Herding cattle by horseback at the Double Circle Ranch
Back To Eagle Creek and the Double Circle
We are back! Doug and I sold our Double Circle Forest allotment and the main headquarters. It was time to start taking life a little easier. But we did keep our little creekside cabin and 10 acres. We got really homesick for the ranch while we have been gone this past year. Now we have been home for the past few weeks, and it sure feels good. Stopping at the Blue Overlook and seeing in the far distance a pinhead dot that is our barn and bunkhouse reinforced the feeling of wide open space and solitude that we both love. Then driving the 12 miles down Eagle Creek road through the heart of the Double Circle Ranch was like returning to our true lives. Home!
We are posting pictures and memories of when we ran our longhorns on over 30,000 acres. The characters, critters, scenery, friends, hard work, tears and happy memories are precious to us.
Located in southeastern Arizona, the Double Circle Ranch was once among the largest, roughest ranches in the old Wild West, famous – or infamous – for outlaws, renegades (both red and white), attacks by Geronimo, and cattle drives of up to 30,000 head of wild cattle on almost 37,000 acres. And it is still pretty darn wild here. Phones and cell phones don’t work out here, and we are an hour’s drive from the nearest conveniences. We have no mail service, and electric lines are 30 miles away. Forget garbage collection or faxing. We are isolated and we love it.
Isolated doesn’t mean bored. Doug and I have plenty to do here. We are surrounded by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest which abuts Gila Forest and the San Carlos Apache reservation. Combined with several wilderness areas, there are about 5,000,000 public land acres to explore. The country runs from high desert to rolling grassland to juniper forest to ponderosa pine high country. Elevations vary from 3500 to 9000 feet, so the flora and fauna are diverse. We have everything from elk to antelope, wolf to ringtail cat. You could have a good horse and pack horses, ride for 10 years, and never see all of this remarkable place. In fact, I rode six days a week or more here for five years before I had been to every part of the Double Circle ranch. Doug and I are lucky to be here – and we know it. Plus now we have time to enjoy and explore. I’ll keep you informed of the ongoing adventures of Doug and Wilma. Hope you enjoy!
