Will Croft Barnes (1858–1936) was an American soldier, rancher, author, and legislator, known for his U.S. Army Signal Corps service and contributions to Arizona history. He played a key role in preserving Western heritage and documenting Arizona place names.
Born in San Francisco, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps (1879) and was stationed at Fort Apache, Arizona Territory. Awarded the Medal of Honor (1882) for bravery during an Apache attack (1881,) he left the military in 1883 to become a rancher and legislator, advocating land conservation and historical preservation. Barnes later served in the U.S. Forest Service (1907–28,) helping preserve the Longhorn cattle breed. His contributions to Arizona history and conservation earned lasting recognition.
Barnes authored several books, including Western Grazing Grounds and Forest Ranges (1913,) Tales from the X-bar Horse Camp (1920,) The Cowboy and His Songs (1925,) Apaches & Longhorns: The Reminiscences of Will C. Barnes (1982,) and Arizona Place Names (1987,) documenting Western folklore, ranching culture, and Arizona’s geographic history.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Will C. Barnes
Stop living a life in which you are not in control of and join forces with the universe in which we are all a part of. Expand your consciousness and be grateful for every instance in the physical plane, it is what you must decide if you want to live the life that you want.
—Will C. Barnes
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