Welcome To the
X Diamond Ranch
Some of us fall into our roles in life by accident. Others, such as
Wink Crigler, are born into them. Described by many as a woman with “natural grit and cow sense,” Crigler seemed destined to become
a protector of both animals and land—and of the dying culture that binds them.
As owner of the X Diamond Ranch, Crigler is a true daughter of the
Old West. A fourth-generation rancher, she maintains the homestead that her great grandparents first settled in the early 1890s. Today, thousands of visitors come to the X Diamond, which is nestled in the
South Fork Canyon near Greer, Arizona, to fly fish in the Little Colorado River or to spend time in one of the luxury cabins and simply enjoy fresh mountain air. But for Crigler, the working ranch is more than a destination. It’s a way of life. “When you’re born into it, and that’s what you grow up knowing, you develop an appreciation and passion for caring for resources and for the animals that sustain and
maintain on those resources,” she says.
To protect the traditions and integrity of ranching, in 2008 Crigler helped establish the Ranching Heritage Alliance, an organization dedicated to improving the sustainability and stewardship of the landscape and everything on it. A year later, she received the
National Rangeland Management Award from the
U.S. Forest Service for her work in conservation planning
and resource and livestock management.
Her interest in history extends beyond the land to the ranch’s people, as well. In 1985, Crigler opened the Little House Museum to commemorate her family’s story. Since then, the museum has expanded in size and scope to several buildings housing family research, local collectibles and historical research on everything from the Little Colorado River to nearby Fort Apache.
In 2012, Crigler was named an Arizona Culturekeeper by the
Arizona Historical Foundation, and in 2017, she joined the ranks
of such notables as Sandra Day O’Connor, Barry Goldwater and
Eddie Basha when she was inducted as a Historymaker
by the Arizona Historical League.