Henry Hooker
Henry C. Hooker | |
|---|---|
 Henry Hooker | |
| Born | Henry Clay Hooker January 10, 1828 |
| Died | December 5, 1907 (aged 79) Sierra Bonita Ranch, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, U.S.A. |
| Occupation | Rancher |
| Years active | 1872–1907 |
| Known for | founder of the Sierra Bonita Ranch, first American cattle ranch in Arizona |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Rockwell |
| Children | Ida M., Edwin R., and Joseph M |
Henry Clay Hooker (1828–1907) formed the first American ranch in Arizona Territory. He became a prominent and wealthy rancher of the American during the American Old West and was a personal friend of Wyatt Earp.
Early life
Henry Clay Hooker was born January 10, 1828 in Hinsdale, New Hampshire[1] on a farm that had belonged to his great-grandfather.[2] His father was Henry Hooker (1791–1885), a descendant of early New England leader Thomas Hooker. His mother was Mary Daggett. He was sixth out of 11 children.
Marriage and move west
He married Elizabeth Rockwell on December 23, 1837 at Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1848 they moved first to New York and then in 1849 to Kansas City, Missouri. He worked for the Indian Department until 1852 until they moved to El Dorado County, California to take part in the California Gold Rush. After trying his hand at mining, Henry moved to Hangtown, California (later renamed Placerville), in the 1860s.[1] Henry started a mercantile business and sold supplies to the miners. Once in a while Henry would buy and drive cattle over the Sierra, to sell to the miners in Carson City or Genoa, Nevada. His business flourished and he and Elizabeth[3] had three children: Ida M. Hooker (born May 3, 1858), Edwin R. Hooker (born February 27, 1861), and Joseph M. Hooker (born September 4, 1963), who married Laura Butler Coffin on November 14, 1906.[1]
On August 10, 1865 a fire destroyed much of Hangtown including Hooker's business. Henry and his family survived with only $1,000.00 (or about $19,900 in today's dollars) which Henry had saved.[3] Searching for a way to rebuild his capital, Hooker came up with the idea of delivering live turkeys to the miners of the Comstock Lode who were willing to pay top dollar for something good to eat. He bought turkeys from a number of local ranchers at a generous price of $1.50 head (about $30 in present-day dollars). He hired a man, bought two dogs, and started over the Sierra Nevada with 500 turkeys. He almost lost the entire flock near his destination when they took flight, but was able to recapture the birds. He drove them through the middle of Carson City and sold them for $5.00 head (about $100 today), a significant profit.[3]
He served in the Union Army, possibly as a Lieutenant Colonel, during the Civil War.[citation needed]
Founds Sierra Bonita Ranch
Hooker arrived in the Arizona Territory with the profits from his turkey venture in 1867. He built up a cattle operation supplying beef to the military. As the California Gold Rush continued and the state's population rose, the demand for cattle raised the price up to $300 a head (around $5,971 today). Ranchers could turn a profit driving cattle from as far as Texas through Arizona to California even though the Chiricahua Apaches took many cattle.[1] Hooker and his men pastured up to 15,500 head annually in the Sulphur Springs Valley, near what would become Willcox, Arizona. The valley at 4,000 feet (1,200 m) elevation supported lush, 12 to 20 inches (300 to 510 mm) tall grass, which allowed Hooker to pasture cattle there at all times of the year.[1] But the constant threat of Apache raids prevented permanent settlement until after the Civil War ended, when U.S. Army posts were built in the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Valleys to help stem the Indian raids.[1]
Hooker was impressed by the valley, and after the Apache threat was sufficiently reduced, in 1872 he built his ranch there.[4]
Hooker, sometimes referred to as "Colonel Hooker", built the Sierra Bonita Ranch in 1872 on the site of a former Spanish hacienda in Sulphur Spring Valley that had been destroyed by the Apache Indians in the early 19th century. The main ranch house was 80 feet (24 m) by 100 feet (30 m). Soon after establishing the ranch, Hooker erected a small adobe fort to fend off raids by the local Apache. They initially cost him numerous losses, both in personnel and equipment.
The ranch eventually included lands in Graham and Cochise Counties. The ranch eventually became the largest in Arizona, totaling 800 square miles (2,100 km2). Hooker was committed to quality livestock and in the 1880s he improved his herds by importing Hereford graded stock.[5] He was noted for breeding some of the best cattle, horses, sheep, and dogs in the country.[1]
Hooker built a sound operation and his ranch was a key part in cattle production in the Arizona Territory that by 1891 supported 1.5 million cattle on the open range.[4] Hooker was one of the few Arizona ranchers to survive a disastrous drought in 1891, which killed over half the cattle due in part to severe overgrazing. Efforts to restore the range-land between 1905 and 1934 had limited success, but ranching continued on a smaller scale.[6] After the 1891 drought, he formed the Sierra Bonita Land and Stock Company, which extended ranching operations to 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) supporting 20,000 head of cattle.
Associates
Hooker hired Billy the Kid before the became famous during the Lincoln County War. Hooker, like many ranchers and businessmen, supported the lawmen Virgil and Wyatt Earp. On March 27, 1882, after the Earp Vendetta Ride, Hooker hosted the Earps and their companions on their way out of the Arizona Territory.[7]
Death and legacy
He died December 5, 1907 on his ranch. At the time of his death he was the wealthiest rancher in Arizona. As of 2005, the Sierra Bonita Ranch was operated by Mrs. Harry Hooker, granddaughter of Henry Hooke.[5] The ranch is not open to the public.[5]
The Sierra Bonita Ranch was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[8][9]
Popular culture
In the 1993 film Tombstone, Hooker was portrayed by actor Charlton Heston. Hooker also had a book written about him, by author Lynn R. Bailey, titled Henry Clay Hooker and the Sierra Bonita.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Edward Hooker (1909). The Descendants of Rev. Thomas Hooker, Hartford, Connecticut, 1586-1908. Harvard University. pp. 221–222, 360–361.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "HENRY CLAY HOOKER". Rex Allen Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "Henry Clay Hooker". Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Willcox Cowbelles Ranch History display". Wilcox Range News. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ a b c Sierra Bonita Ranch, Arizona National Park Service.
- ^ Nathan Sayre, "The Cattle Boom in Southern Arizona: Towards A Critical Political Ecology," Journal of the Southwest, (1999) 41#2 pp 239-271
- ^ "Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Posse". HistoryNet.com. January 29, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ "Sierra Bonita Ranch". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ Marilynn Larew and William Brown (June 20, 1977) Sierra Bonita Ranch / The Hooker Ranch, National Park Service and Accompanying 21 photos, from 1975.