At this time, Zeniff consisted primarily of single room adobe cabins and frame houses.

Being a guaranteed water source with fenced pastures for cattle, cowboys often made Zeniff a routine stop.

In November 1927, some of Zeniff's landowners met in Snowflake to form a corporation "to acquire land through purchase of lease for farming or grazing or sub-leasing to others."

By June 1928, fifty acres of corn were planted, in addition to oats and clovers for yearling calves.

In order to finance farming that summer and purchase sheep for the fall, the corporation mortgaged their stock.

It is unknown if the failure was due to indecisiveness, poor management, lack of capitalization or any combination of the three.

[2] Additional families had arrived in Zeniff by the late 1920s, further stretching the low water supply.

In 1937, to avoid defaulting on the mortgage, a "mutually beneficial" contract was drawn up by Fred Turley (family friend and local dude ranch owner).

Mr. Turley was to receive deeded and leased land, and access to 2 stock watering tanks in trade for cancellation of the Bushman mortgage.

In 1956, Southwest Forest Industries purchased all of the land to build a paper pulp mill with the intent of using the "Dry Lakes" for waste water storage.