RAISING CATTLE AND HORSES

 When Brannick Riggs and Mary Elizabeth were married, she had a few milk cows, a saddle, a blanket, and a bridle, to bring to the marriage.  When they were living in Bandera County, Texas, the last three items were traded for three milk cows that they named Saddle, Bridle and Blanket.  From these 3 cows, a herd of milk cows grew.  There were cows of all kinds, colors, and shapes.  There were even some Texas long horn milk cows in their little herd.  When they left Texas, they drove this herd of dairy cattle to Colorado.  Upon leaving Colorado and heading for Arizona the dairy cattle were again in the wagon train.  As they had been helpful with the family cash flow at Fort Apache and Fort Thomas, they continued to be helpful to them when they reached Fort Bowie.  Again, they sold milk, butter and buttermilk to the soldiers at Fort Bowie. 

                In the Sulphur Springs Valley there were many varieties of good grass and there was water available so Mr. Riggs began to build a herd of horses and good beef cattle by trading the steers from the milk cows for Hereford heifers and bulls.  He bought bulls from Colonel Hooker who lived across the Sulphur Springs valley on the Sierra Bonito ranch near the Graham Mountains. He also got some cattle from John Slaughter of the San Bernardino Ranch that is located in the southeast corner of Arizona where Arizona, New Mexico ad Old Mexico meet.

                                    Tuesday, 7 April 1896   Arizona Range News

   Last Wednesday Brannick Riggs brought a herd of thirty Hereford bulls down from the Sierra Bonita ranch, which taken altogether would compare most favorably with any bulls we have seen imported into this territory, not thoroughbred stock.  Mr. Riggs bought the bulls from Col. H.C. Hooker, and they were picked from among the best natives on the Sierra Bonita range.  They were all three-year old stock and all marked and in prime condition.

The herd of cattle continued to grow and they had more cattle to sell.  With the closure of Fort Bowie in 1896, the family had to find other markets for the sale of their beef cattle. They then sold their cattle to buyers that came to the ranch.  The cattle were driven from the ranch to Willcox, then shipped by railroad either west to California or east to various destinations.  Butcher Shops in Willcox, Pearce, Tombstone and Bisbee would also buy cattle from the family for sale in their businesses.

                At first most of their cattle had horns. In 1901 Polled Herefords, no horns naturally, were introduced into the cattle industry in the United States. This breed of Hereford cattle have a greater feed efficiency and gained weight faster.  The cattle were more docile and easier to handle. As Polled Herefords came into the area they added them to their herd.  You don’t have to dehorn them at branding time. Because they naturally did not grow horns there was less danger working with them. They are safer animals to work with. Bulls with horns were especially dangerous and the men were sometimes gored by the animals with horns. Through careful breeding a herd of polled Herefords was developed.                                 

 Mr. Riggs and Mary Elizabeth and their children built a small cattle empire at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains extending out into the Sulphur Springs Valley.   At one time Mr. Riggs and his boys would begin roundup near Turkey Creek, drive their cattle, gathering as they went along, to just outside Willcox, a distance of about 40 miles, where the cattle would be pastured and held for shipping on the railroad, and never leave Riggs land.  Mr. Riggs and the boys were very good business men. 

As their cattle business grew it became clear that it would be to the benefit of all the family if they incorporated. They started the Riggs Cattle Company in 1904. Riggs Cattle Company The Articles of Incorporation were drawn up in September 1905 and the Riggs Cattle Company was officially organized with members of the family all having equal interests.  All of the children, with the exception of Brannick B., for he did not live in the Riggs settlement at that time, and Martha became part of this company.  After the company was incorporated Rhoda dropped out but left her calves in to help get the company going.  The company disbanded in 1922 with the land and cattle being divided equally among the members.

Beside the cattle business, Mr. Riggs and the boys had developed a sizable herd of fine horses that they sold in the area.  When you bought a Riggs horse you knew you had purchased a good, well-trained animal.  People even came from the East to buy their horses to use as Polo ponies.  Brannick, son of Mr. Riggs’ brother, Thomas, came from Texas a couple of times and drove herds of horses back to Texas to be sold for Mr. Riggs.

These animals also had to be branded with their identifying horse brand.  In addition to branding, shoeing the horses was a regular responsibility.  To keep the horse’s hooves in good condition, a metal horseshoe was heated, formed and nailed to the bottom of each hoof. Shoeing horses was a skill that required strength and experience. Mr. Riggs and the boys worked with their horses getting them used to having their feet worked with.  This made it easier for them to shoe a horse.  Sometimes a man called a “Furrier” or a “blacksmith” would be hired to put shoes on the horses.

                Part of the work for Mr. Riggs and the boys was to gentle a horse and get it to respond to a rider on its back.  This is referred to as “breaking a horse“.  Some ranchers are very adept at this and some horses respond well.  There is lots of excitement though when a horse doesn’t respond well. There is lots of bucking, twisting and high jumping. Some cowboys, known as “bronc busters“, enjoy this activity and become very good at it and travel from ranch to ranch. Their job is just to break horses.  William was especially good at gentiling horses and training them to be ridden, as was Rhoda.

                Besides horses, we raised some mules.  The following article was in the local newspaper:

                                                                Friday, 2 Mar 1906   Arizona Range News

   Hon .J.J. Riggs and Supervisor Riggs, members of the Riggs Cattle Co., brought in a carload of mules for shipment to Guaymas, Mexico, Sunday.  They were all young, fine-looking animals and brought from $80 to $133 each.

The time came when Mr. Riggs had to decide between raising horses, or raising cattle.  As the motor car arrived on the scene, and the use of horses for work and transportation declined, it soon became apparent he had made the right decision when he decided to stay in the cattle business.  People drive cars now, instead of wagons and buggies that need a team to pull them, but they still continue to eat beef.