Historic Sedona

Cattle ranching and cowboys were a major part of early Sedona life. Cattle grazed mostly on Forest Service land via grazing permits. In the early days there were no fences or corrals so the stock mixed together for miles around. Summer range was up on the mountains were it was cool and grass was abundant and winter range was throughout the Verde Valley.

When cattle were being moved to and from the winter and summer ranges, it was common practice to drive the herds on hoof down the highway straight through Sedona. Forest Service Rangers joined forces for the roundups. A cowboy lived on $20/month, earning an extra $5 for breaking a wild horse, like those that ran on House Mountain into the 1930's. Early cowboys rarely owned their own horses or saddles. Generally, the cowboy could count on broken bones, long hours and if the market for beef held up - a job.

In the late 1940s a group of Sedonans banded together to fence the main part of town in order to protect their orchards main part of town in order to protect their orchards and gardens from cattle and deer. The 4 strand barbed-wire fence surrounded what was then the inhabited part of town. A cattle guard spanned the main road through Uptown.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  

Heart of Sedona
Jessie "Bear" Howard
The First School
Movie Productions
Elvis Plays Sedona
Historic Sedona
Sedona Schnebly
Historic Sedona
Historic Sedona
Historic Sedona

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.