
steps komeward-T S. McChesney, in
Darlington Hawkeye.