Chamber names Cox family for cowboy honor

The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce is celebrating Western Bank’s National Day of the American Cowboy Saturday, July 25, by recognizing the pioneer W.W. Cox ranch family of the Organ Mountains. The chamber held its first American Cowboy event last year, honoring Frank DuBois, former New Mexico Department of Agriculture director, state secretary of agriculture and founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship at New Mexico State University. The narration on the Cox family has been compiled by agriculture committee member Steve Wilmeth, who interviewed members of the Cox family and researched historical documents. W.W. Cox arrived at San Augustine in the Organ Mountains in 1888 looking for rangeland for his sheep. W.W. Cox was originally from Dewitt, Texas, inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Disputes caused by cattle- rustling and lingering Civil War animosity developed into a feud. One of the victims was James W. Cox, W.W. Cox’s father, who was killed in an ambush. W.W. Cox vowed he would get even, but had to leave Texas “in a hurry,” according to the narrative. W.W. Cox eventually went into the beef business and increased his grazing holdings to 150,000 acres. He and his wife, the former Margaret Rhode, had 10 children, including Hal, Jim and A.B., who became ranchers. W.W. Cox died in 1923. The ranch operated as an estate until 1926, when the brothers and Eckert Stablein brought the ranch from the other heirs. They ran it until 1936, when Hal took the northern portion, Jim bought out Stablein and A.B. used his money to buy an Otero Mesa ranch, according to the narration. Sara Cox Hopkins, a granddaughter of W.W. Cox and daughter of A.B. Cox, said she believes people who are tied to the land are part of what has made this a great country...LasCrucesBulletin