February 15, 2012
Copper Basin News, Hayden, Arizona
Page 5
Georgie Digs ... By Georgie Wood (ggannwood@yahoo. com) In 1923, Mrs. J.M. “Abbie” Keith had become Secretary of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association (ACGA) which had been organized in 1904, and when my husband-tobe, Clifford Wood of Aravaipa Creek, was in the U.S. Army helping to train recruits in Oregon in the early 1940’s,
Kearny Elks has state hoop shoot champ The state of Arizona will be represented in Las Vegas, Nevada by Alex Bravo, who shot 22 out of 25 baskets to win the 8 and 9 year old boys division at the Arizona Elks State Hoop Shoot Contest on Saturday. Alex will compete against the winners in his same age group from Utah, California/Hawaii and Nevada on Saturday, February 25. Kearny also had two third place winners, Liana Goad and Kenny Palmer.
Abbie Keith entered in a ACGA newsletter the following from a letter written by Cliff: “Figured I’d drop you a few lines from down here in Oregon. I’ve been here about nine months so I feel like a native, but I wouldn’t trade good old Arizona for the whole state, although the part I’ve been in looks like a cowman’s paradise; the grass is belt high
everywhere and plenty of water. There must be something wrong though for I’ve seen only about ten head of cows and they are all milk cows. I’m getting along fine in the Army except they walk a fellow too much. Sometimes I’d give all I own for a good horse, but if it takes walking to win this war, I’m all for it. My mother sends me the newsletters and I sure have enjoyed them for
they keep me well up on Arizona news. Sure hope the dry spell breaks soon and you all get plenty of rain for we sure need plenty of good fat beef. Hope the association continues to prosper.” In 1945, Abbie Keith established the “Arizona Cattlelog”, the very interesting official publication of the ACGA, and Richard G. Schaus was a photographer and writer
for the Arizona Cattlelog before becoming editor of the magazine after Abbie Keith’s retirement as editor in 1962. There are many photos in the Richard Schaus Ranching Collection of The Arizona Memory Project at the Arizona Historical Foundation, and they can be found online by searching “Arizona Cattlelog”. In my possession are the December 1958, the September 1969, and the May 1970 issues of the Arizona Cattlelog that included Richard G. Schaus’ short stories about my husband’s dad, Martin Wood; Guadalupe “Lupe” Salazar of the Klondyke area; and George Upshaw who had settled on Deer Creek southeast of Winkelman. The histories of those
men and their families are so interesting, and the times when and after they became settled in their own ranching areas were so different than the present times. Despite the fact that they did not have the conveniences we now have, I believe that in some ways their times might have been much simpler. Now days, we have to remember so many numbers! Red Skelton said, “There are three signs of old age; loss of memory - I forget the other two.”
Happy 4th Birthday February 4th
Alicia Maria Guzman
Love Your Family Alex Bravo and his dad celebrate after winning the Elks state hoop shoot.
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