Holbrook

In 1879, Juan Padilla was the first to arrive near Holbrook. He chose this spot because it was a fertile area, along the Little Colorado River. It was also a place where many travelers made their crossing from the north to the south. He brought an ox team and built a small community. The settlement consisted of a saloon, store and restaurant. Padilla named the community Horsehead Crossing. Soon the town became a stagecoach crossing.

It was during this time, that the government developed an idea for creating a railroad system to the west. Since the government did not have the money to build the railroad, it decided that huge land grants would be given to the railroads. The land grants in Arizona consisted of 20-mile sections on each side of the railroad track. Once the tracks were laid, the railroad sold these sections to ranchers and farmers to recoup the money they spent on building the railroad.

In 1882 the new line was built and a rail station was created, along with new town. The town was named Holbrook, in honor of H.R. Holbrook. Holbrook was the first engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, which later became the Santa Fe railroad. Holbrook became a shipping point for cattle, wool and supplies. Horsehead Crossing eventually disappeared.

In 1884, Edward Kinsley headed west to check out the new railroad line. Kinsley was a stockholder for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. When Kinsley arrived in Holbrook he saw lush green grass, prefect for cattle. He rushed back east and gathered investors. This began the Aztec Land and Cattle Company. The company bought a million acres of land from the railroad and began shipping cattle to area. There were 40,000 cattle and nearly 2,000 horses on their rangeland. It was believed to be the second largest cattle ranch in the United States.

The company was also known as the Hashknife. The name came from the shape of the company’s brand, which looked like a curved knife used on a chunk wagon. The Hashknife cowboys were not all good guys. As a matter of fact, they had been known to ride into Holbrook with their guns blazing and yelling, “Hide out, kids, the cowboys are in town.” Then they would proceed to shoot out lights and do other unruly things.

Throughout Holbrook’s history there have been many colorful characters, such as Lawman Commodore Perry Owens. Owens was a no nonsense man. He had long hair and carried two pistols one on each hip with the butt forward. He was noted for killing three men single handedly, after trying to serve a warrant. The story began on September 4, 1887, when the sheriff went alone to the Blevin’s house to demand Andy Cooper to surrender. Cooper was a cattle rustler, who had changed his name when he came to Arizona because he was wanted in the state of Texas. 

In the fight that followed, Andy Cooper was mortally wounded and so was his 16-year-old brother, Sam Houston Blevins. John Blevins was wounded and Mose Roberts, a member of the Blevin’s household was also killed. The Blevin’s house still stands today.
Another place that still be seen is the “Bucket of Blood” Saloon. This saloon became famous after the two murders that took place inside. A disagreement over a card game erupted and two men were shot dead. The story goes on, in a gruesome retelling that a bucket was filled with blood after the clean up of the bodies. Thus, the name “Bucket of Blood” saloon.

Another wild tale about the town had to do with a hanging. Sheriff Frank Wattron received a letter from President McKinley informing him of his disgust with the Sheriff’s actions. Sheriff Wattron had sent out fancy invitations for the hanging of George Smiley.
Holbrook was a rough and tumble town in its early years and the stories and characters prove this to be true. By 1895, Holbrook was the county seat for Navajo County and it remained the county seat from 1895 to 1914. 
Then in the early 1900’s, many newcomers came to the area to live. These newcomers used the Homestead Law to gather the land needed to build their homes. Land was eventually divided up. This coupled with several years of drought conditions made ranching in this area very difficult. In 1901, the Hashknife cowboys disbanded and left the area. Ranches could no longer use the open range for grazing. Ranching was reduced significantly. Today there is better range management and purebred cattle. These two changes have influenced the ranching industry in a positive way.

By 1926, Route 66 was nearly completed. Although it wasn’t until 1937, before the entire stretch was paved. This road linked Chicago to California and went right through Holbrook. Route 66 was the Mother Road, until 1954 when President Eisenhower established the President’s Advisory Committee on a National Highway Program. After that, the route was slowly dismantled and many towns were bypassed during the construction of newer and better interstate roads. Even though the new Interstate 40 went close to town, Holbrook was affected.

Soon both the railroad and highway became less popular means of transportation. This caused fewer and fewer people to visit Holbrook. Today however, Holbrook is regaining the visitors that once came to town. Holbrook’s proximity to the Hopi and Navajo Indian Reservations and the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest make it a great place to plan your explorations.