The Colcord's - An Arizona Pioneer Family

 NOTE: I researched and wrote most of this entry in 2020.  I recently found a February 2021 blog titled "Who Were The Colcords?" on Discover Gila County. The information on this blog made me revisit and double-check what I'd written. I always strive to present accurate information and, if anything is incorrect, it is purely unintentional.  Sources used include newspapers, General Land Office records, United States Geologic Survey topographic maps, peer-reviewed journals, and marriage, birth and death certificates.

I've worked as forester, ecologist, spatial analyst, and cartographer for the past 32 years. During the winter months, I spend my days in the office analyzing data that were collected the previous summer and, during the spring, summer, and early fall months, I'm generally outside collecting vegetation data somewhere in central and northern Arizona or New Mexico. I work with aerial photography and imagery and even during my off time, I spend hours looking at historic hardcopy aerial photos, old maps, or Google Earth. I've always been fascinated by the names that are on topo maps of hills, canyons, lakes, stock tanks, and other features. Many are obviously named after individuals or families that lived in the area. I'd never taken the time to research one of these names until last year. In the summer of 2010, I worked in the pinyon-juniper woodlands east of Flagstaff. Some of the work was done in the general vicinity of Colcord Tank. I decided it was finally time to look into the Colcord name. I was surprised at what I found.

Charles Colcord was born on August 18, 1859 in Kentucky. He has a fascinating story that includes having a town in Oklahoma named after him as well as a building in Oklahoma City named after him. His younger sister was married for a short time to a member of Billy the Kid’s gang. He moved his family to Flagstaff in the mid 1880s. The December 26, 1885 edition of the Arizona Silver Belt newspaper describes Mr. Colcord “as seeking a new location for his large and valuable herds". The April 10, 1886 edition stated that Col. C.F. Colcord was highly pleased with Flagstaff and its surroundings. A 1961 edition of the Arizona Republic states that Charles "was in charge of the famous A-1 Ranch". The A-1 ranch, also known as the Arizona Cattle Company, was a 132,000 acre ranch organized in 1883 (National Register of Historic Places). 

The Babbitts had just started ranching in the area. The April 10, 1886 edition of the Arizona Silver Belt had a paragraph describing a visit by David Babbitt and his brother to the Flagstaff area to “inspect cattle ranges with the view of purchasing”. The Babbitts established the CO Bar ranch and eventually acquired both the A-1 and Hashknife ranch properties (National Register of Historic Places).

Charles had two younger brothers; William (Bill) Clay Colcord who was born on January 14, 1867 in  Louisiana and Harvey who was born in Kentucky on September 5, 1869. Bill's obituary, in the May 18, 1961 edition of the Arizona Republic, describes how he, Harvey, and their mother moved to Arizona in early 1886 where William began working with the Babbitts. From this, we know that they initially lived in the Flagstaff area. That fall, the three of them started a ranch in the Pleasant Valley area east of Payson. The Pleasant Valley War, a conflict related to the stealing of livestock between the Graham and Tewskbury families, was going on during this time. Woody and Schwartz (1977) stated that "....the thieves were not above stealing from children. The Colcord boys, Harvey and Bill, were out riding one night and were relieved of their mounts by members of the gang".

The next mention of Bill that I could locate was in the February 14, 1891 edition of The Arizona Silver Belt (Globe). He was included on the Gila County list of delinquent taxes on his Pleasant Valley ranch. There is a lapse of any mention of Bill or Harvey until the June 13, 1896 edition of The Oasis (from Arizola, AZ) that states, "Colcord, Duff & Lee have struck some nice ore on the Old Tonto Chief mine at Payson". It is unclear as to whether it is referring to Bill or Harvey. The Old Tonto Chief mine is not in the Arizona Geological Survey database. The May 19, 1898 edition of The Arizona Silver Belt has a legal notice about a mine and there is a mention in a 1908 edition of the same newspaper about a mine owned by Bill and Harvey and an E.S. Colcord. This is the only mention of the latter name that I’ve come across.

The May 4, 1905 edition of the Arizona Silver Belt shows that Bill and several others formed a corporation with plans to create the Payson Milling Company which was to process ore. I didn't see anything else in future newspaper editions discussing this enterprise.

Bill's obituary states that he had ranches in Pleasant Valley, Marsh Creek (south of Payson), and east of Payson near Colcord Mountain. Pleasant Valley is the setting for what has become known as the Pleasant Valley War. The "war" was a feud between the Graham and Tewksbury families which was started after several years of horse and cattle rustling. Woody and Schwartz (1977) includes a map which shows the Colcord ranch as being at the northern boundary of the feud area. Colcord Mountain is named after the Colcord family and is just southeast of Colcord Mountain Estates. The area has several geographic and man-made features with the Colcord name. There is Colcord Road, Colcord Canyon, Colcord Mountain, a Forest Service campground, and even an Arizona Department of Transportation office. 

Map showing Colcord Canyon, Colcord Mountain, and Colcord Estates.

Bill moved to Payson in 1894 and purchased the Gibson Ranch. I located a patent on this particular property that is dated 1912. Harvey obtained a patent in 1911 on a parcel of land immediately adjacent to the piece that Bill obtained. This is in the area now known as Upper Round Valley.

The property that was owned by Bill is now a rural neighborhood. Harvey’s parcel is undeveloped and is now part of the Tonto National Forest.

Bill married Carrie Stewart in October of 1894. They had six children; Mabel Claire, Benjamin Franklin, Willie Harold, Dora Lee, Harvey Duane, and another that died at birth.

Bill and Carrie's wedding certificate.

Nearly all mentions of Bill from the late 1890s to 1910 describe his time spent in public service. The September 13, 1900 edition of The Daily Arizona Silver Belt (the Globe newspaper at the time) states he attended the Gila County Democratic Convention as a member of the Payson Precinct. He was elected to the Gila County Board of Supervisors in 1904 (The Daily Arizona Silver Belt, November 24, 1904). There are several mentions of his name in regards to Board decisions. He served three terms on the board of supervisors.  

One particularly interesting article I came across was in the February 4, 1910 edition of The Daily Silver Belt. It describes an incident where Bill was forced to shoot a drunk cowhand that was threatening citizens of Payson. An investigation determined that the shooting was self defense and was justified.

February 4, 1910 edition of The Daily Silver Belt.

During this same period, William’s brother Harvey’s name appears several times in the Holbrook Argus newspaper. The April 26, 1902 edition stated that he “was in from Tonto Basin”. In the November, 14 1903 Holbrook Argus, Harvey Colcord is described as “one of the best cattleman in the country, also general foreman for H.J. Ramer, came in from Canyon Creek with a bunch of horses…..”. Hezekiah J. Ramer was a prominent rancher that at one point had around 5000 head of cattle (Arizona Silver Belt, July 18, 1902). I recently was doing some work in Canyon Creek and didn’t make the connection to the Ramer ranch until a couple days later. It is an incredibly beautiful area. There is still a working ranch in the same spot where the Ramer ranch was located.  The October 17, 1913 Holbrook News gives Harvey’s residence as being in Heber.

Ramer ranch is located in the upper right corner of the General Land Office (GLO) map from 1912.

Canyon Creek just south of the Ramer ranch site.

Around 1912, William, Carrie, and their children, moved to Flagstaff. The Discover Gila County blog on states that in 1912, William bought a ranch near Lake Mary. I've spent considerable time researching landowners in the Lake Mary/Anderson Mesa country and have not seen his name mentioned. I'll continue to try and find out where this ranch was located. I’ve not be able to find much information of their first couple of years in Flagstaff except for an advertisement that appeared in several editions of the Coconino Sun (Flagstaff) newspaper in 1913. It stated “For sewing and dress making apply to Mrs. W.C. Colcord, Dutton residence on Milton road, Phone 192”. A 1914 article in the same newspaper described a fire that destroyed a “chicken house” owned by Bill and Carrie. There is no specific address given but Beaver Street and “the southside” are mentioned. Southside refers to the area south of the railroad tracks just south of the current downtown area. There is a public notice of a water appropriation of Luce Tank for Bill in a 1914 Coconino Sun edition.  I can’t find any information on Luce Tank. The January 8, 1915 edition of the Coconino Sun indicates that Bill was involved in the local Elks Lodge; “The Elks were out in force Tuesday evening and on the rampage. They gathered in George W. Black Sr., Allen Greenlaw and W.C. Colcord, whom they roped, hogtied, bulldogged and branded in a manner that properly befitted cowmen”. Both George Black and Allen Greenlaw were prominent citizens of Flagstaff at this time.

There are several 1915 editions of the Coconino Sun that have pictures of northern Arizona brands. The Colcord brand was included and the range where he ran his livestock was stated as being “Marshall Lake and Canyon Padre”. Marshall Lake is at the north end of Anderson Mesa and Canyon Padre is now referred to as Padre Canyon and is roughly 8 miles east of Winona.

The next references I found of the Colcord family was of an event that had to have had a huge impact on the family. Carrie, after a three-week illness and at only 37 years of age, passed away on May 4, 1915. It is clear from the front-page article in the Coconino Sun that she was well respected and liked in the community. The article in the Coconino Sun doesn’t give a cause of death but her death certificate states “poisoning by a heavy metal probably lead or mercury”. The Discover Gila County blog states that Carrie died following the birth of her sixth child. I've not found any reference to this child's name.

Foundation of structure at Colcord Tank.

Bill continued to run cattle in the Flagstaff area until at least 1916. The February 18, 1916 Coconino Sun has a paragraph telling of him coming in “from his winter headquarter cow-camp in the Canyon Diablo country”. Colcord Tank, east of Winona, is in the area referenced. The 1919 Government Land Office map shows Colcord Tank (incorrectly spelled “Calcord”, I’ve seen this misspelling a couple of times in Coconino Sun articles) as well as a structure. The current USGS 1:24,000 topographic map of the area is the Angell map sheet. The correct spelling is shown on this map. The name on the map also has the initials “E.M.”. I’m not sure what these initials mean. The same initials are shown on the same map at the Martin T. Piper ranch (now the Walking Cane ranch) where “E.M. Piper” is shown. 

I recently took a run out to Colcord Tank and found the remains of the structure shown on the map. A rough outline of the limestone foundation is all that remains. 

Portion of 1919 General Land Office (GLO) map.

Portion of current 1:24,000 Angell map sheet.

I’ve not found anything that gives a specific date when Bill left the Flagstaff area. There is a Coconino Sun article from September 22, 1916 that mentions him going to the "Roosevelt country" to look at a ranch he was interested in. The December 29 edition states that he was in Flagstaff “a few days this week from Roosevelt”. The Discover Gila County blog states that Bill moved to Sunflower after Carrie's death where he bought the Diamond A Ranch and Harvey bought the Circle M. 

I recently found another newspaper article that mentions his home as being in the Tonto Basin and also provides information of an event that I’d not yet seen any mention of. The August 17, 1917 edition of the Graham Guardian from Safford, had these three paragraphs:

The only other indication of him remarrying is the following from the November 24, 1917 edition of The Arizona Republican newspaper. I'm not sure if the son that is mentioned is the sixth child of William and Carrie although the Discover Gila County states that the child died at birth so perhaps William and Lillian had a child together. 

The January 15th, 1920 edition of The Arizona Republican paper states that Mrs. Colcord had spent time in Los Angeles with her ill son. I've not been able to find out any additional information on the child. 

Lillian was the postmaster at Tonto Basin, described as a "small settlement", which was located 25 miles north of Roosevelt.

This is from the 8 May 1970 Arizona Daily Sun.

There was a series of public notices from 1923 in the Coconino Sun where the articles of incorporation of the Sunflower Cattle Company were shown. This was a partnership between Bill, his son Frank, and C.J. Babbitt. No specific location is given but Flagstaff is listed as the “principle place of business”.  The place of residence given for William and Frank was “Roosevelt”.

Bill and Carrie's oldest daughter, Mabel Claire (born in 1895), was married in September 1915 to Reverend Leo McKee. Newspaper accounts show that they lived in Redlands California right after their marriage. They later moved to Camp Verde and eventually to Roosevelt.  

Wedding announcement in The Coconino Sun, September 3, 1915 and Coconino County marriage license.

The August 18, 1916 edition of The Coconino Sun

mentions that they lived in Redlands but will be relocating to Camp Verde.

I've not been able to find how long they were married or what happened to Leo. The Discover Gila County blog does not mention Leo but does state that Claire (a school teacher in the Tonto Basin) married Len Collins. A 1930 Federal census record shows this as well. Claire passed away in Globe in 1987.

Bill and Carrie had a son, Willie Harold, born in May 1903. He passed away in July of the same year. 

Bill and Carrie's daughter, Dora Lee, was born in 1906. She was married to Carroll Crowder and they had a daughter, Carolee Wilma, in 1925. I've not had any luck finding any information on Carroll or how long they were married. The Discover Gila County blog states that Dora then married Walter Russell. No date is given. Walter is also listed as her spouse on findagrave.com. Dora passed away in 1995.

Benjamin Franklin was born on December 29, 1899. The place of birth on his death certificate is simply listed as “Arizona”. All references that I’ve found of him refer to him as Frank. There are several articles of he and his father coming to the Flagstaff area to camp, hunt, and fish. 

Frank was accepted into Navy flight training in 1917 (The Arizona Republican, December 26, 1917).

The July 4, 1919 edition of the Coconino Sun tells of Frank returning to Arizona after his military service.

Frank and Ruth Marie Downs were married in August of 1923. Their marriage license application gave their residence as Roosevelt. The 1930 Census shows their home as being Prescott and lists their son Wayne. The Discover Gila County blog has a wonderful brief biography of Wayne.

For many years, Frank hunted mountain lions as part of predator control. A January 29, 1926 Coconino Sun article describe how, during the period of one month, 281 "pests" had been killed throughout Arizona. This number included wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats. "BF Colcord" is shown as having killed one mountain lion.

A December 16,1932 article in The Coolidge Examiner describes him as a hunter with the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey that, along with another hunter, killed ten mountain lions in the Huachuca Mountains of southeast Arizona. The Tonto National Forest historic photo database includes a photo of one of Frank's hunting camps (Tonto National Forest Historic Photographs). 

This is the caption from the above website:

1936 - The Camp of Frank Colcord, U.S. Biological Survey trapper. The work of the Biological Survey was taken over by the Fish and Wildlife Service, established in 1940.

The next picture is also from the Tonto National Forest historic photo database on Flickr. The caption for the photo states that Frank Colcord was not related to the family whose name is well represented by landmarks on the Tonto. I left a comment on the Flickr page that he indeed was related to the Payson area Colcords.

This is the caption from the above website:
1937 - Forest Service road directional signs and fire warning. These signs are at the junction of Payson-Colcord Mountain Road and Chamberlain Trail. The mountain and lookout are named for Colcord's
who came to Arizona in 1886, not the Biological Survey Colcord.

Discover Gila County  states that Frank's second wife was Jo Booth. They had one son.

Frank married Linda Lopez in 1950. They had three children. Frank and Linda had a cattle ranch and had a horse racing and breeding business. A 1955 Arizona Sun photograph of a racehorse states him as the owner and a Phoenix resident. 

Page from the 2015-2016 Turf Paradise Media Guide. Frank is listed as 
the leading trainer from 1956 through 1959.

Linda continued with the horse breeding business after Frank's death in 1969. This obituary for Linda details her long and interesting life. Obituary

Bill and Carrie's youngest son, Harvey, was born in Payson on May 3, 1909 although his death certificate states he was born in 1910. He was Major in the United States Army Air Corps and was killed, just days shy of his 34th birthday, when the military aircraft he was a passenger in crashed in Phoenix near the intersection of 16th Street and Adams Street.

Bill's brother Harvey passed away in November of 1950. The last couple of years of his life were spent in Prescott and he passed away in the Arizona Pioneers Home.