 |
|
 Print
this page now |
|
History and Legends of Grand Canyon West Ranch Grand Canyon West Ranch Has A Colorful History... THE ORIGINAL RANCH HEADQUARTERS is located next to Diamond Bar Springs that has been known to Native Americans for the last 3,600 years. The oldest inhabitants at the springs were the Cohina Indians whose roasting pits have been carbon dated back to circa 1600 B.C. In 1871 the Wheeler expedition first surveyed the springs during their exploration of the Grand Canyon. The Indians called the springs, Tanyaka Springs or Grass Springs. Around 1860, after the Hualapai War, gold miners built a Stamp Mill to crush ore for the King Tut Gold Mine. They named the springs Guffan Springs. From the 1870’s onwards the Mormons used the springs as a resting and watering place for wagon trains which used Diamond Bar Road. In May of 1889 the Hualapai Indian Tribe's first Ghost Dance ritual was held at these Springs. All participants were dressed in white and danced for five days and nights. In the late 1800’s Wellington Starky started a cattle ranch and called it Diamond Bar Ranch. In 1904 at the age of 41 a notorious gunfighter and cattle rancher called Tap Duncan bought the ranch to escape from his previous... "profession." It is believed Tap rode with Kid Curry and the hole in the wall gang. Tap Duncan became one of the most well-known and widely respected pioneer cattlemen running over 2,000 head of cattle on over a million acres. His other ventures included involvement in the aforementioned King Tut Gold Mine. He was eventually killed at the ripe age of age of 74, ironically, run over by a car in Kingman, Arizona. From 1915 onwards an unknown cowboy called Bruce Kisskadon worked for Tap. He wrote about the ranch and in doing so started cowboy poetry. In 1915 cowboy poets were not popular but he was encouraged by Tap. The Los Angeles Times published his works for 30 years. "Rhymes and Ranches" published in 1947 is about Tap and Diamond Bar Ranch. Bruce became one of the most famous Cowboy Poets. Tap Duncan, A True American Legend. George Taplan Duncan, better known as "Tap" Duncan to his friends in Kingman and Mojave County, was born in San Saba, Texas, February 4, 1869. And like most Texans of those days, he was at home in the saddle when he was still quite young. When he was only 16 years old, Tap left the state of Texas with a trail herd into New Mexico. But he was soon back in his home state where he spent the next few years cowboying for various outfits. In 1891, at the age of 22, he married Ollie Ann Bimmon of Uvalde, Texas. The following year, he and his family moved to Idaho where he became wagon boss for the Sparks and Harold Shoe Sole outfit. When he took that job, he related in later years, all he possessed was a wife, a baby and twenty dollars. But he capitalized on his opportunity and soon built up a brand of his own. The cold Idaho winters weren’t to his liking though, so he sold out in 1898 and headed with his wife and four children for sunny Arizona. On that trip, Ollie drove the wagon and Tap herded a bunch of saddle horses. Arriving at Bonelli’s Ferry on the Colorado, Tap had misgivings about his move. The passage appeared so dangerous that he feared his wife and children might drown. He blamed himself for taking the route and ruefully remarked to his wife, "I guess the only reason a cowpuncher has a head is to keep his spine from unravelling." However, Tap used his head to good advantage, and the crossing was made safely. Not long afterwards, they arrived in Hackberry where he bought the "Hookedy II" brand and Jack Harden’s ranch on Knight Creek. By 1910 he had built up his ranch to a point where he was able to buy Walter Starkey's famous Diamond Bar outfit. Just northwest of Kingman, Arizona, on which Tap ran around 2,000 head of cattle. This venture prospered and he was able to acquire several other ranches in later years. His holding were still large when he was run over and killed at age 75 by an automobile in Kingman on November 19, 1944. After Tap's death his daughters, known as “The Duncan Girls, “ continued to run the ranch. His wife, Ollie Ann, died some four years later, and the Diamond Bar was sold to Handerly of San Francisco, who still owns it. Only two of their children are still living - Mrs. James Ray of Kingman, and Byron Duncan, a cattleman at Imlay, Nevada, One of Byron’s proudest possessions, incidentally, is the old, heavy, Sharp’s rife which was given to his father as a part of his gear on his early trail herd ride from San Saba to New Mexico. Dale Smith, Cowboy Hall of Fame, owned the Ranch till 2002 when the current owners acquired it.  The Duncan Girls at Diamond Bar Ranch, circa 1918.
Ranch Location: COPYRIGHT © 2005 GRAND CANYON WEST RANCH. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |