Honoring the American flag, history, and community.
Fourth generation Arizona Babbitt Billy Cordasco had a tiny tear in his eye as he sensed the significance of the moment – the majesty of the snow-capped San Francisco Peaks over the city on a brisk April morning, the profound significance of a celebrity flag staff back on duty for a city of the same name and fame as the American flag hoisted on the historic Babbitt building, where his family has been doing business since 1886.
“This is what the community looks like – dear family members, longtime friends, local business owners and the Flagstaff Fire Department meet in historic downtown to honor our country in the calm and beatification of a Flagstaff spring morning,” he told Cordasco from the basket of the Flagstaff Fire Station 3 ladder cart with Fire Captain Ray Gonzalez and Fireman Kate Williams. “I’ve never seen this view of the mountains from above the Babbitt building. The size of the peaks and everything that this morning represents strikes me as how wonderful it is to be part of this community and to live in this very special place. I said to myself, ‘This is home.’ “
It was especially important for Cordasco, President and General Manager of Babbitt Ranches, to have his cousin, historian and businessman Jim Babbitt present. “Downtown wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for Jim,” he said, noting Babbitt’s efforts to restore historic buildings and promote a movement to revitalize the inner city in the 1990s.
The morning was also of great importance to the crew of Captain Gonzalez and Flagstaff Fire Station 4, including engineer Caleb “CJ” Myers, whose father Dave Myers has worked for Babbitt Ranches for more than 35 years. “We are raising American flags in downtown Flagstaff for the community and the American people,” said Gonzalez as they fixed difficult-to-reach flagpoles on the roof early on Saturday morning, April 3rd.
Dean Gallaher and Mark Perkins ensured the structural integrity of the flagpole of the Babbitt building.
Gonzalez said Flagstaff Fire and the Babbitt family had worked together on community projects for years. For example, Babbitt Ranches offers Christmas tree permits to the families of the Flagstaff firefighters every holiday season. Gonzalez has been an integral part of the Christmas Tree Brigades on ranchland for decades, bringing the symbolic evergreens back to Flagstaff and making them available to families in need as part of the Flagstaff Fire Department’s Christmas Adopt-a-Family program.
“The fire department is grateful for our long relationship with Babbitt Ranches,” said Gonzalez. “Together, we have made the holidays brighter for hundreds of families, bringing warmth and joy, food and toys into their homes, regardless of their circumstances.”
April saw the 135th anniversary of Babbitt Ranches’ operations in Northern Arizona. Two of the original five brothers from Arizona Babbitt, David and Billy, stepped off the train at the Flagstaff depot on April 7, 1886, on a clear, cool morning and saw the beauty of the snow-capped San Francisco Peaks. “It’s an extraordinary sight,” said Cordasco. “I imagine David and Billy had the same feeling, ‘This is home.'”
The young men traveled from their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, and explored places in the west to pursue their dream of becoming cowboys. They agreed to pay $ 20,000 for a herd of cattle and healthy grasslands with access to water in the Flagstaff area of the Arizona Territory. For the price of $ 17,640, the brothers agreed to buy 864 head of cattle, which were delivered with 19 cowponies, leaving enough cash to cover their travel expenses.
For the first three weeks, the Babbitts branded the cattle with the CO Bar brand, a nod to their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, where they ran the family’s grocery store. There the brothers were inspired by the stories of travelers across the western border and courageously responded to the call to go west.
Today the pioneering farm company has more than 7,500 Hereford cattle and an award-winning equestrian program. The ranch spans 750,000 acres of private, state, and state in northern Arizona. Babbitt Cowboys demand the same ancient skills that were essential 135 years ago for riding, rope, branding, and engaging in longstanding traditions like the Spring and Fall Works and Babbitt Ranches’ annual Hashknife Colt Sale.
“The Babbitt family, the Ranch Council, and the broader Babbitt Ranches community are passionate about character, nature, and community,” said Cordasco. “The values and principles that have shaped the family business since 1886 continue to guide us as we plan our future endeavors.”
Babbitt Ranches’ vision for the future includes organizational sustainability and succession with a focus on agriculture, renewable energy, landscape-scale conservation, dark sky protection, scientific discovery, protection of the golden eagle and an ethical approach to outdoor recreation, a corporate initiative.
“The decisions we make today are on behalf of our children, our grandchildren and their children,” said Cordasco. “And that’s what motivates us as we create meaningful new business, environmental and community opportunities.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Comments are closed.