All in the family: Stringfield Ranch
A short drive from downtown Prescott, turning off on a narrow dirt road you come upon an ingenious gate, one of Ralph Stringfield’s many inventions born out of necessity. Ralph caught one of his horses crossing the cattle guard and set to work researching how to keep the horses on the property without having to construct an actual gate. Hence, the “bump” gate, a padded bar running lengthwise across the cattle guard. It swings open when bumped with a vehicle, and once the vehicle is across the cattle guard, it springs back to its original position. This basic gate says a lot about a man and how he operated his business: simple and uncomplicated, but effective.
Rancher Ralph Stringfield died in 2007 and was survived by his wife Genevieve and his daughter Irene. Ralph comes from a long line of pioneers and homesteaders who worked the Stringfield Ranch from the late 1870s.
A brief timeline of Stringfield Ranch:
1870s: Robert Stringfield and his wife Adeline homesteaded at the foot of Granite Mountain, spreading across Williamson Valley Road along the south side of Table Mountain. They ran cattle and had a son, Albert.
1890s: Albert and his wife Harriet Crane moved to the Drake area and had a son, Lon, in Williams. They soon returned to Stringfield to help Adeline run the homestead because Robert died in an accident, and had six more children.
1910-1930s: Lon married Garnet Rhodes in 1915 and eventually moved back to Stringfield to help his mother Harriet run the homestead. Lon worked the ranch until 1929 when he, Garnet and their son Ralph homesteaded their own place closer to Prescott. Lon and Garnet later purchased additional adjoining homesteads.
1940s: In 1946 Ralph married Genevieve Sipes. When Lon and Garnet divorced, Ralph took over the ranch and continued the family operation, with Genevieve and his mother Garnet helping with the work. When Garnet quit riding, she took care of the house and Ralph and Genevieve’s only daughter, Irene. When Irene was old enough to sit in the saddle, she too was included in the ranch work.
1950s-2000s: Ralph and Genevieve worked the ranch together for over 60 years. At her dad’s funeral in 2007, Irene spoke of Ralph’s good life, “He had no time for fun and games, however it was an honest life. Cowmen like my father are hard to find. They are becoming extinct.”
Now, Stringfield is evolving into its new life, as individual homesteads for modern pioneers. It carries with it a rich history of the American Dream, land worked tirelessly by enterprising, inventive and strong-willed trailblazers. May you harness the adventurous spirit of the Springfields as you embark on the next step of your journey.