OralHistories

Empire Ranch Foundation | P.O. Box 842, Sonoita, AZ 85637

Empire Ranch Foundation Oral History Program

The Empire Ranch Foundation has an active oral history program designed to document the history of the Empire Ranch. The collection includes interviews conducted by Foundation members or collected from other sources. Interviews conducted or collected are with individuals who lived and/or worked on the Empire Ranch or who have had significant involvement with the Empire Ranch. Suggestions for additional individuals to be interviewed are welcome. Please email: info@empireranchfoundation.org

Following is a list of oral history interviews that have been completed or collected to date, including a brief background summary. The full texts of interviews are in various stages of processing, ranging from complete transcriptions to brief tape logs of the interviews. Oral history materials are stored in the Foundation archives and can be consulted by appointment by emailing info@empireranchfoundation.org

Name	Date of Interview	Interviewer
Dean Bibles; Henry Bisson; Fred Baker	5/13/2010	Alison Bunting	Acquiring the lands for and establishment of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.
Pete Bidegain	9/14/2002	Jim Turner and Diana Hadley	Pete Bidegain was manager of the Babocomari Ranch from 1961-1975. He describes Babocomari Ranch experiences and his participation in Empire Ranch roundups.
Bob & Miriam Boice	11/28/2002	Diana Hadley and Jacquie McNulty	Robert (Bob) Grantham Boice is the son of Frank S. Boice, a partner in the Boice, Gates, and Johnson Cattle Co. that purchased the Empire in 1928. Bob grew up on the Empire Ranch and lived there until 1956. He and his wife Miriam describe ranch management and operations during the period that Bob Boice lived on the ranch as a child and managed it as an adult.
Boice Family (Bob Boice, Miriam Boice, Steve Boice, and Sherry Boice Buzzard)	10/26/1991	Laura Soulliere Harrison	The Boice family owned the Empire Ranch from 1928-1969. They continued ranching on the Empire from 1969-1975 under a lease arrangement with Gulf American Corporation. This is a group interview with Bob Boice and his wife Miriam, and Steve Boice and Sherry Boice Buzzard. Bob grew up on the Empire Ranch and lived there until 1956. Steve Boice and Sherry Boice Buzzard, children of Bob’s brother Frank Stephen (Pancho) Boice also grew up on the Empire. The group describes the uses and characteristics of various ranch house rooms & features, such as swimming pool, wells, (primarily the period 1929-1955)
Steve Boice	10/23/1991	Laura Soulliere Harrison	Frank Stephen (Steve) Boice is the son of Frank Stephen (Pancho) Boice and the grandson of Frank S. Boice, a partner in the Boice, Gates, and Johnson Cattle Co. that purchased the Empire in 1928. Steve grew up on the Empire and lived there until 1975. He is a former president and an active member of the Empire Ranch Foundation. Steve describes the uses and characteristics of various ranch house rooms in the 1950s and 1960s.
Gordon Cooper	1/2000	Thomas Cox and Dick Schorr	Gordon Cooper was a cowhand on the Empire starting in 1936, when the ranch was owned and operated by Frank S. Boice and his family. His cousin Jack Cooper also worked at the Empire. Gordon describes his responsibilities for roping and doctoring cattle for screwworms. He participated in about seven roundups at the Empire. He also describes breaking and selling horses to Frank Boice.
Jack and Oleine Cooper	10/25/1991	Laura Soulliere Harrison	Jack Cooper was a cowhand on the Empire starting in 1936 or 1937, when the ranch was owned and operated by Frank S. Boice and his family. His cousin Gordon Cooper also worked at the Empire. In this interview Jack and his wife Oleine are on a walking tour of the Empire Ranch House and describe the uses of the various rooms.
Jack and Oleine Cooper	10/28/1991	Laura Soulliere Harrison	Jack Cooper was a cowhand on the Empire starting in 1937, when the ranch was owned and operated by Frank S. Boice and his family. His cousin Gordon Cooper also worked at the Empire. In this interview Jack describes his work at the Empire, including breaking horses. He worked at the Empire for about 3 years, never as a “steady” cowboy, but hired as needed for roundups and breaking horses. Jack describes a typical workday at the Empire, including standard meals and the commissary operations.
Henry Dojaquez	6/23/1992	Laura Soulliere Harrison and Steve Boice	Henry's father, Miguel (Mike) Dojaquez, came to work as a worked as a cowboy on the Empire for the Vails in 1907. He recalls ranch operations during Banning Vail’s time managing the Empire. Henry worked for the Boices during the summer of 1936. He worked on the roundup and worked on a dam in the Cienega Creek that Frank Boice designed and was building. The dam washed away by a flood in 1938.
John Donaldson	4/11/1998	Jake Kittle	John Donaldson leased the Empire Ranch grazing rights from Anamax Mining Company in 1976, and continued ranching under a lease from the Bureau of Land Management until March 2009. Mr. Donaldson entered into a joint venture with Anamax Mining Company in 1975 to run cattle on the Empire Ranch after Anamax ended the Empire Ranch lease agreement with the Boice family. After an initial three day inspection of the ranch he saw some non-traditional range management opportunities, and made an experimental start by bringing seventeen head of cattle to the Empire in December 1975. Mr. Donaldson noted that acquisition of the Cienega Ranch by Anamax in 1977 provided country where the cattle could winter and resulted in three environments for cattle raising. These included a prairie with Sacaton grass at the south end of the ranch and around the Headquarters buildings; the Whetstone and Empire mountains for winter pastures; and the Sacaton delta and benches around the Cienega Creek. The Donaldsons developed a rotation system for cattle grazing over a 12-15 year period; they bred different types of cattle, such as Herefords to Brahman bulls. Mr. Donaldson discusses the economics of ranching on the Empire, including the installation of additional fences, the development of wells, and the drought that began in the late 1990s. He covers the challenges of ranching on public lands including delays in the development of a grazing plan with the Bureau of Land Management, and the impact of public use of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area where the Empire Ranch is located. He reviews his son Mac’s involvement in the ranching operations, noting that Mac Donaldson is a very proficient rancher, is more patient than his father, and works better with the public. The interview ends with a brief review of John Donaldson’s early ranching experiences in Sonoita (1948), on the Tanque Verde Ranch (1948-1951), and on his Tortuga Ranch located about sixteen miles west of Tucson in Avra Valley.
John Donaldson	10/28/1991	Laura Soulliere Harrison	John Donaldson entered into a joint venture with Anamax Mining Company in 1975 to run cattle on the Empire Ranch, He describes his business relationship with Anamax; his range management techniques, including mesquite removal; and the impact of the Empire Ranch lands coming under government ownership.
Mac and Billie Donaldson	3/2/2008	Laura A. W. Wheat	Mac and Billie partnered with Mac’s father John Donaldson, starting in 1978, to ranch the Empire until March 2009. Billie and Mac Donaldson moved to the Empire Ranch in 1978 to ranch with John Donaldson, Mac’s father. They initially lived at the former Cienega Ranch, which became part of the Empire when Anamax Mining Corporation purchased it in 1977. They later moved to the Field House at Empire Ranch Headquarters. Mac and Billie’s three children were raised on the Empire; their daughter Renee was born at the Cienega Ranch. They moved off the Empire in 1988 when the Empire was purchased by the Bureau of Land Management; he and his family returned as ranching partners with John Donaldson in the Spring of 1992. Mac Donaldson discusses ranching operations, including the lease arrangements with Anamax Mining Company and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). He reviews the types of cattle and herd concepts used, and describe a typical day of ranching. Billie Donaldson describes her activities raising children, gardening, assisting with the ranching, and how holidays were celebrated on the Empire. The Donaldsons also describe the impact of the transfer of ownership of the Empire Ranch from Anamax to BLM; their best memories of living on the Empire; and the contributions the Empire Ranch Foundation has made to the Empire Ranch. This oral history was conducted by Laura Wheat, Cadette/Senior Girl Scout Troop 1224,, Sierra Vista, as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project. The interview was recorded on video (DVD). At the end of the video of the interview there are several minutes of video shots of the Empire Ranch Headquarters buildings, both interior and exterior.
Dorothy Fisher	7/20/1998	Marion Hyland	Dorothy Fisher describes her experiences as teacher at the Empire school from 1954-64. The Empire School was not part of the Empire Ranch; it was part of the Tucson School District and attended by children from a number of nearby ranches, including the Empire Ranch. Four of Pancho and Sherry Boice’s children, Steve, Kitty, Sherry and Carol attended the school. Ms. Fisher taught several of them.
Virginia Flaccus	7/3/2002	Jane Woods and Laurel Wilkening	Virginia Flaccus is the granddaughter of Edward Nye Fish and niece of William Wakefield who sold the 160 acre homestead that became the Empire Ranch to Walter Vail and Herbert Hislop. She notes that her grandfather, E.N. Fish would provide the money for his business ventures, and his brother-in-law, William Wakefield would do the legwork, like proving up the homestead that became the Empire Ranch.
Bailey Foster	7/6/2011	Alison Bunting	Recollections of his father working on the Empire for the Boice family. Rememberances of Bailey's work as a cowboy on the Cienega Ranch and then for Bob Boice on the Slash S Ranch in Oracle,, AZ.
Edward Gardner	4/27/2013	Alison Bunting	Recollections of his great grandfather, Tómas Lopez, and his grandfather, Blas Lopez who worked on the Empire Ranch for the Vail family.
Jim Gilbert	9/14/2002	Jim Turner	Jim Gilbert worked the fall roundup at the Empire Ranch in 1947. Describes that experience and relates tales about ranchers and cowhands in Southern Arizona.
Harry Heffner	6/4/1960	Charles U. Pickrell	Harry Heffner was foreman and then manager for Vail & Gates Empire Ranch from 1893-1905. In this interview, Mr. Heffner describes ranching operations at the Empire Ranch during his tenure.
Annie Helmericks-Louder	7/20/2010	Alison Bunting	Experiences living on the Empire Ranch from 1969-1975 when married to Steve Boice.
Norman Hinman	10/25/2009	Alison Bunting	Norman Hinman worked as a cowhand for the Boice family in 1953. Describes his primary responsibilities as a cowboy (doctoring cattle for screwworms and insuring that windmills were operating properly); shares his recollections of the room and building uses at ranch headquarters; and describes the construction of a cement water trough in a ranch pasture.
Laura (Dusty) Vail Ingram	9/29/1989	William Gibson, James Huff, Gordon Warren	Laura (“Dusty”) Vail Ingram is granddaughter of Walter and Margaret Vail and daughter of Laura Perry and William Banning Vail, manager of the Empire Ranch from 1913-1928. The Empire Ranch was Dusty’s childhood home, from 1914 to 1928. This interview focuses on room and building uses at the ranch headquarters when she lived there.
Laura (Dusty) Vail Ingram	2/28/1993	Laura Soulliere Harrison	Laura (“Dusty”) Vail Ingram is granddaughter of Walter and Margaret Vail and daughter of Laura Perry and William Banning Vail, manager of the Empire Ranch from 1913-1928. She lived on the Empire Ranch from 1914 to 1928. She describes her activities as a child growing up on the Empire; and her recollections of other ranches and farms owned by the Vails, the people who lived and worked on the Empire, and the uses of the rooms and buildings at Empire Ranch headquarters.
Laura (Dusty) Vail Ingram	9/14/1997	Will Woolley	Laura (“Dusty”) Vail Ingram is granddaughter of Walter and Margaret Vail and daughter of Laura Perry and William Banning Vail, manager of the Empire Ranch from 1913-1928. The Empire Ranch was Dusty’s childhood home, from 1914 to 1928. This interview focuses on Dusty's life growing up on the Empire and also her life after leaving the ranch in 1928.
Laura (Dusty) Vail Ingram	10/29; 11/5; 11/12; 11/19/2001	Glenda Bonin	Laura (“Dusty”) Vail Ingram is granddaughter of Walter and Margaret Vail and daughter of Laura Perry and William Banning Vail, manager of the Empire Ranch from 1913-1928. The Empire Ranch was Dusty’s childhood home, from 1914 to 1928. Part of “The Women of Empire Ranch Project” this interview focuses on Dusty’s memories of her life as a girl on the Empire and of the other family members and people in her life there, particularly her mother Laura Perry Vail, a native Tucson city girl who moved to live on the Empire after marrying William Banning Vail.
Laura (Dusty) Vail Ingram	1995	Max Witkind	Video of a tour of Empire Ranch House conducted by Dusty Ingram, with commentary on how rooms were used and memories of her life on the Empire (1914-1928).
Eva and Dick Jimenez	10/27/1991	Laura Soulliere Harrison	Eva Jimenez lived at the Empire Ranch from 1927 to 1945. Dick Jimenez worked as a cowhand for Frank Boice from 1933 to 1945. This interview focuses on room and building uses at ranch headquarters.
Eva and Dick Jimenez	10/26/2000	Dick Schorr	Eva Jimenez lived at the Empire Ranch from 1927 to 1945. Dick Jimenez worked as a cowhand for Frank Boice from 1933 to 1945. This interview documents both Eva and Dick’s experiences living and working on the Empire Ranch including the sale of parts of the ranching properties.
Eva and Dick Jimenez	4/13/2002	Lea Ward and Jane Woods	Richard (Dick) Jimenez was born in Harshaw, Arizona in 1913. Eva Ferra Jimenez (1917-2003) was born in Pantano, Arizona. Dick worked as a cowboy on the Empire Ranch from 1933 until 1945 when he moved to the Crown C Ranch in Sonoita. He notes that the Boice’s usually had about twelve steady cowboys; during a roundup they had about thirty. The primary subject of this interview is Eva Jimenez. Eva Ferra was raised on the Empire Ranch by her grandparents. Her grandfather, Mariano Ferra first worked in the Rosemont area of the Empire, and in 1927 was assigned to work at the ranch headquarters. They lived in a small two-room adobe house near the headquarters, now know as the Hired Man’s House. Eva’s father and grandfather worked for the Vails. When the Boice’s purchased the Empire in 1929 they allowed Eva’s grandparents to remain in the adobe house. At the age of 13, Eva began to help Mary Boice with her children, Bob and Pancho. She recalls that Bob Boice didn’t really like school; his goal in life was to be a roundup cook. Eva also recalls the beautiful gardens Mary Boice maintained. As a girl Eva rode her horse, accompanied by her dog, Valente, to the Empire School located on Greaterville Road. The ride would take about 2 hours each way. She recalls that their teachers did not allow the students to speak Spanish, and she gave her drinking water to the dog. Dick and Eva were married in 19?? and had one daughter, Mercy. Mercy lived on the Empire for several years and attended the Empire School for one year.
Mary Dojaquez Jimenez	9/14/2002	Paul Chadwick and Diana Hadley	Mary Eloisa (Hortense) Dojaquez Jimenez was born on September 27, 1920 in Benson, Arizona. She died on February 24, 2005. She relates that her father, Miguel (Mike) Dojaquez, came to work as a cowboy on the Empire in 1926, from the Boquillas Cattle Company in the St. David/Benson area. Mike Dojaquez worked for the Vail Company, for Dink Parker on the Gardner Ranch, and for the Boice’s Chiracahua Cattle Company. When the Dojaquez family first came to work for the Vail Company they lived on the Hilton Ranch near Elgin. Mike Dojaquez always had a “truck” garden wherever the family lived; he died in 1939. Mary notes: “I think dad was happy wherever he worked.” Mary’s husband Angel ("Shorty") Jimenez was a cowboy and a foreman for Frank Brophy’s Babocomari ranch for thirteen years. Mary and Angel had three daughters and two sons. Mary’s first cousin was Eva Ferra Jimenez who grew up and worked on the Empire Ranch. Mary recalls her trip by wagon at age six to the Empire with seven of her eleven brothers and sisters. She describes growing up in the Gardner Canyon area; going to school at the Sonoita school; her life with her husband and children for thirteen years on the Babocomari Ranch; living on the Cornwall Ranch in Elgin; and the difficult life during the drought in the 1950s. Her grandfather, Francisco Escalante also worked for the Vails. Two of her Escalante uncles founded and ran a store in Helvetia, AZ.
Jim Kolbe	3/6/2010	Alison Bunting	Memories of growing up on the Rail X Ranch in Sonoita and his involvement in the establishment of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.
Gerald Korte	2/23/2003	Scott O'Mack, Matthew Sterner, Leslie Schupp	Gerald Korte worked and lived as a cowboy on the Empire Ranch for the Boice family from 1946-1949. (He was the first president of the Empire Ranch Foundation.) This interview discusses splitting up of the ranch among the Boice borthers and other sales of ranch property. After working on the Empire, Gerald worked for Jack Greenway on the Cienega Ranch, and on other ranches in other capacities, especially as an accountant. He describes changes in the Empire landscape, screw worm problems, and his recollections of the uses of the buildings and rooms at ranch headquarters.
Gerald Korte	3/14/2009		Video of a tour of the Empire Ranch House conducted by Gerald Korte, with commentary on how rooms were used and memories of his life as a cowboy on the Empire (1946-1949).
Fernando Leon, Fernando Leon Jr., and Maria Leon	9/14/2002	Jim Turner and Diana Hadley	Fernando Leon worked as cowboy on the Empire starting in 1981 or 1982 during the Donaldson era. He describes his experiences working for John and Mac Donaldson.
Austin Moss	5/31/2007	Alison Bunting, and Tom Rogos	Austin Moss is a Sonoita area rancher who participated in Empire Ranch roundups during the Boice era. He describes roundup experiences at the Empire; his own experience as a cowhand at several southern Arizona ranches and as a ranch owner.
James Pickrell	12/12/2007	Dick Schorr	James Pickrell is a Sonoita area veterinarian. He describes his provision of veterinary services to the Empire during the Boice and Donaldson eras.
John Thomas Sierra	4/8/2013	Alison Bunting	Recollections of his father, Juan Tómas Sierras, who worked as a cowboy on the Empire Ranch in the early 1900s.
Edward K. Smith	6/19/1987	Marla Daily	Edward Smith’s father, Charles Smith worked for the Vails at the Empire (1890) and in California.
Vern Steen	10/12/09	Sarah Miller	Vern Steen lived and worked on the Empire Ranch from 1941-1945 with his uncle and aunt, Fred and Ruby Barnett. This interview is a video recording of a walking tour of the Ranch House and the Grove House(which he called, appropriately, the Manager's House), with his remembrances of his experiences on the Empire.
Alice Barnett Turner, and Jack Turner	9/24/1999	Jane Woods	Alice Turner was the daughter of Fred and Ruby Barnett who lived and worked on the Empire during the Boice era. Jack is Alice’s husband. Alice recalls that her father first went to work in 1930 for the Boice’s at the Eureka ranch, 50 miles north of Willcox. Her mother, Ruby, cooked for the cowboys except during roundups. The Barnett family moved to the Empire in 1939.
Jim Van Auken	3/2/2011	Alison Bunting	Arizona livestock inspector (1953-1983) who inspected the last Boice Empire Ranch cattle and inspected Donaldson cattle at the Empire and on John Donaldson's cattle on the Tortuga ranch.
Mary Vail Wilkinson	1997	Gregory P. Dowell	Remembrances of life as a child on the Empire Ranch. Born in 1887, Mary Vail was Walter and Margaret Vail's daughter and lived at the Empire Ranch until the Vail family moved to Los Angeles in 1896.

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