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Cover of the 1890 diary in which Edward L. Vail wrote entries during the cattle drive from the Empire Ranch in Arizona to the Warner Ranch in Southern California.

On horseback at the mouth of Rosemont Canyon (c.a. 1896 - 1898) are Edward L. Vail, older brother of Walter L. Vail and partner in Empire Ranch, George Scholefield, neighbor and former Live Stock Inspector and Detective for the district of Pantano…

Walter Vail's home on the Empire Ranch. When Walter Vail's wife arrived on the ranch in the summer of 1881, Walter improved the house with an eight-room addition including two bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, and a covered porch. The structure…

The railroad Walter Vail and his partners used to ship cattle to other locations such as Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and California. The prospect of shipping cattle to Eastern buyers caused ranchers to improve their herds and occupy the…

Men on horses rounding up broncos. Tom Turner one of the foremen at Empire Ranch was known as a hard boss and his roundup hours were rather early and rather late which didn't please many cowboys.

The holding gate at the Empire Ranch. A holding gate keeps animals in the holding area so they can be sorted out.

Three men posing for a picture in 1879 after Edward L. Vail (the tenderfoot's) arrival at Empire Ranch. Walter L. Vail and Herbert R. Hislop bought the Empire Ranch on August 22, 1876 from E.N. Fish and Silverberg. John H. Harvey was brought on as…

Harry Heffner branding a steer at the Empire Ranch. The Empire Ranch used several brands including the heart, the letter V, and the initials VH. 200 to 250 calves branded in a day was considered a big branding day's work.

Harry Heffner on a horse with a lasso at the Empire Ranch. Harry Heffner was the Foreman from 1893 to 1905. He started with Empire Ranch in April of 1893 helping to gather the cattle on Catalina Island to be shipped to Kansas.

School children and horses in front of the Empire School. E. L. Vail owned the building and leased it out in 1897 to be used for the school which was near but not part of the ranch.

The Empire Ranch homestead was originally a four-room adobe building without windows and doors. Improvements were made such as adding a kitchen, pantry, cook's room, and business office. Further improvements were made with the arrival of Walter's new…

These horses are shown on the east side of the Empire Ranch corral. In 1884 Empire Ranch decided to include the breeding of race horses as a sidelight to their ranch operations. At one time they had a total of 250 to 300 broke horses.

Portrait of Edward L. Vail in 1926. During the 1920s, Edward wrote many stories about his experiences as a cowboy and rancher. These include a column recounting his cattle drive of 1890 for the Arizona Daily Star (1922) his recollection of the first…

The cutting gate at Empire Ranch. The cutting gate allows for the separation of animals such as horses, cows, or the like into two or more holding corrals.

This cowboy (most likely Harry Heffner) at Empire Ranch is dressed in typical cowboy regalia standing next to his horse. Harry Heffner reminisced that the cowboys liked fancy bridles with silver but as far as their clothing was concerned, Levi…

A cattle roundup. As cattle wander far in grazing, herds become mingled. The roundup permits separation of each owner's stockand because calves always follow their mother, the finding and branding of the past year's calf crop is easily accomplished.

Men and women on horses getting cattle ready for an inspection at Pantano. In 1885 Walter Vail as President of the Arizona Stock Growers Association worked with his committee to formulate legislative proposals to protect the livestock industry of…

Three women, one man, and two children in the cattle pen. The Empire Ranch began a breeder-feeder formula which was a basic pattern of shipping cattle outside of Arizona to fatten. This proved very profitable and helped with the overcrowded…

Two horses tethered to a buckboard filled with supplies for the camps. The Empire Ranch expanded by purchasing other ranches or contracting to operate and place cattle on other ranches. At one point it was estimated the ranch covered a little over a…

Cowboy riding a bucking horse. Horses were critical to the running of any ranch. Mr. Vail turned over the breaking of horses to his best men. Harry Heffner stated the horse from his withers forward belonged to Vail; the other part belonged to the…