Working Ranch Magazine January/February 2025

mesa country where the ranch is bordered by Burro Creek Canyon, a treacherous, brush and tree-filled canyon bottoming out at 3,000 feet. The landscape has proven to be excel lent cow country, but to utilize the range fully, one must be willing to ride. Much of the ranch can only be reached by horseback as it’s too steep, rocky and devoid of roads, paths, or trails large enough to accommodate a vehicle. Ranching here is not without its challenges. Still, the rewards are equally significant.

him a chance to learn ranching and cowboying, which supplemented the strong work ethic instilled in him by his blue-collar parents. As a young adult, KJ helped on ranches and trained horses. He recalls breaking his first horse when he was just 11 years old. His college years took him to California on a baseball scholarship, but his roots kept him grounded. He started colts in California, riding sixty to seventy colts a year. Eventually, his hard work paid off when a cutting horse

elationships have been the fertile ground in which Swayze and Kathy McCraine planted their ranching legacy. Over a lifetime of hard work and perseverance Swayze, who passed away in 2020, and

Kathy orchestrated a way to con tinue that legacy long into the future, through the people they’ve invested in. Kathy McCraine graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in journalism after a childhood of ranching with her family in Walnut Grove, Arizona, south of Prescott. With her live stock background, moving into a career in livestock publications was a logical decision. In 1976, San Antonio eventually called her over as editor of the Brangus Journal, where she met Swayze. After graduating from Louisiana State University with a degree in Animal Science, Swayze went to work for Great Plains Western Corporation, a ranch ing investment company head quartered in Los Angeles. He was managing one of their ranches in San Antonio when he and Kathy met. Holy matrimony followed a year after their meeting. Swayze and Kathy moved across the lower half of the United States, from San Antonio to Los Angeles, Mississippi, and eventually returning to Arizona, and their ranching heritage. Kathy’s family part nered with the couple on the Wagon Bow Ranch in Wikieup, Arizona. An opportunity arose to sell that ranch for a good price, and Swayze asked Kathy if she would sell. She responded, “Only if we can buy the 7 Up Ranch.” The 7 Up Ranch, north of Prescott, Arizona, became part of Campwood Cattle Company, which the McCraines formed in 1999. Today, it includes the 7 Up, the Kate, and The TT’s Ranch, a grow yard, and a stocker lease south of the Grand Canyon. A deep history found in beautiful yet incredibly rough terrain. Its elevation peaks at 7,000 feet, where Ponderosa pines and volcanic rock surround you. Traveling to the west, you hit rough

Kathy McCraine

PHOTO BY KATHY MCCRAINE

MENTOR TO PARTNER Partnerships have long been essen tial to the McCraines, as is seen in their relationships with employees, fellow ranchers, friends, and family. The ranching industry is not just about cattle and land but also about the people who work together to make it successful. KJ Kasun, a long-time men tee of Swayze’s and family friend, was brought in to partner on Campwood Cattle Company in 2009. KJ and Swayze go back almost 35 years to a time when KJ was just a boy and Swayze, a man described as always happy and often a jokester, was willing to take the time and effort to cart him around to give

trainer asked him to move to Texas as an apprentice. KJ was fortunate to study under cowboys who refined their horsemanship skills. Buster Welch, Russ Westfall, and Shannon Hall were first and foremost cowboys and horsemen who took the time to teach him how to train horses. From there, he completed a ten-year pro fessional career in the cutting horse world. Not only did the colt and cut ting training teach him horseman ship, dedication, and hard work, but it also required cattle management. Training a cutting horse involves a lot of cattle, so he always kept 800 to 1,000 head of yearlings around. This JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2025 I 65