Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: The Archaeology of Ranching in Arizona

Author(s): Greta Rayle

Year: 2016

Summary

One of the "Five Cs" on the Arizona State Seal, cattle ranching has contributed greatly to Arizona’s growth and prosperity since Father Francisco Kino first introduced cattle in the 17th century. Ranching continues to influence the economic and cultural heritage of Arizona today, with nearly 4,000 ranches spread across the state’s 15 counties. This session will briefly summarize the archaeology of Ranching in Arizona, with emphasis on the San Rafael Ranch. Formally established as a the San Rafael de la Zanja Land Grant in 1821, the claim languished for decades under Mexican and then American jurisdiction. Through the early decades of the twentieth century, the ranch would expand from a 17,000 -acre land grant to more than 600,000 acres, covering lands in southern Arizona and Mexico. Today, a small portion of this ranch has been preserved as one of Arizona’s State Parks. 

Cite this Record

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: The Archaeology of Ranching in Arizona. Greta Rayle. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434980)

Keywords

Temporal Keywords
1820-present

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 679