John Wayne and a cattle ranch. Those two things go together about as well – or even better than – peanut butter and jelly, a burger and fries, and bacon and eggs.
So, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that the Hollywood legend once owned his own cattle ranch. According to a 2020 blog post on JohnWayne.com, the Duke co-owned a ranch, located in Arizona. It was known as 26 Bar Ranch.
In addition to being a working cattle ranch, 26 Bar Ranch was also used as a location for some of John Wayne’s classics. Films included “Stagecoach” and “Red River.”
A video tour of the beautiful 26 Bar Ranch is available online. It includes views of John Wayne’s front yard there, interiors of the home on the property – including a living room decked out in knotty pine with a large fireplace, and a view from the high country at approximately 10,000 feet overlooking Round Valley.
The video also showed the cowboys and cowgirls who worked on the ranch at the time. In addition to footage of the home and property, a few of the prized cattle at the 26 Bar Ranch were also showcased. The 26 Bar Ranch brand is even visible on the side of one of the bulls.
You can watch the video tour below.
A photo of John Wayne at his 26 Bar Ranch was shared via Twitter in 2019. The Duke posed next to one of his prized cattle.
John Wayne Brought in Qualified People to Help Him Operate His Cattle Ranch
John Wayne was a smart man who wanted to learn. So, when it came to the operations of 26 Bar Ranch, he turned to an expert for help. That man was rancher Louis Johnson. He helped Wayne learn the ropes of the cattle ranch and make money in the venture.
While working together, the two men reportedly became very close friends. Wayne and Johnson were known to make bets between them. Those bets had pretty high stakes. In fact, both of the men won a few new cars off of the other.
Another individual who helped John Wayne with his cattle ranch was Temple Grandin. This was long before she became an authority on autism and animal behavior.
Grandin visited 26 Bar Ranch on a day when Duke was there. She presented new technology to him and he believed she knew what she was doing. So, Wayne hired Grandin to put in a curved cattle chute she had created at the ranch.
Her work at 26 Bar Ranch proved to be beneficial for Grandin and for Wayne. Much of what she did there was later put into practice by others in the livestock trade.
