Wagon Bow Ranch History and Fable
The Wagon Bow Ranch has a remarkable history for as long as people lived in Arizona. Originally it was occupied by the Hulapai Indians and it was often used as a hunting ground especially during the summer. The area now that is called the Town of Trout Creek was a popular place for the Indians, where they would bring their families and camp out escaping the heat during the summer and to take advantage of the abundant wildlife which were ever-present in the Aquarius Mountains. The Indians were keenly aware of the unique properties of the Ranch, especially of the year around water and the multitude of springs.
When Arizona was a just a territory, and after it was purchased from Mexico in 1848, the land in the Aquarius Mountains was considered excellent for sheep raising, but there were problems with mountain lions, wolves, Apaches, and other war-like Indian tribes. These obstacles were daunting to the homesteaders. It is interesting to note that at least four parcels on the Ranch today have remnants of the homestead settlements and the troughs used for watering the sheep and other domestic animals are still visible.
There are over 23 registered springs on the Ranch, and most of them flow even during drought periods. While probably over 100 wells have been drilled on the ranch, thee is no knowledge of there ever being a “dry hole.” Water everywhere on the ranch is most plentiful.
While some small gold mining and claim-staking was going on prior to statehood, not much was developed on the Ranch because of the rugged terrain and the distance to civilization. After Arizona became a State, and prior to World War I, the Ranch was utilized as an hunting preserve by wealthy hunting enthusiasts. The owners purchased the land from the homesteaders, and although the State selected its 14,000 acres of land within the Ranch borders, the deeded land belonged to a group of gentlemen from England and Prussia. The problem was that even though King George (of England) was of German ancestry, Germany and England went to war against each other in 1914, and the Ranch was then sold to people wanting to raise cattle. Then in l928, the Barthmus family purchased the Ranch and the Ranch became a cattle ranch for over 60 years.
The Ranch consists of about 80 square miles of land, and in general has the Trout Creek comprising the northern border, the eastern border is a straight north-south line with the ORO Ranch, and the southern border, which is mostly in rugged mountains, is also a straight line running East-West. The acreage sold, which was estimated at 49,000
acres by the owners in l999, consisted of about 14,000 acres of leased land and about 35,000 of deeded land. It is worth noting that the northern border of the Ranch contains deep canyons, table top mesas and colorful rock formations that make it a small and very picturesque Grand Canyon.
This amount of deeded land for a cattle ranch (35,000 acres) was considered unusual, but the quantity and quality of the deeded land appealed to the present owners because of the many development possibilities for the future. One should keep in mind many people are attracted to Arizona because of its natural beauty and the canyons and variety of tree growth.
When the Ranch was purchased in January l999 by Jay Torok and Mike Rakow, using a newly-formed company, Arizona Legacy Ranches, L.L.C., the Ranch was then used strictly as a cattle ranch. The owners, Mr. G. and Mr. M. desired to sell the ranch and then reinvest the funds into a ranch closer to their home. Both owners, along with a modest partner who was a physician, lived in Prescott, AZ. They also owned the ranch directly to the south, the SV Ranch.
Early in their hunt for an attractive ranch, Mike Rakow and Jay Torok were introduced to the land development manager of the Windmill Ranch, Jim Wesley, (then a resident and Mayor of Bumble Bee, Arizona), and he made the introduction of Mike and Jay to the owners of the Wagon Bow Ranch. It seems that Mike Rakow and Jim Wesley went to the same high school in Phoenix at about the same time, so their “roots” were similar. Jim Wesley also seemed to know quite a bit about the Wagon Bow Ranch and the Aquarius Mountains. Interesting enough, Jim also managed a large ranch in Bumble Bee which, at that time, was primarily a ghost town north of Phoenix.
Negotiations to buy the Wagon Bow Ranch began early in l998, and this included negotiating an option to purchase the SV Ranch. The SV Ranch consisted of about 115,000 acres, but was almost completely leased land from the Bureau of Land Management. Jay Torok and Mike Rakow did not attempt to exercise their option to buy the SV Ranch after much thought, because of the small amount of deeded land. While the Wagon Bow purchase took a number of turns, the closing was finalized in early l999.
Prior to the ownership of the Wagon Bow Ranch by Mr. M and Mr. G., the Wagon Bow Ranch was owned by the Barthmus family, as mentioned above, who purchased the land in l922. It was used as a cattle ranch by them, and the Ranch Manager was Mr. Russ Klein. He is now retired, after working only a couple years after the Wagon Bow was sold to Arizona Legacy Ranches. It is interesting to note that Arizona Legacy Ranches sold a significant portion of land (8,750 acres) to an investor in Phoenix, Ms. Angela Cesal. The land sold to Ms. Cesal was located primarily in the southwest segment of the Ranch.
Amortibanc increased it ownership of Arizona Legacy Ranches from a few percent to 100% in two steps, but essentially bought out the partners in Arizona Legacy Ranches. Later, in 2003, Amortibanc changed its name to Great Western Land and Recreation, Inc., which is its name today.
Once purchased, Amortibanc (now Great Western) wrestled with the question as to the best way to utilize the Ranch. Upon reaching an agreement with Mr. Willard Garvey, the patriarch of Garvey Industries, the decision was to develop the ranch carefully, with a well-thought out master plan, and with an eye to develop it in an efficient and intelligent manner. It was reasoned that the center of the ranch, where there is a level plain at the north-eastern foot of Simmons Mountain, was an excellent site for a village and perhaps a hotel or guest houses.
Another special attraction on the Ranch is the world-class view available on the northern border of the Ranch overlooking the canyons of Trout Creek. This “mini Grand Canyon” is unsurpassed in its beauty especially at sunset, and now there is a gazebo and cooking area on the point that over looks this phenomenal view.
Great Western also had to wrestle with the issue of roads and engineering the layout of the various aspects of the Ranch development. Because the Ranch consists of 80 square miles of land, and because of the rugged terrain, the cost of constructing the roads was going to be extraordinary. It is estimated that Mr. Torok, Mr. Rakow, Amortibanc, and Great Western has constructed more than 100 miles of roads on the Ranch in order to make every section of land accessible. In addition the airstrip south of the old Ranch headquarters has been re-located to the eastern edge of the Ranch, and is easily accessible with the construction of new roads. This airfield is eventually planned to be over 5,000 feet long, paved, and about 60 feet wide to accommodate most private airplanes. Over $6 million has been spent in the road and airfield construction phase.
Of interest to the visitor is the cattle rancher who can often be seen on horseback looking after his herd. He owns a section of land in the center of the Ranch. He is an experienced and knowledgeable rancher, (name is Scott Dieringer), who is also a well- known saddle maker, and a skilled mountain lion hunter. Scott and his wife, Linda, raise cattle on the Ranch upon which they have grazing rights on about 15,000 acres of State land interspersed with the deeded land.
Also of interest to the casual visitor, is the parcel of land on Olo Road where there is a prolific spring and the small ruins of a cabin. The view from this old cabin over-looking the whole Big Sandy valley is fabulous. This parcel was recently purchased by the now General Manager of the Ranch, Tom Bryant. Many years ago, it was used as the honeymoon location for the bride and groom who later owned the Ranch and who had a fairytale romance and wedding. The bride was the daughter of the Ranch owner, and the groom was the son of the Ranch manager. Today it is still called the “honeymoon cabin lot.” The spring continues to flow year around.
(By Jay N. Torok. Please note that Mr. Torok takes no responsibility concerning the factual nature of this article, nor can he be held responsible to the veracity of the fables surrounding this picturesque and historic Ranch.)