The 3X Brand

One of Arizona’s most enduring brands had its beginning back in 1885 when Fred Fritz Sr. settled along the Blue River, north of Clifton, and started a cow ranch. He was from the German settlement of Fredericksburg, Texas, spoke with a thick German accent and could neither read nor write the English language. One day a brand inspector rode into the Blue River country and informed Fritz the times were a-changin’ and he needed to register his brand. After filling out the necessary papers for the cattleman, the inspector handed him a paper to sign. With hands gnarled and callused from working cattle, He scrawled an “X” in the proper place. It was necessary to have two witnesses so he called a couple of cowhands over and they too marked their X beside the boss’s.

“Now,” the official explained, “you must draw your brand in the box at the bottom of the page.”

The cowman stared at the three “signatures” for a moment, then with slow deliberation, marked three X’s in the box and the Triple X, one of Arizona’s most famous brands was born.