Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Babbitt Brothers ~ Flagstaff, AZ



The Babbitt brothers - David, George, William, Charles, and Edward - came to Flagstaff in 1886 to go into the cattle ranching business.  They established the C.O. Bar Ranch on lands between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.  The historic C.O. Bar is one of the largest cattle ranches in the Southwest and continues in operation today.  It was named C.O. for the former Babbitt home of Cincinnati, Ohio.  

By 1889, the Babbitt brothers also had established a general mercantile store in Flagstaff.  This store supplied goods such as oil lamps, saddles, wool shears, canned food, hardware, and trade blankets to the trading posts which were beginning to spring up across the vast Indian Country of northeastern Arizona. The building is across the street from the historic Monte Vista Hotel, and the Coconino County Courthouse is hidden behind the trees in the upper right.   

7 comments:

Birdman said...

Thanks for more bit of ranching lore.

Magpie said...

Several (and I mean several) posts ago, I posted a picture of a rusty knob on the top of the fence on the side of this very building...just for you. :) I spent the night in the "haunted" Monte Vista Hotel. Alas, no spooky visitors for me.

T. Becque said...

Great sign! Another good find of yours!

Andrew said...

Great angle taken here Kathy. I like the old look as well of the photo and building.

Anonymous said...

That's a lovely shot. Great pioneers, the Babbitts.

Suburban Girl said...

Great history!

EG CameraGirl said...

Interesting local history and a building that has been well taken care of.