26 Bar Ranch and John Wayne

Above, the 26 Bar Ranch ranch house last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last year, while driving to Tombstone, Arizona for the spring clampout, I drove to Eagar, Arizona to see the 26 Bar Ranch. The ranch was once owned by actor John Wayne.

The official John Wayne posted the following about the ranch yesterday:

Happy Thanksgiving Pilgrim! We are thankful for you!

Duke is pictured with his 26 Bar Ranch partner, Louis Johnson. The 26 Bar Ranch was a big part of the Wayne family's life and is especially significant this time of year because they spent every Thanksgiving at the ranch for the annual cattle auction.⁣

John Wayne and his partner, Louis Johnson, owned more than fourteen thousand acres in the Casa Grande area, where the Red River Feedlot and ranch headquarters were. They also grazed cattle each summer on leased government land in the area around Springerville and Eagar, Arizona. Their operation also included growing twelve thousand acres of cotton in nearby Stanfield, Arizona.

The John Wayne: An American Experience Museum & Supply in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas, will be closed today in observance of Thanksgiving. We will resume normal operating hours tomorrow and will be open from 9am to 6pm.

John Wayne and the 26 Bar Ranch

Above, the main ranch house. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As mentioned in a prior post, I drove by John Wayne's former Hereford cattle (a British breed) ranch in Eagar, Arizona (next door to Springerville). I stopped and snapped some photos from the fence near the ranch entrance as there were "No Trespassing" signs posted. The 26 Bar Ranch is now owned by the Hopi Tribe.

The 4,000 acre ranch, the 26 Bar Ranch, was an investment for Wayne.

Above, John Wayne at the 26 Bar Ranch with two of his kids.

From John Wayne.com:

 As part owner of 26 Bar Ranch, Wayne had a major stake in the cattle game.

Located in Arizona, 26 Bar Ranch was just one of many productions Wayne enjoyed in the state. He filmed classics including “Stagecoach” and “Red River” and spent time with his family there. (From their experience at 26 Bar, Wayne’s kids learned the nuts and bolts of real ranch work and riding horses). Apparently, the Wayne-Arizona love affair was mutual: a stretch of the state’s route 347 is known as John Wayne Parkway, and his former ranch wrangles interest to this day.

That Bar 26 Ranch was a lucrative investment for Wayne is in large part because he was invested in its success, which from the beginning was anything but assured. Wayne was an actor, after all, and humble enough to recognize what he didn’t know. When he needed a partner to hop into the saddle with him, someone he could trust who could bring a solid hand on the operation, Wayne proved an able scout of talent too. In neighboring rancher Louis Johnson, he procured a partner and a pro—not only did Johnson bring stewardship that helped the enterprise turn a handsome profit, he became a lifelong friend of Duke’s. (Bets between the two men led to new cars for both—many, in fact.

A few photos of the ranch:

Above, "26 Hereford" is on a hillside on the ranch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.