by John Mason Glen, Ph.D. for the Western Heritage Foundation
I noted last month in Prescott NOW magazine that Yavapai County is “ranch country” and spotlighted the Orme ranch, including its Orme School, as one of the finest. This month’s editorial focuses on the Kieckhefer’s K4 ranch along Walnut Creek, about 35 miles north of Prescott.
K4 is a seventh-generation family ranching operation. The family is also involved in the management of the famous Diamond A ranch with holdings in excess of 750,000 acres that reach from Seligman to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Additional real estate is held in California and southeastern Arizona.
Although the property in Yavapai County was initially homesteaded in the 1880s, the family patriarch J.W. Kieckhefer didn’t gain total control until 1941. J.W.’s son Bob began a commitment to raising prime Hereford cattle and performance quarter horses shortly thereafter. Bob also found time to serve as president of the American Quarter Horse Association in 1976 and 1994.
The focus now is on 12,000 commercial grade cattle, together with roughly 750 Angus bulls, producing the finest in gourmet beef.
In 1959, top hand and Cowboy Hall of Famer and Rodeo Hall of Famer Chuck Sheppard became manager of the K4 and shared his horse expertise there for over 40 years. Through his efforts, K4 was able to acquire a son of the famous roping, barrel racing racehorse stallion called Driftwood.
Kieckhefer’s horse, named Driftwood Ike, went on to serve as the foundation sire for many years. (My dad owned and loved a Driftwood horse for many years.) The Kieckhefer and Sheppard families united when Chuck’s daughter, Lynda married Bob’s son John.
Their son Rick, a National Finals Rodeo qualifier in calf roping and his wife Sarah, a top barrel racer and horsewoman, now oversee the day-to-day operation.
The quality of the quarter horses produced at the K4 is showcased every September at the Legacy Ranch Horse sale in Prescott. This year, a 6-year-old red roan gelding named Dash sold for $57,500, while $69,000 was paid for another top performer, a roan mare named El Vira.
Much more information on ranching in Yavapai County, and really all things western, can be seen at the Western Heritage Center in the famous Sam Hill Hardware store on historic Whiskey Row, 156 S. Montezuma. Admission is free.
