head of cattle there at all times of the year. Hooker built a sound operation and his ranch was a key part in cattle production in the Arizona Territory that by 1891 supported 1.5 million cattle on the open range. Hooker was one of the few Arizona ranchers to survive a disastrous drought in 1891, which killed over half the cattle due in part to severe overgrazing. Efforts to restore the range-land between 1905 and 1934 had limited success, but ranching continued on a smaller scale. After the 1891 drought, he formed the Sierra Bonita Land and Stock Company, which extended ranching operations to supporting 20,000 head of cattle. Associates Hooker hired Billy the Kid before he became famous during the Lincoln County War. Hooker, like many ranchers and businessmen, supported the lawmen Virgil and Wyatt Earp. On March 27, 1882, after the Earp Vendetta Ride, Hooker hosted the Earps and their companions on their way out of the Arizona Territory. Death and legacy He died December 5, 1907, on his ranch. At the time of his death he was the wealthiest rancher in Arizona. As of 2005, the Sierra Bonita Ranch was operated by Mrs. Harry Hooker, granddaughter of Henry Hooker. It remains an operating cattle ranch and is owned as of 2012 by Jesse Hooker Davis, great-great-great-grandson of Henry Hooker, who took over management from his grandmother, Jacqueline Hooker Hughes. The Sierra Bonita Ranch was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964 but it is not open to the public. In 1959, Henry Hooker was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. In popular culture In the 1993 film Tombstone, Hooker was portrayed by actor Charlton Heston. Lynn R. Bailey wrote a book about him and the ranch titled Henry Clay Hooker and the Sierra Bonita. See also Edward Landers Drew References External links Earp vendetta ride Arizona ranches Legends of America Buckskin and Satin Arizona Heritage Sierra Bonita Ranch Henry Hooker and his Sierra Bonita Ranch American cattlemen Ranchers from Arizona Cowboys American people of English descent People from Hinsdale, New Hampshire 1907 deaths 1828 births Arizona pioneers Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from Graham County, Arizona People from Placerville, California