In 1918, Art Routledge bought an abandoned ranch in Bland Canyon and brought his wife Ethel and young son from Albuquerque to the rough mining town of Bland. Two years later, he bought another abandoned ranch in Freelove Canyon and moved there with his family, which now include two sons, Herb and Elmer, also known as Joe. Art was a master horseman, and his main business was training and trading horses, but he also farmed potatoes, raised cattle, supplied lumber camps and worked as a Hollywood stunt man. In the 1930s, he added to their holdings by buying a ranch on Thompson Ridge.
