John Evans
John Evans
Tolleson - Maricopa County
Inducted in 2018
It is said by those who knew him that John Evans’ word was his bond.
Born in Elsie, Michigan in 1900, John Henry Evans spent a lifetime in agriculture. His
parents, Robert and Laura Evans, moved to Phoenix when John was ten years old where his father established a 200 acre farm and Holstein dairy.
When John was young, farmers weren’t allowed to photograph the markings on their cows to identify them for registration so he picked up a pencil and drew the markings.
When John graduated from Glendale High School in 1918, his father made him the herdsman of the dairy and foreman of the farming operations. A position he held until 1928.
In 1924, John married Bertina Brooks. The young couple lived on the dairy until 1935, when they built a home at what is now 73rd Avenue and West Van Buren on a farm John had acquired from his father in 1928. The homestead was headquarters for all his companies and his family’s home.
His farming operation was growing. He rented additional farmland from his father and neighbors. Around 1930, John started doing general tillage around the Salt River and Casa Grande Valleys under the name, “Evans Tillage” to help pay for his equipment and farm expenses. He harvested grain and did general tillage work for various vegetable, cotton and grain farmers. The endeavor grew over the years to have over twenty heavy Caterpillar tractors and assorted equipment and six John Deere combines when he sold the company in 1954. In addition to his other work he was a subcontractor for Del E. Webb in the building of the Luke Field runway in 1941.
Williams Livestock in Williams, Arizona was established with is partner San Spitalny in 1944. The ranch consisted of 110,000 acres of private and federal grazing land. The company ran over 1000 head of commercial Aberdeen Angus cattle. Also in 1944, John established the Phoenix Angus Farms, where he had 100 registered Aberdeen Angus cattle. Some of his herd came from the J.C. Penny herd in Missouri. It was the first registered Angus herd in Arizona. His interest in the breed didn’t stop there. He was founding president of the Arizona Aberdeen Angus Association in 1948, and was a founding director of the Arizona Livestock Show 1948.
John’s influence was far reaching. In the early 1950s, he and his son-in-law, Jack Shawver, were able to obtain a five year improvement lease on about 1000 acres of Salt River Indian Nation land. There are similar leases today between the Salt River Nation and other non-Indian farmers.
John passed away in 1962. Bertina continued to run the registered Angus herd until 1964 when the herd was sold.
Affiliations
Member of the Salt River Project Board of Governors for over 20 years (1941-1962) representing SRP District 3
Fowler Elementary Board of Trustees for over 20 years
Margaret Brooks Memorial Methodist Church in Phoenix - Lifelong member and trustee
