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Circa 1950's Mowry, Arizona

Circa 1944 & 1953

Alfredo Castillo Heredia was born on October 27, 1909
in the Calabasas, Arizona area.
At an early age Alfredo learned to rope and ride. This skill would benefit
him when his father, Juan Heredia, died in May, 1928.
Juan's widow, Guadalupe (Castillo), had been left with eight children
to raise including an infant. So, at the age of eighteen, Alfredo and
his younger brother, Manuel, supported the family
working on the same ranch in the Calabasas area where
his father had been working at the time of his death.

During his lifetime Alfredo worked as a cowboy on ranches from
Ruby and the Calabasas area to the Huachuca Mountains. He also
did some mining but cow punching was his passion.
He was a fine roper and cowboy and loved to participate in area rodeos.
As he advanced in age younger ropers vied for the
opportunity to rope with the "old man." He is an inductee of the
Santa Cruz County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Alfredo was also a good lion hunter. He had excellent hunting hounds
which he trained and sometimes sold. He was often called on by
area ranchers whenever there was evidence of cattle having been
killed by a lion and he was mostly successful in killing the responsible
lion. He was also known to capture a lion live by roping it.
His lion kill total was around 100.

Alfredo married Angelina Castillo Martinez February 14, 1935.
They had four daughters--Aida, Amelina, Arsenia and Anarinda.

Alfredo died on February 20, 1984

This was contributed by his daughter Amelina Heredia Young.

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