STAY WEST, YOUNG MAN

The story of Jack Speiden is the story of an Easterner who found health and happiness on an Arizona ranch.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR The Jay Six cattle ranch lies ten miles west of Benson, Arizona; its 40,000 rolling acres snuggled against and extending into the austere range of the Whetstone Mountains. For twenty years it has been owned and operated by Jack Speiden with an avid singleness of purpose-the improvement of the breed of registered Hereford cattle and the conservation of the range. Jack, an Easterner, educated in the ivy covered halls of Yale University, came west in 1932 seeking health, elbow room and peace of mind. He headed for the vast expanse of Arizona hopeful of finding a cure for a mysterious virus infection contracted the year before in Honduras while a member of an expedition conducted by the American Museum of Natural History. The trip to Arizona was a counterpart to his earlier years which had been filled with intriguing adventure, from the day he left St. Pauls School in Concord, Massachusetts, to join an American volunteer ambulance unit headed for France in World War I. He was barely sixteen, eager for dangerous excitement. The United States entered the war a year later in 1917 and there was plenty of action for everyone. Jack, already in France, promptly joined the Marines and was returned to the States to train at Paris Island, South Carolina, then back to France with the 2nd Division. The fighting was fierce and furious. Jack was right in the thick of it. "Retreat, hell, we just got here," was the order of the day. The rest is history. When the war ended, Jack entered Yale. He played on the hockey team and won his "Y" as fullback on the varsity football team. After graduation he still craved adventure, so he went to China with a Yale group. He taught English and economics at Changsha, deep in the interior of Hunan Province. He remained in China for a year and spent the next visiting Java, India, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. Back in the United States in 1924, Jack embarked on a successful Wall Street career. Then came the 1929 depression and the subsequent expedition to Honduras; then the mysterious virus and finally the doctor's orders to go west and stay until he fully recovered. Twenty-one years ago Jack settled in Tucson. He recovered from the virus in twelve months, but he fell victim to a new disease-a love for the West. It is still with him. A chance meeting with Arthur Brisbane, the famous Hearst newspaper editor, in the spring of 1933, convinced Jack that he should make the West his home. Brisbane told young Speiden that the country was rounding out the bottom of a business cycle and the smart thing to do was to invest in land and commodities. Jack heeded the advice which subsequently proved sound. His boyhood had been spent in the back country of New Jersey. Love for the soil ran strong in his veins and he had learned to ride almost before he could walk. The cattle business seemed natural enough to Jack, but he thought it best to break in gradually. He acquired a small registered herd of 60 cows which, with the aid of one cowboy, he ran on part of the 76 Ranch in Graham. County. He concurrently embarked on a course of self education. He read every available book on animal husbandry and was greatly helped by the excellent Animal Husbandry Department of the University of Arizona, especially by Dr. E. L. Scott and Professor E. B. Stanley. After several years of solid study along with the valuable practical experience, Jack acquired what is now known as the Jay Six.

When Jack took possession of the ranch it was carrying slightly upwards of 1000 head. The initial problem was to thin-out the herd and leave only registered stock. It was a slow tedious process. Jack realized that it was of utmost importance to bring in the best possible breeding stock so he acquired bulls which were direct descendants of such well-known strains as Royal Domino 2nd, Royal Triumph and Anxiety 4th-names which spell top quality to those in the business. The policy of weeding out the undesirables has proved effective and is still rigidly enforced. Only the finest specimens are retained; the balance are quickly disposed of for beef cattle. Today Jack has one of the most representative herds in the country. The animals are raised strictly for breeding purposes and not for the show ring although they could undoubtedly hold their own with some of the blue ribbon winners. The bulls and cows have fine heads, lots of bone and a strong frame. They are raised under actual range conditions and never see the inside of a barn or the lee side of a shed. Their feet are tough and rugged from roaming over land formed from decomposed granite and sandstone.Jack believes that although the perfect Hereford will never be born, no breeder of registered stock should ever stop trying to improve his herd. Relentless effort is expended along these lines with the result that buyers of Jay Six seed stock return year after year for their requirements.

The improvement of breed has also been carried into the quarter horse field, but on a much smaller scale. Again the emphasis is on quality. The ranch boasts three brood mares all sired by the famous Joe Reed II. There are several promising colts out of these mares, sired by Piggin String and Spotted Bull, the latter a proud grandson of Man O'War. Although the venture is largely a hobby it is quite obvious that much time and effort have gone into the selection of the bloodlines. The results are gratifying as the Speiden colors have often been first at the finish line.

The layout of the ranch is perfectly suited to the improvement of the breed and the conservation of the range. The huge acreage extends from a 600-foot level, up to 8000 feet, which takes in the slopes and the highest peaks of the Whetstone Mountains. The lower reaches of the ranch, known as the winter range, provide many varieties of grama grass and brouse. There are seven deep wells, each located near a supplementary feeding station. Each year during the growing season, several of the fourteen pastures remain unused which gives the new grass an opportunity of coming in good and strong. The pasture areas are fenced and cross-fenced, permitting frequent rotation of the cattle. The grass is actually knee-deep most everywhere on the range in wonderful contrast to many other ranches which have employed the short-sighted policy of over-grazing. The Jay Six method has proved out. Its tall grass waving in the gentle breeze is a pleasure to behold. Soil erosion is at a minimum and no deep gullies mar the landscape. The character and topography of the upper range differs from the lower. A large part of the upper area is covered with tall pine trees and evergreens. There is an ample supply of grass and brouse which makes for nourishing summer grazing. The cool mountain slopesprovide a perfect summer retreat from the exhausting desert heat. A freshening stream satisfies the water problem and irrigates a lush peach, pear and apple orchard.

The breeding season begins in March. One herd bull is allocated to about thirty cows in a 700-acre pasture. This controlled breeding assures the arrival of the new calf crop by the end of the following January. During the period of growth and development the new calves receive extra feed in the form of cottonseed meal mixed with salt, plus other concentrates.

Life at the Jay Six bears the pleasant flavor one might expect if a country squire turned rancher. Although the setting is different and the scale larger, the overtones are unmistakable. There is a beautiful main ranch house covered although they had grown up within twenty-five miles of one another in New Jersey. They had both been previously wed and both have children by a former marriage. Caroline came from the distinguished Stevens family which founded the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. The house in which she was born was built in 1784 on the college grounds. It is now a historical museum. Her great-grandfather Stevens designed and raced the first yacht "America" at Cowes, England in 1851, winning handily and bringing the cup back to America where it has remained ever since.

Jack takes an active part in the duties of the ranch in addition to the management problems. At 52, he is a handsome well-built man in the pink of condition. He is usually with ivy and flanked by majestic poplars. The house is comfortable and spacious. It has an atmosphere of good living, comfort and culture. There are many books, a large record collection and most important of all, a devoted wife named Caroline. Her delicate touch is apparent everywhere. She is both charming and gracious. She shares Jack's boundless enthusiasm for the ranch and is a superb horsewoman. Her hobby is raising Scottish Cairn terriers. They are shipped to dog lovers all over the country. The latest recipient of one of her Cairns is Roy Chapman Andrews, noted explorer and author.

Caroline and Jack met in Tucson for the first time Up at dawn and on the job thirty minutes later. Tall in the saddle, he rides, ropes and handles a branding iron as readily as the two cowboys who are permanently employed by the outfit. They ride fence, keep the wells in working order, take care of supplementary feeding, do all the necessary veterinary work and keep a close watch on the valuable herd. At branding and round-up time they get some outside help, but for the most part they make it alone.

Jack has devoted his entire life to the Jay Six since its acquisition. It has meant constant supervision as well as persistent study of new and improved methods of breeding and cattle care. It took World War II and an irresistible urge to rejoin the Marines to keep Jack away from the ranch for longer than a week-end. That was in 1942. Wearing the insignia of a 1st Lieutenant, he was shipped to the South Pacific. He was soon back in the thick of things, shoulder to shoulder with his men as they landed at Guadalcanal and Bougainville. He was transferred to Intelligence and elevated to the rank of Major. Then he was ordered to Washington to serve on the staff of General Vandergrift, the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Jack's current rank is Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. Looking back through the years his has been a rewarding life. It has brought health, happiness and a well-rounded existence. It has combined life in the open with a home providing relaxation and good living. Tucson is but a short thirty minute drive and the Speidens have numerous interesting friends nearby. Their social life can be as active as they see fit. In addition, the ranch has been profitable. Jack has improved the quality of his breeding stock to a point where it commands a competitive price. He has benefited from both the rise in the general price level as well as from the step-up in the character of the Jay Six herd. Ask Jack when he is going to move back East and he will give you a sly look, knowing full well that you're only kidding. He is a westerner by deliberate choice and the East represents a mere accident of birth. Arizona is his permanent home. This country contains all that is dear to him.