#Ubar ranch professional

#Ubar ranch professional

Rebuilt on the historical Mullen’s field portion of the ranch, the Bar U Bar now owned and operated by AQHA Professional Horsemen Barry and Laurel Denton is home to longhorn cattle and champion working cow horses. In 1972, Sonny was losing his eyesight and the difficult decision to sell the lower portion of the ranch was made. Many became AAA/AQHA Champions due to the Bar U Bar Ranch successful show and racing breeding program. The Walker Quarter Horses, themselves also made history. Their daughter, Carol, was a year old when the Bar U Bar Ranch started to become part of Yavapai County history. After the war, they both wanted to return to the West, preferably Yavapai County. They were married in 1943 in Quantico, VA while Sonny was still serving the Corp. The thought is Sonny and Sissie more than likely met through their love of horses one day at the then thriving Biltmore Stables in Phoenix. At the eighteen, she teamed up with Cherrie Osborn from the neighboring Diamond 2 Ranch to best their fathers in a match roping over two performances. She learned to rope and ride from some of the best cowboys of the day, actually performing as a specialty “Girl Team Roping” act during the 1938 Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo. James, an Italian Count, and Idamay from the famed Swift meatpacking family loved the West and everything cowboy. He became a world-class, professional, heavyweight boxer, until World War II when he joined the United States Marines Corp.Īlso born in Chicago, Sissie Minotto moved with her parents, James and Idamay Minotto to the Z Triangle Ranch in Walnut Groove in the early 1920’s.

He was billed as the World’s Strongest Boy by age twelve and toured the west showing his feats strength. Born in Chicago, Sonny moved with his family to Phoenix, AZ where his childhood took a sojourn into sports. Some of the most interesting aspects of the Walker/Bar U Bar Ranch history is how Sonny and Sissie got together, their family history, and what brought them to Yavapai County in the first place. Their two daughters, Carol and Laurel, were born in the saddle and have made horses their lives. Soon after moving to the ranch, Sonny and Sissie became active in the newly formed American Quarter Horse Association (AzQHA) and began breeding the ‘Walker” Quarter Horses. In 1946, Sonny and Sissie Walker acquired the eighty-four section ranch running from Yava to Skull Valley to the west side of Granite Mountain. The Bar U Bar Ranch at one time was one of the largest ranches in Yavapai County, Arizona running a cow/calf operation of 650 head of Herefords.