Arizona National Ranch Histories of Living Pioneer Stockman in The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library

by Delia Cothrun Bourne

In 1977, the Arizona National Livestock Show and the Arizona State Cowbelles formed the Arizona Pioneer Stockmen Association to honor all Arizona residents, age 75 and older, who had been involved in the Arizona livestock industry. In an effort to record and preserve these Pioneers’ memories, the ANLS and Cowbelles undertook the task of gathering and publishing the Arizona National Ranch Histories of Living Pioneer Stockman (979.1 AR36ACC). So far, the set consists of twenty-three volumes.

Some of the narratives are short, others close to 50 pages. Some are in third person; others offer a first person perspective; some are single day anecdotes while others cover a lifetime. The few illustrations are on the covers of the original paperbound volumes and are usually photos of the pioneer or his family. Unfortunately, none of these collections are indexed; the tables of contents, which list only the pioneer, leave a great deal to be desired as a finding aid, and locations of the ranches are not always readily discernable. But to the diligent researcher, these volumes provide a wealth of information on the lives and experiences of those in the cattle industry, and to a lesser extent, in Arizona in general. These accounts are not limited to ranching life, but include, for example, activities during World War II, both on the ranch and soldiers’ experiences overseas. Even for those not researching a specific family or aspect of life in Arizona in the 19th and 20th Centuries, the volumes hold many entertaining tales.

This set is a wonderful example of a non-historical, non-genealogical society that wishes to preserve the history of its members, and then follows through on those wishes. The Allen County Public Library Historical Genealogy Department is interested in acquiring this type of material, as well as directories and records. Since sponsoring societies like the publishers of the Arizona National Ranch Histories are often unaware of our interest, we may not learn of the publication until it is too late to obtain a copy. If a society to which you belong publishes any type of historical material, or if you know of any in your area, please help us to establish contact so that these extremely useful sources can be added to our collection.

Article taken from the Genealogy Gems[1]: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 26, April 30, 2006 </font size>