Steve and Karen Hamm own 777 acres just five miles west of Alpena, Ark. When they first visited the area, they were living in Phoenix and were on a short vacation. Little did they know that northern Arkansas was destined to become their new home.
Steve said, “I have a friend that moved here first, a retired policeman. He heard about the area from a friend of his in Phoenix and they moved out here first. We came out on a vacation to visit them. We weren’t even looking for a place. But we liked it so much when we came here in 1990 that by December of ’91 we bought this place.”
The Hamms found out that the ranch had a rich history, dating back to pre-Civil War time. The area was known as Denton Cove. Two families, the Dentons and the Sneeds, lived in the area and raised horses and mules. Because of their location between the north and south, they were able to sell their animals to both sides during the Civil War. The ranch the Hamms bought was known as Denton Plantation.
It took a few years for them to relocate, but in 1995 the family moved to northern Arkansas. The land they had purchased was an existing cattle ranch, but it needed development. They knew they needed more than just cattle to make it financially, so they set about building cabins and establishing horse trails.
“The people we bought it from were from Florida and were trying to make a retreat center out of it. But they got older, ran out of money, ran out of time and decided to sell it. But they did a lot of improving on the place, too. They cleared pastures, built fence and that sort of work.”
After Steve and Karen came, some of the cabins and land were used as a rehabilitation camp for young people. As part of the rehabilitation program, the young people were taught skills and expected to work. Many of the trails were established and most of the building of the cabins was accomplished by these young people, with the Hamms providing all the materials.
After a period of time, the camp had served its purpose and moved on. The Hamms were left with five rustic cabins, a guest house and a series of horse trails that they developed into the Rockin’ Z Guest Ranch. Today each six-person fully equipped cabin provides privacy with all the modern amenities that a guest needs in order to be comfortable.
Steve said that sometimes guests bring their own horses, but “most of the time it’s people that want to rent horses from us, and they come here because we have horseback riding and because we have a big place with lots of trails.”
In addition to the cabins and trails, the Rockin’ Z is also a working cattle ranch. They maintain a herd of 125 momma cows, mostly black, bred with bulls, and they sell their calves at auction two to three times a year. The Hamms cut and bale their own hay from a 32-acre pasture. Steve puts up over 600 round bales each season.
The chores of the ranch are taken care of by Steve, Karen and their two youngest sons, Justin, age 14, and Andrew, 10. The four older Hamm children return home from time to time and help out. Occasionally, friends or past guests will come and actually stay on the ranch for extended periods of time and help with the day-to-day operations.
Steve and Karen feel that the cattle ranch and the guest ranch compliment each other, and hope to expand the guest ranch with wagon rides and seasonal activities.
The Hamms wanted a good place to raise their kids and be a part of a community. They feel they’ve accomplished their goal and desire to share that experience with others.
