The Felix Ranch: 150 Years of Legacy

by Irene Daniel

A friend of mine is celebrating with his family this spring. The Felix Ranch is located about 6 miles north of my hometown of Florence, AZ, which was founded in 1866.  This little Mexican-Cowboy Eden boasts of its history of being one of the oldest towns in the Grand Canyon State. The Felix Ranch predates the town's founding, established just one year earlier in 1865.

1865! Wow! What a year. The Civil War ended. President Lincoln was assassinated. Great wounds from which our Union has yet to heal.

But out here on the banks of the once mighty Gila River, Jesus Felix (or Feliz) an immigrant from Cumuripa, Mexico, started something big. I grew up with a lot of kids in my class named Felix, and a lot of kids named Feliz, who are all descendents of this one man. There are several different stories about which came first, the Felix or the Feliz, and there are also local roads and streets bearing either name. I haven't the space to sort it all out here, so I'll just say congrats to all! Moreover, I know better than to pick a fight with any one of them over any one thing, lest I have the whole lot to contend with -- and there are lots and lots of them. And they're everywhere!

What I find much more fascinating is the history of the place and the people. I have been privileged of late to spend some time with Katie Felix, current matriarch in residence at the Felix Ranch, and some of her children. When she learned what a history buff I am, she loaned me a big red binder full of deeds, stories and newspaper clippings. I was mesmerized as I poured over all of it, especially the old deeds.

Those deeds tell a story of family, land, innovation and legacy; aka, the American Dream. It started with one patch of land and one Felix (or Feliz), and acquisition of water rights. From that starting point, sections of the property have been expanded, divided between family members, sold-off, expanded again, easements granted, leases sold and land donated in parcels large and small; mostly large. And that's just the land. The people are an entirely different bag of discovery.

Many a colorful character has inhabited the Felix Ranch, and still do. Not the least of these are Katie and her husband, Paul Felix, current patriarch in residence. Pablo has lots of stories to tell and lots of time to tell them to anyone who will listen. His recountings of ranching, farming, engineering and innovation tell not only his story, but that of his father and his father's father, and all ancestors named Felix (or Feliz).

It's not just a story about a patch of earth and the people who worked it, creating generations of prosperity. That would be a story in and of itself. The history of the Felix Ranch is an American story, filled with gains and losses, zeniths and nadirs, joys and heartbreaks. It is a story of change, growth and pivots as this family made the adjustments necessary to move through history successfully, albeit unscathed.

What I have learned most from the family Felix (and Feliz) is this:  consistency and longevity are born, not of sameness, but of change and diversity; snatching opportunity from the jaws of adversity. It is a story of making adjustments; adjustments to weather conditions, social changes and market conditions. There seems to be a sacred intuition acquired by those whose sustenance is dependent upon nature, and whose first business partners are the earth and the sun. What's more, for generation upon generation, they pass it all on to their young.

I suppose we all have to adjust to the times and circumstances around us; surrendering that which is no longer useful in order to make way for new growth. This family knows full well that bumper crops come from fertile fields which once lay fallow. The seeds of new growth sprout from darkness, struggling to find the light. And it is in this contrast -- between old and new, darkness and light -- that we learn to distinguish wheat from chaff; that which is useful and that which is not.

And I wonder:  what does the next 150 years hold in store for the Felix Ranch? What new innovation will propel this legacy forward? What new method? What new crop?

For I have no doubt that the Felix Ranch can go on for another 150 years. They will find a way. They've done it before -- lots of times. It's in their DNA. Like all families, this one is not without its complicated dynamics; but there is no question that they love one another and are completely devoted to the ranch and their collective legacy.

And so, Happy 150th Anniversary to all of you, back at the ranch! And a very special thank you to Paul and Katie for their nurturing hospitality.

Last, but certainly not least, a very special thanks to my buddy, Louis, who I have known since first grade, and has been a true friend and great company of late.

Thanks for letting me tag along for the ride. It is an esteemed privilege and delightful pleasure to know you -- all of you!!


                                                             Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All Rights Reserved.