In the early days of Arizona, ranchwomen played vital roles as business partners, wives, mothers, nurses, teachers, etc.  Many of their stories reveal how women often were married into the cattle industry.  The lives of many of these early women begin to be told by connecting them with their husbands.  However, it is obvious that these women were not just “the wives of so and so.”  Instead, the women actively participated in the development and worked to put all of their effort into helping their husbands’ business succeed.  This led to a flourishing of a group of highly skilled, adaptable, and socially aware women.  The commonly held belief that it was solely men who drove cattle across the desert, dealt with the details of a family business, and worked the ranch alone while their wives watched after the children, is continuously refuted by the stories of ranchwomen in early Arizona.  In actuality a ranchwoman made the cattle industry, not just her husband’s business, but rather “their” business.
    Besides business, women were concerned with community and home-building.  The organization and influence of  “The Cowbelles,” has not only provided a historical record of life on Arizona ranches, it has also provided an example and inspiration to women today.  The additional efforts these women put towards encouraging neighborly attitudes, becoming nurses and teachers, and simply doing what was necessary to survive all were part of laying the foundations for some of the first modern day towns of Arizona.
     A timeline of events reveals the gradual birth of the cattle industry in Arizona and reveals the positive and negative results for different groups of people.  In 1822, Mexico gained independence from Spain which resulted in a new government.  Protection by the military was largely withdrawn from what is now known as Arizona;  as a result, new settlers on the land had major problems dealing with a 50 year period of Apache depredations (Accomazzo v).  However, in the 1870’s many of the tribes which were troubling to the settlers were sent to reservations by the federal government (Accomazzo v).  In 1872, what is known as the “second phase of cattle ranching in Arizona, that of the Americans”  began (Accomazzo vi).  As we can see already, the remaining stories of those who continued to develop and build communities on this land, did so as a result of the pushing aside of other people.  Growth of course always involves change; however, it is important not to forget or ignore the processes through which this “progress” occurs.
       As we look at some of the details of women’s life on the ranch, it becomes apparent how tied the lives of these women were to their husband’s lifestyle.  In doing research on the lives of ranchwomen, I found that many of their stories do not begin to be told until after a key turning point in their life:  marriage.  Almost every short biography I read of early ranch women, began by telling who the woman’s husband was and what he did for a living.  As was observed of Mattie Cowan, first president of  The Cowbelles, when she married her husband Ralph she actually “wedded the whole cattle business”  (Accomazzo 5).  At first, it appeared that there really was not any information on the lives of ranchwomen, but rather their stories were simple introductions to a man’s biography.  However, after many readings it became apparent that the stories of ranchmen and the stories of ranchwomen were largely one in the same.  The lives of ranchwomen in Arizona provide numerous testimony to the fact that it was not just the men doing all the work on these ranches;  these women were out there working with the cattle, in the yard, with the children and in the home.
 There are countless examples of women who acted as equal partners in the building and maintaining of a cattle ranching lifestyle.  One such woman was Cora Viola Howell Slaughter;  wife to John Slaughter. The life story of this charismatic women reveals her to have been a supportive wife who also made decisions and expressed her opinions concerning the future of their ranching business.  Cora reportedly accompanied John on many of his trips across the southwest (Wells 394).  She was even reported to have gone out on her own to recover John’s body, when she heard a false story that he had been killed on a cattle drive (Wells 395).  These stories and more, reveal that Cora Slaughter was a strong woman, not overshadowed by her husband, but instead a confidante and partner throughout their marriage.
     Another woman who displays the same hard working characteristics as Cora Slaughter, was Eudora L. Gardner.  Eudora was married to Charles J. Gardner in 1915 in Douglas (Accomazzo 116).  This couple dealt with the same hardships of so many during these days:  the devastation of drought, depression, disease, and dangers of ranch work.  It is important to realize that with all of these hardships, it was not plausible to write off women as passive bystanders to ranch life.  Their strength and aide in all areas of work were necessary for a thriving future of a family.  Eudora helped build one of the Gardner ranches;  she used a mule and wagon to put up fencing around selected areas.  Also, along with Amy Neal, she weighed in the cattle as they were shipped off (Accomazzo 116-119).  Again, her hands and strength were equally as important as her husband’s;  together they created a prosperous cattle ranching business.
     At the same time that women were marrying into the ranching lifestyle and learning with their husbands how to run a cattle business, women in early Arizona were developing their own specialties which would continue to improve their lives on the frontier.
The cattle industry required some degree of mobility;  however, there was also a great desire to build permanent homes and communities.  Women played vital roles in the establishment of such communities by taking on numerous responsibilities.  Besides the fact that most of these ranching wives assisted their husbands with the physical labor of their business, these women also simultaneously played the roles of mothers, cooks, teachers, and nurses.
     The following stories of particular women’s lives, illustrate the amazing range of talents women developed and skills they utilized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Arizona.  Looking once again to the life of Cora Viola Slaughter, we see an amazing woman who encompassed all of these roles.  The Slaughters had two children of their own and took in many foster children, for all of whom Cora provided schooling.  She developed nursing skills which she constantly used to care for ranch employees.  Although she had hired help in the kitchen, Cora was definitely the overseer of all meals and welcomed numerous houseguests to dine with them (Wells 401-407).  Amy Neal, besides being an active participant in laying the foundation of their cattle industry, tended to their enormous fruit orchard.  She canned thousands of preserves each year (Accomazzo 7).  Also, Mrs. Neal is reported to have organized the first county fair in Arizona (McCure-video).  Another ranchwoman assisting in the civilization of the Arizona frontier,  was Cordelia Crawford.  She became known for her skills as a nurse; more particularly she was she was known for the care she provided for the sick children of Apache women (Maxwell 419).  Her story reveals her to be not only a talented healer, but also a communicator and promoter of peace.  All of these women are examples of how diverse and important the roles of women were in the early stages of Arizona history.
     On top of the fact that these women were working in numerous fields of labor, they also dealt with the reality of loneliness which must have accompanied the lifestyles of any living in the vast openness of Arizona at its most raw stages.  The desire to connect with others in similar lots of life, led to the organization of a very influential group.  Early ranchers often organized social and dances, with the hopes of promoting a community bond among them.  These gatherings were often times of immense “cattletalk,”  the swapping of stories from the range.  A group of ranch wives decided it would be fun to organize their own group just for women.  This group soon titled itself  The Cowbelles (Accomazzo 3).  In 1947, the Arizona State Cowbelles was officially formed (Accomazzo 2).  The stated purpose of this group was purely a social one.  The women wanted to build friendships and simply have a place to talk with other women with common experiences.
     Despite the stated purpose, The Cowbelles grew to be a bigger, more influential group than ever envisioned.  The organization became an example of women’s ability to organize and produce profitable and important businesses.  The women soon began immense charity and community work.  The social circle swapped recipes with each other, made quilts for the Arizona Children’s Home, and contributed a lot of time to the Arizona Boys Ranch (Accomazzo 3).  The news of this unique group spread quickly, and new Cowbelle groups were created all over the country.  Currently, there are 28 states with Cowbelle organizations (Accomazzo 4).  At first, it may sound trivial that there was exchange of recipes;  however, this informal swapping eventually resulted in the accumulation of recipes, collected into a book entitled,  “Round Up Recipes.”  This popular cookbook, became a huge seller and promotional tool of the organization.  The work these women did for charities, also cannot be overlooked;  it is exactly this kind of charitable attitudes which aided so many.  Not only did their work help others, it also helped to strengthen the bond they had with each other.
     An organization like the Cowbelles, which has much history and continues to thrive presently, reveals the importance and power of women’s groups.  Amy Neal, a former president of “The Cowbelles,”  insightfully remarked on the benefits of the organization.  She said, “we can give the State organization the benefit of our thinking, our experiences, our point of view, our initiative and our friendship”  (Accomazzo 8).  Although, she was only referring to that one particular group, she has pointed out key aspects of groups such as this one:  strength in numbers, forum for discussion and brainstorming,  and solidarity in common experiences.  All of these aspects show the power women can have when they organize and openly discuss matters.  What began as a social circle, developed into a political, economic, and active group of goal-orientated women.  Women who, not only discussed, but produced change in matters which affected their lives.  One other important consequence of this organization is the role it played in preserving history and passing on knowledge.
     The records of groups like the Cowbelles along with old newspapers an documents has allowed us to look more closely at the lives of early pioneer women in Arizona. When settlers first began to pursue the cattle ranching business they had more than one goal in mind.  Not only did they want to make a living, they wanted to create a life and home.  The contributions of women during these days was vital to both of these goals.  Women both supported their husbands and worked as their partners in the ranching business.  Also, women explored and developed talents in the areas of cooking, teaching, and nursing which contributed to the establishment of homes on the Arizona frontier.
     It is fascinating to learn about early founders of Arizona; of course, knowing one’s history often leads to a better understanding of one’s present.  Just as it is important to celebrate the triumphs of the past, for example the many women who revealed such strength, courage and initiative in early Arizona;  it is important not to overlook the mistakes of these predecessors either.  It is important to research all consequences of early settler’s lives, for example the affect their presence had on native Indian tribes and also on the land they developed.  Further research into these topics is suggested to gain a more complete view of early Arizona history;  however, the purpose of this paper has been to make known some of the contributions, talents, and strong character of women in early Arizona history.
 
 
 
 

Works Cited

Accomazzo, Betty.  Arizona Cowbelles This is Your Life. n.p.

--- ed., Arizona National Ranch Histories of Living Pioneer Stockman,  vol. 1. no.p, 1978.

Maxwell, Margaret.  "Cordelia Adams Crawford of the Tonto Basin."  The Journal of Arizona History 26 (1985):  415-428.

Wells, Reba N.  “Cora Viola Slaughter:  Southern Arizona Ranchwoman.”  Journal of  Arizona History  30  (1989): 391-415.

The Women They Were.  Dir. Bill McCure.  1987.