Family business bridges Western Frontier to Space Age by imagining what could be in Arizona’s high country.
Flagstaff, in the Arizona Territory, was an unplanned and final stop on the brothers’ trip West to find suitable land for a cattle ranch – a dream they held with their other three brothers back in Cincinnati. David, the oldest, could feel his shoulders droop in disbelief and disappointment. He breathed a sign of exasperation and said to Billy, “Hold onto your bags. I don’t think we’ll be here long.”
“And that could have been the end of the story for the Babbitt brothers and their adventure in the Western Frontier,” said Babbitt Ranches President and General Manager Billy Cordasco. “But it takes a special kind of person to see what could be, rather than what is in the present. People like that built the West and continue to shape the future. These young men didn’t stay discouraged for long.”
As sun rose on that spring morning, the day’s early rays revealed majestic snowcapped mountains stretching out of the expansive ponderosa forest. They were stunned by the beauty before them. The brisk gentle breeze carried the clean scent of pine and began to lift their spirits. The bustling excitement of businesspeople getting to work and rebuilding their town filled the streets.
Near the train depot, the good natured and well-connected town doctor opened his make-shift office. The brothers knew about Doc Brannen and were prepared with a letter of introduction. The doctor listened to their story and upon hearing that they had $20,000 to spend, he understood that these young men were serious buyers if the right opportunity were to present itself.
As fate would have it, Doc Brannen was aware that a healthy herd of cattle had just arrived east of town and the owners were anxious to sell. With great enthusiasm, he shared the news – which is just what the brothers needed to heal their hearts and rekindle their flame. In that conversation, whether they recognized it or not, the Babbitt brothers’ new home and new life was beginning to take form – the beginning of a ripple effect that would not only impact Flagstaff, but the nation. Their future had found its place.
A Family Business, an American Story
“This is a classic American story,” said Cordasco. “It’s about paying attention to what’s unfolding around us, listening with intention, and finding our place within it – stepping forward in ways that allow us to participate in something meaningful and bigger than all of us.”
Through market shifts, seasons of abundance and drought, times of conflict and times of peace – and even through global pandemics – the family business has endured. “We believe that endurance comes from staying grounded in values, character and guiding principles across generations. We are part of a living community of land, water, air and life – belonging within it and responsible to it. That belonging is both a gift and a calling: to care for what is here today and to carry it forward in strength and beauty for those still to come.”
At the heart of that journey is the broader community: employees and their families who have walked this path across generations, alongside neighbors and partners, whose shared commitment and care have carried the Babbitt Ranches Community forward for 140 years.
There’s hardly a business or community venture that the Arizona Babbitts did not participate in. They continue to be a force in the nation’s agriculture industry and through the years, have built trading posts and helped develop towns, operated a car dealership, butcher shop, department store, livery stable, lumber supply warehouse and funeral parlor, among other ventures. They have played integral roles cultivating the Northern Arizona arts community, supporting educational institutions, preserving history, enlisting in the military and serving as government officials.
Their passion for science and conservation is evident through the many research projects they have participated in on their land, including the return of the once endangered black-footed ferret, creation of the SP Crater Golden Eagle Conservation Complex and anemometer studies for the exploration of wind energy.
More than 40,000 acres on Babbitt Ranches are held in conservation easements to ensure that generations to come will be able to enjoy these open spaces.
For decades, the ranch has also served as a place of learning and preparation beyond the horizon. Since the 1960s, NASA astronauts and engineers have trained here in support of Apollo, Mars and now Artemis missions, and the Babbitt Ranches land ethic carries forth to other worlds.
“We recognize that the health of land, economy and community are woven together, each strengthening the others through thoughtful participation,” said Cordasco. “Our decisions are guided by ecological intelligence, cultural respect, economic responsibility and the wisdom carried across generations, ensuring the benefits of the land and community carry forward.”
Breaking Ground on Arizona’s Largest Solar, Storage Complex
Currently, along with raising cattle, providing recreational opportunities, generating wind power and engaging in advanced technology and scientific research, Babbitt Ranches is marking its 140th anniversary with a milestone clean energy project and a celebratory groundbreaking event planned for later this year.
The CO Bar Clēnera Solar and Storage Complex is Arizona’s most ambitious solar and battery storage development and one of the largest such efforts in the nation, with a 1,211-megawatt solar farm and 1,000-megawatt battery energy storage facility.
“When Northern Arizona University’s engineering department showed up about 25 years ago wanting to explore wind and solar resources on Babbitt Ranches, this was brand new territory for us,” Cordasco said, reflecting on the journey into clean energy.
“Then, Clēnera showed up,” he continued. “These guys were right in line with the values and principles that are important to Babbitt Ranches. Solar energy sounded like an opportunity – not only for generating clean energy, but for showing the next generation that Babbitt Ranches is more than cattle and horses and conservation in and of itself. It is about being part of something bigger than ourselves – going from life to energy to light.”
That combination of large-scale generation and long-duration storage is what sets the project apart from earlier solar developments, said Clēnera CEO Jared Mckee. “It strengthens Arizona’s energy reliability, reduces dependence on fossil fuels and supports a more resilient electrical grid as population growth and energy demand continue to rise.”
Nearly a century and a half since David and Billy Babbitt were awestruck by Northern Arizona’s breathtaking Peaks, sprawling forest, alpine meadows, deep canyons, rolling hills and vast open spaces, the Babbitt Ranches Community believes the land will continue to present opportunities, as it always has.
“We live our responsibility as stewards – participating with the land in ways that honor its strength, beauty and natural capacity,” said Cordasco. “Through that care, we create enduring value that carries forward, serving both present needs and future possibilities.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Courtesy Photo: Roping cattle on horseback is one of the many traditions practiced on the ranch since 1886.
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