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Lizard Acres, Arizona

Coordinates: 33°38′07″N 112°20′43″W / 33.63528°N 112.34528°W / 33.63528; -112.34528
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Lizard Acres, Arizona
Cattle ranch, train stop
Lizard Acres, AZ.jpg
Lizard Acres sign in Surprise, Arizona
Lizard Acres is located in Arizona
Lizard Acres
Lizard Acres
Lizard Acres is located in the United States
Lizard Acres
Lizard Acres
Coordinates: 33°38′07″N 112°20′43″W / 33.63528°N 112.34528°W / 33.63528; -112.34528
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyMaricopa
Area
 • Total3 sq mi (8 km2)
Elevation
[1]
1,191 ft (363 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (MST)
ZIP codes
85375
Area code(s)480, 602, 623
FIPS code04-41645
GNIS feature ID24498

Lizard Acres was a former cattle ranch, subdivision, and train stop situated in Maricopa County, Arizona, near the present day town of Surprise.[2] It has an estimated elevation of 1,191 feet (363 m) above sea level.[1]

Lizard Acres (noted as Lizard on topographic maps) was a train stop just north of Surprise, Arizona. The stop is near current day Grand Avenue and Bell Road in Surprise, Arizona.[3] The site also held a cattle farm.[4]

History

[edit]

In the 1940s, ranchers from Holbrook, Arizona, R. S. Spurlock and J. C. Wetzler were looking for land for a proposed 1,900 acre site for a new ranch. Their search led them to land one mile east of where the intersection of Grand Avenue and Bell Road is today. Spurlock is rumored to have declared "Jumpin' Jehosophat, this country isn't fit for raising anything but lizards!"[5] As a result, the ranch was nicknamed "Lizard Acres,” but officially was called Circle One Livestock Company.[6]

In the early 1960s, the ranch held 13,000 cattle.[7] The Circle One Livestock Company ranch was one of the leading cattle operations in the southwest.[5] Throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, the ranch began selling parts of its land to Del E. Webb to build Sun City West, Arizona, a retirement community. [8][6][9]

Legacy

[edit]

Although the ranch known as “Lizard Acres” is gone, a sign bearing the name remains along the BNSF (former Santa Fe) railroad tracks that run adjacent to Grand Avenue, 1/2 mile north of Bell Road.[10][11]

A pub in Sun City West also bears the name, paying homage to the cattle ranch that stood on the land it now calls home.[12]

An art installation in Scottsdale, Arizona is named after the former ranch as well. Designed by artist Joe Tyler, who remembers the ranch from his childhood, it features many steel animals and plants.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Feature Detail Report for: Lizard". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Lizard (in Maricopa County, AZ) Populated Place Profile". AZ Hometown Locator. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  3. ^ Alcock, Nancy (August 1, 2014). "'Lizard Acres' grew to become today's Surprise". Arizona Republic.
  4. ^ "Sights, sounds of W. Valley's past". The Arizona Republic. December 3, 1999.
  5. ^ a b "Lizard Acres - Spurlock & Wetzler Feed Lot". Arizona Memory Project. 1975. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  6. ^ a b "Cattleman J. Charles Wetzler dies at 75; aided CAP, ASU in public service career". Arizona Republic. March 14, 1983.
  7. ^ Cole, Ben (March 12, 1961). "Cattleman beefs at legend". Arizona Republic.
  8. ^ Buchta, Jim (February 1, 1997). "Leaving the cold and snow behind". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. p. H5.
  9. ^ "Lizard Acres cattle feed lot - site of Sun City West development". Arizona Memory Project. 1975. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  10. ^ "Lizard Acres sign". Arizona Memory Project. 1980. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  11. ^ Alcock, Nancy (July 31, 2014). "History: Lizard Acres became Surprise". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  12. ^ "Lizard Acres Pub | Sun City West Active Adult Retirement Golf Community". 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  13. ^ "Lizard Acres | Scottsdale Public Art". 2001-06-12. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
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