Territorial News www.territorialnews.com www.facebook.com/TerritorialNews Vol. 33, No. 7 Your Connection to the Old West October 30, 2019

Next Issue Wednesday November 13 Legendary Lawman Was Play One of the “” Trivia See Page 2 for Details mong the legend- young Heck, as he’d come ary lawmen of to be known, with him as a A the Old West, the courier. “Three Guardsmen,” Heck On September 1, 1862, This Week’s Thomas, and Federal General Philip Question: , are among Kearny was killed in Chan- the most respected. The tilly on the last day of the three men were largely re- Second Battle of Bull Run. The famous sponsible for eliminating Heck was entrusted with jazz musician organized crime in the wild, the general’s horse and Charles Mingus was undeveloped lands of the equipment and was ordered born in what Territory in the by General Robert E. Lee Arizona city? late 1800s. It was said that to take them through the (7 Letters) Thomas, working for Judge lines to General Kearney’s Isaac Parker at Fort Smith widow. He recounted this and later as a deputy U.S. in a letter: “One evening marshal, brought to justice while the fight was going Index more criminals than any on or, rather, just before lawman in the territory. dark, a soldier came to the Arizona Kid...... 11 Henry Andrew Thom- rear where Uncle Ed’s bag- Arizona Trivia...... 2 as was born in Oxford, gage and the darkies and I Business Directory...... 18 Georgia, near , on were, leading a black horse Classifieds...... 18 January 6, 1850. He was with saddle and bridle. He Jim Harvey...... 2 the youngest of twelve brought also a sword. Just 150 Years Ago...... 10 children. His father and after this, uncle were officers in the crossed over into , Confederate Army. Henry’s capturing Frederick city; father was wounded in the that was after taking Harp- six-day battle around Rich- er’s Ferry and about 14,000 In Their Own Words mond and when the elder federal prisoners. These Thomas had healed, he re- Sagebrush, Lava Rock, turned to the army and took (See Guardsman on Page 4) and Rattlers Bannack, Montana upreme Court Justice control the nostalgic urges ohn White and sev- Plummer was an early William O. Douglas of every person. For Holm- eral partners found arrival in Bannack, and grew up in the state of es it was granite rocks and J gold along Mon- it wasn’t long before he S tana’s Grasshopper Creek organized fellow crimi- Washington. He was an avid barberry bushes. For others outdoorsman and environ- it may be lilacs, sycamores, on July 28, 1862. Soon, nals into a band of “Road mentalist, serving for a time willows, the checkerboard hundreds of Idaho pros- Agents” or “Innocents” on the Board of Director of of wheat lands, or rolling pectors hurried up the (the latter because one the Sierra Club. He wrote hills. My love is for what Mullan Road, a military of their secret greetings several popular books about many would put down as highway, to get in on the was “I am innocent”). his wilderness adventures, the dreariest aspects of the strike. From a population The Road Agents identi- including Strange Lands and dry foothills of the West-- of 400 in the fall of 1862, fied themselves by secret Friendly People, Beyond the sagebrush and lava rock. Bannack boomed to 800 handshakes and neck- High Himalayas, North from This sagebrush (Ar- the following spring, erchief knots, and they Supreme Court Justice then to 3,000 by midsum- were known to mark Malaya, and the one from William O. Douglas temisia tridenta Nutt.) is which this account is taken, found throughout the West. mer, with another 2,000 stagecoaches with code Of Men and Mountains. ing that every devil praises It is as American as the New scattered around nearby symbols indicating they the marshes where he was diggings. There is a Russian say- born. Early associations (See The Desert on Page 6) The notorious Henry (See Ghost Town on Page 8) Page 2 Territorial News October 30, 2019

A Chinook Prayer Arizona - Web of Time May all I say and all I think thwarted by a group of peo- be in harmony with thee, Jim Harvey ple who didn’t like the idea God within me, of capital punishment being The Arizona Trail God beyond me, a public spectacle and tore maker of the trees. the grandstand down. Huge parts of Earth his- on the same day on the same - Chinook prayer, Pacific Northwest Coast tory are visible in the walls gallows. The planned execu- Also at Tombstone in of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. tion created a great deal of the 1880s a man was found Rock formations show the local interest and an enter- guilty of passing counterfeit Captain’s Bar Presents fluctuations in the level of prising carpenter decided money. The justice of the oceans, the presence of an- to profit from it. He built peace decided his punish- ARIZONA TRIVIA cient river channels, islands a grandstand with a good ment would be running the This Week’s Question: The famous jazz musician and mountains, and fossils view of the gallows and an- gauntlet between two long Charles Mingus was born in what Arizona city? revealing much of the story nounced he would sell seats lines of men who kicked (7 Letters) of life. to those who wanted to take and punched him beyond the the weight off their feet town limits and told him not Last Issue’s Question: Arizona’s population grew rapidly In 1884 at Tombstone while they watched five men ever to return. after World War II, due in part to the development of what? die at the end of five ropes. Answer: Air Conditioning five convicted murderers were scheduled to be hung However, the carpenter was The town of Snowflake Congratulations! You got the right answer! south of Holbrook and Inter- state 40 was named in 1878 Leo Achin, Joan Adelman, James Case, Larry Damer, Richard Fordyce, Kevin Gartley, Robert Lidgett, Robert Ringer, William Smith, Gary Swanson, for its two founders, Erastus Richard Valley. Snow and Williams Flake, and not for what falls from How to Play the winter sky. Letters are hidden in the advertisements. Find the letters to spell the answer. Submit your answer with your name, address & phone Dr. S. W. Woodhouse number on a postcard for the current issue’s question to Territorial was the physician assigned Publishing, P.O. Box 1690, Apache Junction, AZ 85217. Look for the answer in the next issue. To have your name listed in the next to an 1851 U.S. Army de- issue, cards must be received no later than 10 days past the current tachment exploring northern issue of the Territorial News. For example: submitted answers to Arizona west to the Colo- the 10/30/19 question, deadline is 11/08/19. Limit one postcard per household per issue. Must be at least 18 years old. Remember rado River and California. In to put your name on your entry! addition to treating himself for rattlesnake bite and a leg wounded by an Indian arrow he had to cope with cases of the flu, cholera, and vene- real disease among the ex- pedition’s 50 other members whose digestions frequently were upset because they ate too much mule meat.

Touring professional entertainers performing in 1902 in the Williams Opera House included a poet, im- personator, pianist, violinist, singers and dancers.

On January 16, 1932 O U.S. Army aircraft dropped five tons of food to hungry people cut off from the out- side world by deep snow on northern Arizona’s Navajo Territorial News Reservation. P. O. Box 1690, Apache Junction, AZ 85117 Phone 480-983-5009 Fax 480-393-0695 [email protected] For All Advertising Information: Linda Rae Stewart 480-522-7728 or [email protected] Ralph Henderson - Business Manager •David Stanfel - Editor Linda Rae Stewart - Ad Sales 480-522-7728 Michael Murphy - Layout & Design Richard Kimball - Writer The Territorial News is published by Territorial News Inc. The Territorial features Old West stories, photos and art that are part of our area’s rich and interesting past. The publisher assumes no liability for the opinions contained within this publication; all statements are the sole opinions of the contributors and/or advertisers. The Territorial’s East Valley coverage area includes areas east of Gilbert Road, including East Mesa, Apache Junction, Superstition Falls, Mountain Brook, Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. Copies are distributed free at convenience and grocery stores, restaurants and bars, RV parks and subdivisions and libraries. Subscriptions are also available. Merchandise or services advertised in the Territorial News are expected to be accurately described and readily available at advertised prices. Deceptive or misleading advertising is never knowingly accepted. To find out if a contractor is licensed call the Registrar of Contractors at 602-542-1525.All classified ads must be paid in advance. Standard ad rate is $2.00 per line or $10.00 per column inch. Payment may be made by check or credit card. Mail to Territorial News, P.O. Box 1690, Apache Junction, AZ 85117 or E-mail [email protected]. The Territorial News publishes every other Wednesday. Ad deadline is one week prior to printing. October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 3 Mountain Men Blazed Trails to Open Up the West

s early as 1783, riod that lasted almost until son’s purchase of the Loui- when Thomas Jef- the end of the 19th century. siana Territory spearheaded Aferson was a 40- It was a time that witnessed the age of westward expan- year-old congressman from the exploration of the en- sion. G , he entertained tire region—from the Mis- In 1848, newspa- dreams of a gov- per editor John ernment-spon- L. O’Sullivan sored explora- coined a term tion of the vast that captured lands beyond the zeal of the the Mississippi expansionists, River. whether they Finally, as were politicians president, Jef- interested in na- ferson realized tional achieve- his ambitions to ment or west- move the nation w a r d - m o v i n g westward. In pioneers caught 1803, President up in the nation- Jefferson direct- al state of mind. ed the purchase “Manifest Des- from the French tiny,” which held government of that the United the Louisiana States had a di- Territory, 1.5 vine right to billion acres of settle land from “I Took Ye for an Indian” by Frederic Remington virtually un- coast to coast, known lands west of the sissippi River to the Pacific became the catchphrase of Mississippi River. In so do- Ocean and from the Cana- the expansionists. ing, he set the stage for the dian border to the frontiers European trappers and exploration and settlement of Mexico—along with all of the American West, a pe- of its native peoples. Jeffer- (See Trappers on Page 10) Page 4 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Homesteading Women ll through the his- railroad, about 350,000 peo- Prairie homesteaders tory of the West, a ple journeyed west. Since often made their homes from Asteady flow of emi- the majority were families, the very earth they owned grant farmers poured into a large percentage of these because building materials the vast grass-covered plains homesteaders were women. on the plains were scarce. between the Mississippi and Life was never easy They hacked through the the Rockies. Thousands of for a homesteading woman. prairie to chop out bricks of women left their homes, While her husband built their sod to build the walls of their families, and friends in the home, hunted for food, or “soddies,” using the bare East to cross the Great Plains broke ground for planting, ground for flooring. Roofs with their husbands in search she served as the housekeep- were also made of sod, un- of new lands and new oppor- er, cook, teacher for her chil- less a family was fortunate tunities. Most women who dren, doctor, and all-around enough to find some willow tramped the western trails handy-person. In most cases, branches or rushes to use in- ended up in isolated stretch- she was miles from the near- stead. For the homesteading es of unsettled prairie or on est settlement, so she had to woman, keeping a soddie remote farm lands in Ore- perform her duties with only clean was nearly impossible. I’m anti-work but pro-paycheck so you see my dilemma. gon or California with little the equipment and supplies A rain shower could result in more than their land claim that she had the foresight to mud pouring down the walls, and a few household items. bring with her. Sometimes she while dust storms or heavy From the early 1840s, when had to undertake the grueling winds left a layer of dust on the Oregon Trail opened for chores traditionally reserved every surface. If the lifestyle emigrant travel, until 1869, for men, including plowing, wasn’t grueling enough, then when it was replaced by the hauling, and planting. nature often worked Heck Thomas Guardsman thing through the lines , un- Heck left the express der a flag of truce, to Gen- company to open his own (From Page 1) eral Kearney’s widow. I had detective agency at Fort ridden the horse and cared Worth, where he continued prisoners were held by un- for him up to that time, and his success. While pursu- cle Ed’s brigade, while the I hated to part with him.” ing two murderers from the army was fighting the Bat- After the war, Heck notorious Lee Gang, Heck tle of Sharpsburg. We could joined the Atlanta police gave them the chance to see the smoke and hear the force at the age of eighteen. surrender, as was his cus- cannon from Harper’s Fer- He gained fame as a fearless tom. Instead, the brothers ry. While we were at Harp- fighter after being wounded tried to shoot their way out er’s Ferry, General Lee sent in one of the city’s race ri- and died in the gunfire. an order to uncle Ed for the ots. In 1886, Heck again horse and equipments. I In 1875, he and his changed jobs, this time carried them forward, and wife moved to Texas where heading to Fort Smith to it was one of the proudest he worked for the Texas work for Judge Isaac Parker minutes of my life when I Express Company. He was as a Deputy U.S. Marshal. found myself under the ob- promoted to detective with- He would work for this servation of General Robert in a year after preventing court until 1892. Thom- E. Lee. Then General Lee a by hiding as often single-handedly sent the horse and every- $25,000 in an unlit stove. brought in outlaws, as was the case in his first excur- sion where he apprehended eight murderers, a bootleg- ger, a horse thief and seven other outlaws. Thomas was in on the near-capture of outlaw near Tahlequah around 1889. Thomas set the house on fire and hit the Indian with one of his shots, but Chris- tie managed to escape any- how. By 1891, Heck was trailing the , and then the Doolins. He captured and killed several members of both gangs. would say later that Heck Thom- as was their sole nemesis. After each holdup, Heck was in the field chasing the gang. He had worked

(See Guardsman on Page 12) October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 5 Page 6 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Sagebrush & Lava Rock

The Desert It also furnishes protec- years ago. There were at tion and moisture for the times centuries between the (From Page 1) myriad of wild flowers that various flows. This molten in springtime briefly paint rock poured largely out of England twang, the South- light streaks of blue and great fissures, not from vol- ern drawl, the “You bet” of yellow and white on desert canoes. It flooded the en- the West, or “Youse guys” slopes. And it is in its full tire Yakima country, which from Brooklyn. It covers glory when spring rains then was largely a lowland, the foothills around Yaki- fall. and covered most of what ma. It grows at 8,000 feet That’s the way I first is now the Cascades. There on Hart Mountain in south- remember it on the foothills were at least 28 layers of the ern Oregon. It holds the of Yakima at night. A light, hot, liquid rock poured over soil in place this country. throughout the Their aggre- western belt gate thickness from Canada is over 5,000 to Mexico. feet. It is the bush The rock that Lewis retains the and Clark heat of the sun called “south- throughout the ern wood.” night. For that It commonly reason the or- grows only a chards of Ya- foot and a half kima that are or two feet surrounded by high. But in outcroppings gullies and ra- of it are quite vines and oth- free from er spots that frosts that kill collect water fruit trees less for part of the favorably lo- year, it may cated. For that grow as high reason also, as a man’s rattlesnakes head. John are sometimes Scharff, superintendent of warm rain was falling. The found curled on lava rock, the Malheur Bird Refuge in air was permeated with the warming their bellies. southern Oregon, bragged smell of freshly dampened Once a rattler, so posi- of the Steens Mountain dust and with the pungent tioned, struck at me. I was sagebrush, “It’s real tim- but delicate odor of sage. standing on a steep hillside, ber, boys. This fall my first shoulder high to a ledge of job is to run some lines and The lave rock is part rimrock. I heard the rattle, cruise and scale it.” of the great Columbia lava and from the corner of my It’s tough and wiry; or basalt, which includes eye I saw him coiled and and it makes a quick, hot, some andesite. Layer upon ready to strike, not more that pungent fire. In the spring- layer of it underlies eastern two feet from my cheek. As time its tender new leaves Washington and Oregon. he struck I jumped, lost my make browse for antelope During the Tertiary period footing, and rolled 40 or so and sheep. Bunchgrass that it boiled up from the bowels feet down the ravine. Re- cures on the stalk, and pro- of the earth. The period of membering, I still seem to vides year-round food for its greatest activity was the stock, grows in its shade. Miocene, some 30 million (See The Desert on Page 15) October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 7 Armed Gang Attacks James Brothers’ Home

hen the U.S. gov- Pinkertons learned that the men were innocent victims ernment and the James boys periodically of the powerful railroads Wrailroads tired returned to their old family that had hired the Pinker- of Frank and Jesse James farm in Clay County, Mis- tons to wipe them out. robbing banks and trains souri, to visit with their After the attack on the throughout Missouri in the mother and other family. James farm, the Pinkertons early 1870s, the Pinkerton On the night of January appear to have backed off Detective Agency was giv- 26, 1875, a gang of men from their more aggres- en the task of thracking the surrounded the James farm sive tactics. Bob Ford, one outlaws down. in the mistaken belief that of the James Gang’s own The James brothers the James brothers were members and not a Pinker- were famous for their dar- inside. In an attempt to ton operative, ended up ing style, and some even flush the outlaws out of killing Jesse for a reward viewed the men as mod- the house, the gang threw in 1882. Frank James sur- ern-day Robin Hoods. The several flares through the rendered shortly thereafter, Pinkertons, though, had windows. Unexpectedly, but no jury would convict no such romantic illusions one of the flares exploded him, and he remained a free about the outlaws. One of instantly, killing Frank and and law-abiding citizen un- their best operatives work- Jesse’s young half-brother til his death in 1915. The ing on the case, John W. and blowing away their grave of Jesse, who was Witcher, had been found mother Zerelda’s arm. buried in the front yard of dead from a bullet wound Though the identity of the his mother’s farm, became to the stomach, with his gang members has never a popular tourist attraction. head, shoulder, and face been determined with ab- For many years, tourists eaten away by wild hogs. solute certainty, contempo- could pay Mrs. James 25¢ The Pinkertons were con- rary admirers of the James to visit the grave and listen vinced Jesse James and Brothers and modern-day to her tearful and melodra- another gang member had historians agree that the matic account of how venal murdered Witcher, and Pinkertons were probably Pinkertons and evil railroad they were determined to responsible. Regardless, barons had so unjustly per- stop the outlaws. the incident gave credence secuted her good and utter- In late 1874, the to the popular view that the ly innocent sons. Page 8 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Bannack, Montana

Ghost Town sheriff of Innocent-plagued lance committee of aroused Virginia City. citizens had been formed to (From Page 1) Plummer married young counter the Road Agents, Electra Elizabeth O’Brien and the hanging of Ives were to be robbed. during June of 1863. With- triggered as many as 30 ex- A promontory three in less than three months, ecutions. miles north of Bannack however, Mrs. Plummer From two Road Agents was the site of so many went home to her parents, hanged on January 4, 1864, holdups that it was dubbed perhaps having learned of the names of Henry Plum- Road Agents’ Rock. No one Henry’s nefarious activi- mer, Buck Stinson, Ned knows for certain Ray, and other Innocents how many solitary were extracted. Six days travelers and min- later, the Bannack vigilante ers were killed at chapter seized Plummer, the site for their Ray, and Stinson, hauling possessions, but them to the gallows that the total number of Plummer himself had re- murders attributed quested for the hanging of a to the Innocents horse thief. Ray and Stinson across the region died cursing, but Plummer numbered over begged for his life before 100. The Gibson Hotel in Bannack swinging from the gallows. Why are fish lousy tennis players? Fugitive Jack With order firmly es- They don’t like getting close to the net. Cleveland turned up in ties. Sheriff Plummer kept tablished, Bannack took Bannack and threatened to up appearances, however, shape along Main Street. reveal Plummer’s secret providing a sumptuous feast When the Montana Terri- leadership of the Innocents for prominent citizens to tory was created in May of unless he received a cut of celebrate Montana’s first 1884, Bannack was named the action. On January 14, territorial capital. 1863, Plummer shot Cleve- By the time the land to death in a gunfight in legislature con- Goodrich’s Saloon. The dy- vened in Decem- ing Cleveland whispered his ber, however, a information to blacksmith new rush was on Hank Crawford, whose ef- to Adler Gulch, forts to oppose the outlaw and it was decided leader triggered another to move the capital shootout. A friend of Cleve- to Virginia City. land’s wounded Plummer, The legislature but Crawford wisely left met in Bannack town. for two months, Impressed by Plum- then transferred mer’s willingness to stand to Virginia City in

up to opponents—and un- The Methodist church February of 1865. aware that he was ringlead- Bannack’s cit- er of the Road Agents—the Thanksgiving. izenry was also on the move. voters of Bannack elected A month later, Road The census of 1870 tallied him sheriff in May of 1863. Agent George Ives was just 762 residents, although Sheriff Plummer appointed hanged by vigilantes in Ne- the population remained at two of his henchmen, Ned vada City because he had the same level for another Ray and Buck Stinson, as murdered George Tiebalt decade. In 1875, Bannack deputies, and the following for $200 in gold dust and December he also became some mules. A large vigi- (See Ghost Town on Page 14) October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 9 Black Kettle Cheyenne Chief Tried to Avoid Conflict Although wrongs have bers near his camp in south- an unprovoked fight by gun- been done me I live in eastern Colorado, Black Ket- ning down Chief Lean Bear “ hopes,” reflected Chey- tle moved his camp to avoid and two other Cheyenne. enne Chief Black Kettle with any possibility of hostilities. Warriors in the vicinity num- what proved to be tragically Government officials once bered at least 500. As large false optimism. numbers arrived No western chief on the scene, the lived in more soldiers hast- consistent hope ily withdrew to- of maintaining ward Fort Larned. peaceful relations Black Kettle rode with whites—and among his war- no chief suffered riors, restraining deeper wrongs. them from a gen- More than most eral assault that of the stories of might have de- white encroach- stroyed the volun- ment, the tale of teers. Black Kettle il- Black Kettle lustrates the tragic consulted with his consequences of old friend, Wil- the white man’s liam Bent, who policies and preju- had built Bent’s dices. Fort. Bent told Born around Black Kettle that 1803 near the Colonel John M. Black Hills, Chief Chivington of Black Kettle Denver had or- (Moke-ta-ve-to) perceived presented Black Kettle with dered his Colorado Volunteers the enormous power of an enormous United States to attack and kill the Chey- the white man and was de- flag and he proudly flew it enne. “It is not my intention termined to avoid conflict from a pole above his tepee. or wish to fight the whites,” for the good of his people. On May 16, 1864, about asserted Black Kettle. I have a dog to provide me with unconditional love Whenever white soldiers or 100 Colorado Volunteers op- but I also have a cat to remind me that I don’t hunters arrived in large num- erating in imitated (See Chief on Page 13) deserve it. It’s all about balance. The Merchants of Historic Florence Welcome You! Page 10 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Mountain Men Trappers end they had traveled some most beaver habitats in the 8,000 miles. eastern United States were (From Page 3) No doubt, President Jef- played out as well. When ferson is due credit for initi- Lewis and Clark brought traders—mostly Spanish, ating the first official Ameri- back news that huge beaver French, and English—had can excursion into the West, populations thrived in the made frequent but limited but it was the fashion indus- mountains and river valleys excursions westward for try in the East and in Europe of the West, the door was many years before the first opened for the introduction United States explorers ar- of a unique breed of indi- rived on the scene. In 1804, vidual. He was the mountain Captains Meriwether Lewis man, and in the brief period and William Clark, along of forty years, he wandered with four dozen compan- over practically every square ions, left the bounds of their mile of the Great Plains, the known world to traverse an Rocky Mountains, the Or- immense and uncertain land- egon Country, and the Great scape. For two years, they Basin and Plateau regions. labored through the plains In 1806, when Lewis The worst thing about parallel parking is witnesses. and across the mountain wil- and Clark were on their way derness by land and by river, that created the incentive back to St. Louis from their documenting the flora and for the extensive explora- journey to the Pacific Ocean, fauna, establishing relations tion and exploitation of the they encountered Joseph with the inhabitants, study- region that followed. Felt, Dickson and Forrest Han- ing geologic characteristics, made from the fine inner cock, a pair of trappers mak- and charting the terrain. Late hairs of beaver fur, had been ing their way up the Mis- in 1805, they reached the Pa- used in the manufacture of sissippi River in search of cific shore at the mouth of hats for 300 years. The con- beaver. After hearing Lewis the Columbia River. Their tinuing demand for beaver and Clark offer a description return journey was complet- fur had wiped out the spe- ed in six months, and in the cies in Europe, and by 1800, (See Trappers on Page 14)

150 Years Ago in the Old West

November 2, 1869 money is refunded and he for the sum of $5 million, Wild Bill Hickok is un- is asked to leave. Insulted Wells Fargo would be successful in his bid to be beyond measure, Carr re- given exclusive privilege re-elected sheriff of Ellis turns with a loaded revolv- of handling express over County, Kansas; the vote er and shoots Daniel Steele the Central Pacific. 1s 114 to 89. dead. A crowd assails Carr, but cooler heads prevail. A The 8th Cavalry reports November 4, 1869 trial is arranged, witnesses’ four Indians killed in the The Masonic Savings and statements are recorded, Tompkins Valley of Ari- Loan is incorporated in and the jury returns a guilty zona. San Francisco. verdict. The crowd then grabs Carr and hangs him November 11, 1869 November 6, 1869 from the nearest tree. The Denver Pacific’s A murder occurs in Evans, rails reach Ault,, Colo- Colorado. Jack Carr, dis- November 10, 1869 rado. satisfied with the dinner Wells Fargo stockholders served at Daniel Steele’s receive a letter from com- November 14, 1869 hotel, becomes loud and pany president A. H. Barney Wyoming’s first Masonic abusive to Steele and his explaining the terms of the Lodge is established in wife and daughter. Carr’s Omaha Conference, where, South Pass City. October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 11 Boom Towns ining boom- the fastest growing and most Unlike many boom- towns sprang up cosmopolitan of western towns throughout the West, Mthroughout the towns. Within a span of a few Tombstone and Virginia City West whenever gold and weeks, its population soared did not die out. They main- silver were discovered. Of- to 15,000, peaking at 25,000 tained their position as vi- ten miners’ able, livable c a m p s , communi- which were ties, surviv- u s u a l l y ing into the ragtag col- 20th century. lections of Others, such tents and as Goldroad, thrown-to- A r i z o n a ; gether shel- Golden, New ters, served M e x i c o ; as the ba- Gold Point, sis of the Nevada; and boomtowns. Silver City, The rate of Virginia City, Nevada Idaho, died development from camp in 1875. Stores, hotels, sa- quickly, as soon as the pre- to bursting boomtown fre- loons, and brothels were cious metal that gave them quently was just a matter of erected in rapid succession. their names was gone. weeks—once word spread Theatrical companies, tent Today, vestiges of hun- that the precious ore was shows, and minstrel shows dreds of former boomtowns, just there waiting for any- played its many theaters. At now called ghost towns, dot one to come along and take one time, six Shakespearean the landscape from Canada to it. Eager entrepreneurs and companies played the Com- Mexico and from the Rocky merchants took advantage stock at the same time. Mountains to California. of the rapid growth to start much-needed businesses. Some were wholesome en- terprises; some were not. Tombstone, located in Arizona Territory, was typical of the western boomtowns. When Edward L. Schieffelin discovered silver in the vicin- ity in mid-1877, Tombstone quickly grew as hundreds of the would-be wealthy ar- rived to try their hand at the mines. Christened with the fanciful names “Good Enough,” “Tough Nut,” “Westside,” “Defense,” and “Surveyor,” five local mines produced enough silver for nearly half a million dollars worth of bars to be minted and stamped. The Comstock Lode, a rich vein of silver discovered in western Nevada in 1859, made Virginia City one of Page 12 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Heck Thomas Guardsman Smith, Thomas worked as Doolin as he walked down a deputy U.S. marshal un- a road on a moonlit night (From Page 4) til 1900, teaming up with toward a relative¹s ranch. Tilghman and Madsen along When confronted, Doolin with Bob and Grat Dalton the way. In one three-year tried to shoot his way out, when the two were riding span they arrested more but was killed by buckshot as deputy marshals, and he than three hundred wanted from the shotguns that were also knew their late brother men. It is said that Thomas fired by both Heck Thomas . Heck never picked the most dangerous and Bill Dunn. let the Dal- Though ton Gang stay he was well or rest in any compen- one place for sated in re- very long. ward money, Though Thomas paid his career was a price by be- soaring, his ing wounded marriage was half a dozen floundering. times in gun- Just two years fights. after accept- Thomas ing the posi- later served tion as a U.S. as the Chief Deputy Mar- of Police shal, Heck’s in Lawton, wife, Isabelle O k l a h o m a . Thomas had In 1909 he become weary lost his job of frontier life because his and her hus- health had band’s long begun to fail. absences. Be- Thomas died fore long she of natural divorced him causes three and returned years later to Georgia on August with their five 11, 1912, children. at Lawton, In 1888, Oklahoma, at while Thom- the age of 62. as was recuperating from desperadoes to go after be- The local church was too wounds received in the line cause the largest rewards small to handle all those of duty in Tulsa, Oklaho- were paid for them. who came to their final re- ma, he met a schoolmarm In 1896, Thomas spects. After a simple cer- and preacher’s daughter tracked down outlaw Bill emony Thomas was buried I won a chocolate bunny at the fair but it was a hollow victory. named Mattie Mowbray. A Doolin, who had previous- in Highland cemetery in year later, in October 1889, ly been captured by Tilgh- Lawton. Upon his death, the pair married in Arkan- man, only to later escape the Lawton Constitution sas City, Kansas, and Heck from prison. In August newspaper ran this head- soon began a second fam- of that year, near Lawson line: “The Name of Heck ily. Oklahoma, Thomas led Thomas, Once a Terror to Upon leaving Fort a posse that caught up to Outlaws.”

L October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 13 Black Kettle Chief was printed ordering any Black Kettle and other Native Americans who chiefs managed to restrain (From Page 9) wished to remain at peace the warriors from attack- to come to the reservation ing. Bent went to Fort Lyon, at Fort Lyon. The Cheyenne Black Kettle estab- Colorado, to tell Chiving- and Arapaho were spread lished his camp on Sand ton that the Cheyenne did across the plains engaging Creek, about 40 miles north- not want to fight. Chiving- in their summer hunts. It east of Fort Lyon, while an ton, however, insisted that was weeks before runners Arapaho band moved their Black Kettle was “on the delivered the circulars to camp to the fort. Major warpath” and that “the citi- the scattered bands. The In- Wynkoop was considered zens would have to protect dians’ delay in responding too friendly to the Indi- themselves.” Called the to the circular made it ap- ans and was removed from Fighting Parson, Chiving- pear they were defying the command of the fort. Mean- ton had been a Methodist order. During this period, while, support swelled in minister since 1844. When military campaigns against Colorado for Chivington’s the Civil War erupted, he the Sioux in the north sent most recent order to the declined a chaplaincy in Sioux war parties on the volunteers: “Kill all the In- favor of a fighting commis- rampage against whites. dians you come across.” sion, becoming something The Cheyenne and Arapaho Chivington prepared of a military hero. Back were blamed for a number for a dawn attack at Sand in Colorado, he organized of Sioux raids, further in- Creek on November 29, nearly 1,000 volunteers flaming sentiment against 1884. Black Kettle’s tepee who were eager to wage them. was in the middle of the war against mostly peace- In September 1864, camp. The warriors were ful Indians. He urged the the commander of Fort away on a hunt, leaving A killing and scalping of all Lyon, Major Edmond W. about 600 women, children, Indians, even babies. “Nits Wynkoop, led a mounted and old men in the camp. make lice!” he crudely ex- column of 127 men toward When the soldiers were dis- plained. Black Kettle’s camp at the covered, Black Kettle raised In 1864, Colorado’s headwaters of the Smoky his big United States flag, territorial governor, John Hill River. Several hun- then a white flag of surren- Evans, officially announced dred warriors galloped out der. Hundreds of his people that the war against hostiles to meet the badly outnum- would continue. A circular bered soldiers. Once again, (See Chief on Page 16) Page 14 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Mountain Men Trappers neys took him from a well- generally amiable and open established base on the Yel- to business overtures, and (From Page 10) lowstone River across the in later years they became northeastern range of the strong allies of the trappers of the bountiful, untapped Rockies, over the Conti- who followed Colter. The land to the west, Dickson nental Divide to the Tetons Blackfeet, on the other hand, and Hancock proposed that on the Western side of the were fiercely opposed to a member of the expedition mountains, and down the encroachment by outsiders, join them and return and Colter had sev- to the wilderness eral near-fatal clash- as their guide and es with them. Once partner. John Col- after being captured ter volunteered his by a group of sev- services, and as this eral hundred Black- small group set out feet, he was stripped in search of pelts, the naked, beaten, and Rocky Mountain fur told to run for his life trade began. through the rocky, Colter spent a b r a m b l e - c o v e r e d season trapping with passes near the Jef- Dickson and Han- ferson River. Colter cock, after which somehow managed he struck out on an to kill one of his pur- odyssey that would suers and stay ahead easily qualify him of the rest for some as the prototype of six miles, making it the mountain man. to the icy river where Working sometimes as a twisting Snake River. he took refuge for the night I got gas today for $2.39. guide, sometimes as a free During his time in the under a float of driftwood. Unfortunately it was at Taco Bell. trapper, sometimes as a fur Rockies, Colter had regu- After the Blackfeet gave up company representative, he lar encounters with na- the search, Colter stumbled spent the next three years tive tribes, particularly the 200 miles overland until— meandering across the Blackfeet and the Crows. his feet lacerated, his body Rocky Mountains. His jour- The Crows proved to be dehydrated—he came upon his trading post on the Yel- lowstone River. After a few Bannack, Montana weeks of recuperation, he Ghost Town 20th century when five was back in the mountains mining dredges clawed trapping and blazing new (From Page 8) at the bed of Grasshopper trails again. Creek for a few years. The mountain men became the seat of Bea- The census of 1920 re- who later swarmed into verhead County, and a corded just 59 residents, the newly explored lands two-story brick court- and by the 1940s Ban- of the Great Plains and the house was built for nack was deserted. Rockies proved to be just $14,000. After the county Since then, Montana as hardy as Colter. They seat was moved to Dil- has turned Bannack into came from all walks of life lon in 1882, the structure a state park, maintaining and from many different was remodeled into the the old town as it was late parts of the continent. Most Meade Hotel. in the 19th century. Auto- of them had been born at a Eventually, Bannack mobile traffic is not per- time when their own homes shriveled to about 200 mitted, and visitors may back East were situated on citizens, although there enjoy Bannack as a non- the fringes of the frontier, was a temporary increase commercialized ghost much like the wilderness around the turn of the town. (See Trappers on Page 17)

N October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 15 Sagebrush & Lava Rock The Desert This is his domain, his an- spring had arrived. cestral home. He was here (From Page 6) long before man. Hence I do not envy those there is a reason why he whose introduction to na- feel his hissing breath near can speak with authority. ture was lush meadows, my ear. Moreover, according to the lakes, and swamps where That was carelessness. lore of the Yakimas, he has life abounds. The desert For we who were raised in magical powers. He hears hills of Yakima had a pov- the environment of the Co- what people say and can erty that sharpened percep- lumbia lava know the risks avenge insults. To this day tion. Even a minute violet of the rattler. All up and the Yakimas are supersti- quickens the heart when one down the Ahtanum, Tieton, tious about killing him. has walked far or climbed and Naches were stories of Thus on these earlier ex- high to find it. Where nature fishermen who were bit- plorations of the foothills is more bountiful, even the ten on the fingers or face the rattler added mystery, tender bitterroot might go when they grasped lava suspense, and magic to the unnoticed. Yet when a lone ledges above them without land of lava rock and sage- plant is seen in bloom on first exploring the top. One brush. scab land between batches moves warily through this When I walked the of bunchgrass and sage, it lava rock country. foothills of Yakima on can transform the spot as The rattlesnake--Wak- wintry nights I would of- completely as only a whole puch--is not entirely evil. ten build a bonfire of sage- bank of flowers could do Unlike other poisonous brush at the base of an out- in a more lush environ- snakes, he is sufficiently cropping of rimrock. There ment. It is the old relation- friendly to speak before I would sit, my back to the ship between scarcity and he strikes, to give notice rock, protected from the value. of his plans. And he much wind, hoping the warmth These are botanical prefers to escape man than of the fire would not awak- lessons of the desert which to attack him. His attack en a den of rattlers with the the foothills of Yakima is only to repel a trespass. false message that an early taught me. Page 16 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Black Kettle Chief along with 28 men. Because Massacre. Government offi- of drunkenness, cowardice, cials sought out Black Kettle (From Page 13) and a lack of discipline, the and arranged a meeting at volunteers let a majority es- the mouth of the Little Ar- gathered around Black Ket- cape. However, on orgy of kansas in Kansas in October tle, who assured them they mutilation ensued against 1865. The commissioners were safe. Elderly Chief the dead. expressed sorrow over the White Antelope walked to- After dark, Black Kettle Sand Creek tragedy, but stat- ward the white men, holding returned and found his wife. ed that settlers now claimed up his hands and shouting in She was still alive, despite Cheyenne lands in Colorado. English, “Stop! Stop!” A new treaty was pro- White Antelope was posed by which the gunned down, and Cheyenne and Arap- the volunteers, many aho would live south of whom had been of the Arkansas in drinking heavily dur- perpetual peace. “We ing their night march, have all lost our way,” opened a general fire. said Black Kettle sad- Ignoring Black Ket- ly. Still, he determined tle’s flags, the volun- on a course of peace. teers advanced, and The white man the Indians fled. Black permitted Black Ket- Kettle’s wife was tle to live only three badly wounded, but more years. In 1867, the chief escaped up Black Kettle was a ravine. Nine white the first of 14 Chey- men were killed and John Chivington enne chiefs to sign 38 were wounded, mostly being shot nine times. The the Medicine Lodge Treaty, by their own fire. Chiving- chief carried her out on his in which the Cheyenne and ton reported that 400 to 500 back. Arapaho were granted a warriors were slain, but in The warriors lusted for combined reservation in In- Did you hear about the monkeys who shared reality 105 Cheyenne wom- revenge, and an alliance of dian Territory. He faithfully an Amazon account? They were prime mates. en and children were killed Cheyenne, Arapaho, and maintained his agreements Sioux began conducting while other bands waged raids on whites. This bellig- war. General Phil Sheridan erent majority moved north launched a winter campaign to the more secure land of to force all the Cheyenne and the Sioux, but Black Kettle Arapaho onto a reservation refused to follow this war around Fort Cobb in Indian trail. A group of about 400 Territory. Sheridan’s favorite Cheyenne consisting most- officer, Lieutenant Colonel ly of women, old men, and George Armstrong Custer, wounded warriors moved led the 7th Cavalry toward with Black Kettle south of a village that scouts had the Arkansas River. There discovered on the Washita they joined with Southern River. Custer organized an Arapaho, Kiowa, and Co- attack from all sides for the manche. frigid dawn of November 17, Chivington resigned his 1868. commission. A government The village was Black investigation condemned his Kettle’s. When the soldiers action, and he spent the rest charged, Black Kettle imme- of his life trying to evade the diately fired a warning shot, stigma of the Sand Creek hoping to avoid another pas- sive Sand Creek disaster. He leaped onto a horse, pulled his wife up behind him, and headed out of camp. Cav- alrymen shot Black Kettle and his wife off their horse, and both were killed. In all, 103 Cheyenne were brutally slain—only eleven of them warriors—and 53 women and children were captured. No chief west of the Mississippi was more com- mitted to peace with the white man than Black Kettle, but he was victimized by two of the most murderous trag- edies ever perpetrated upon Native Americans. October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 17 Mountain Men Trappers tude and escape from civi- United States fur trade in the lization. Although from first quarter of the century. (From Page 14) time to time they would Later, the Rocky Mountain interact with other trappers, Fur Company provided the they frequented as trappers natives, and traders, this impetus to push the trade in the West in search of bea- unique breed of men of- ever westward, into the ver. Tennessee, Kentucky, ten lived in the remoteness heart of the mountains and Virginia, New York, and of the wilderness, where beyond. Then in the 1830s Pennsylvania all produced they sometimes didn’t see and 1840s, the fur trade mountain men, as did sev- another human being for reached its peak and began eral other states and a few months on end. To sur- to wane. The near extinc- foreign countries. vive in such isolation, they tion of the beaver and the Just as Daniel Boone, needed a knowledge of the declining popularity of bea- Simon Kenton, and James land that was rivaled only ver hats made the mountain Robertson—the trailblaz- by their neighbors, the Na- men obsolete before the ers of pre- middle of vious gen- the century. A family of mice were surprised by a big cat. erations— T h e Father Mouse jumped and said, “Bow-wow!” braved the American The cat ran away. “What was that, Father?” asked elements push west- Baby Mouse. “Well, son, that’s why it’s important and wrestled ward was to learn a second language.” land from not depen- the Native dant sole- A m e r i c a n s ly on the east of the fur trade Mississippi, though. A so did the strong co- mountain alition of men of the politicians West. The in the East two groups differed in a ma- tive Americans, with whom was determined to take jor way, however. Boone, they would visit, trade, and Manifest Destiny to its Robertson, and the other fight. logical end and push the easterners were interested Many mountain men boundaries of the U. S. all in opening new lands for were free trappers, making the way to the Pacific. In settlement. They dreamed their own way up and down 1838, a new branch of the of towns, churches, and the beaver rivers and trad- military was formed—the schools for their children ing their pelts to the high- Army Corps of Topograph- and future generations. est bidders they could find. ical Engineers. Following They cleared the forests Others worked for the large on the heels of the moun- for farmers to plant crops fur outfits that established tain men, this group paved and raise livestock, and for forts and trading posts in the the way for the next wave businesses and communi- wilderness, such as Manuel in the expansion of the ties to spring up. Mountain Lisa’s Missouri Fur Com- West. A young, ambitious men, on the other hand, did pany or John Jacob Astor’s lieutenant, John Charles not look ahead so far or so American Fur Company. Fremont, led five separate boldly. They braved the These two early companies army expeditions designed wilderness for themselves, were anchored in the north- to identify and map passable looking for a fortune, for a ern plains east of the Rock- living, or simply for soli- ies, and they dominated the (See Trappers on Page 19) Page 18 Territorial News October 30, 2019 Gunman Burt Alvord Lawman Turned Outlaw urt Alvord, born in 1866, pull it off. was an Arizona marshal Alvord began rustling cattle B who spent much of his life in the mid-1890s before becoming switching back and forth on both marshal of Wilcox, Arizona in 1899. sides of the law. He later formed an outlaw gang The son of a justice of the peace, with Billie Stiles and began com- Alvord was born in 1866 in the Ari- mitting armed robberies. The gang zona Territory. Often traveling with was captured after a train holdup S his father, Alvord was a young boy near Cochise County and jailed at living in Tombstone, Arizona at the Tombstone. Stiles, however, worked time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Cor- his way up to a trusty and promptly ral. Alvord was later appointed depu- released Alvord after overcoming a ty sheriff by Cochise County Sheriff jailer. Alvord and Stiles were again John Slaughter in 1886 and quickly captured in 1903, but escaped once established a reputation as an excel- again. Shortly after this Alvord and lent tracker bringing in many cattle Stiles attempted to fake their deaths, rustlers and other wanted criminals. sending their coffins to Tombstone. However it is suspected Alvord be- However, the ruse failed and the two gan operating as an outlaw during continued to remain wanted men. this time. While Slaughter was suspi- The , pursing the cious of Alvord there were no charg- men into Mexico in 1904, trapped es that could be proved by the time them and Alvord was wounded in of Slaughter’s retirement in 1890. the gunfight and brought back to Alvord was an expert shot. His Arizona were he was sentenced to favorite trick was to string up an two years imprisonment. The details empty beer bottle on a limb of a tree, of his later life are unclear, however and with a six-shooter in each hand he was supposedly spotted in South shoot the string in two with one gun America some years later. The facts and break the bottle with the other of his death are unclear, but a Pana- before it hit the ground. He loved to ma Canal worker who died in 1910 do this in front of an audience and was claimed to be Alvord. However, suffered greatly when he couldn’t his identification was never verified. A Loophole in the Law “Gentlemen, I find the law very explicit on murdering your fellow man, but there’s nothing here about killing a Chinaman. Case dismissed.” —Judge Roy Bean Business & Services October 30, 2019 Territorial News Page 19 Wilcox Train Robbery he last notable band Woodcock was knocked un- Curry sat down to supper in of western outlaws conscious, and the bridge a camp near the Red Fork T was Butch Cassidy’s was damaged. The heavy of the Powder River. They . Operating at the safe also had to be dyna- were jumped by a posse led turn of the last century, the mited, but they overesti- by Sheriff Joe Hazen, but core of the gang consisted of mated the amount of ex- Logan pumped a rifle bullet the Sundance Kid, Harvey plosive necessary to do the into the sheriff’s stomach. Logan, Elzy Lay, Hazen died sev- Flat Nose George eral hours later, Curry, and Ben while the outlaw “The Tall Texan” trio escaped on Kilpatrick. foot after swim- Perhaps the ming the turbu- most spectacu- lent, rain-swollen lar Wild Bunch Powder River. holdup took place Soon there about two hours were at least 300 after midnight on men riding in June 2, 1899. Us- posses across the ing a red lantern, the gang job. When the safe blew, so countryside, hoping to col- halted the Union Pacific’s much money was destroyed lect some $18,000 in post- Overland Limited a mile that the gang netted only ed rewards. The outlaws west of Wilcox, Wyoming. about $8,000. stopped at their Hole-in-the- The engineer was ordered to The outlaws rode north, Wall hideout, but pressure pull the train across a nearby past Medicine Bow, about 15 from the manhunters sent bridge, then stop. miles from the robbery site. them toward wild Jackson When express mes- Hundreds of men helped Hole country. Railroad de- senger E. C. Woodcock re- form posses, and the gang tective F. M. Hans estimat- fused to open the door, the scattered. On June 5, the ed that the robbers traveled gang employed dynamite Sundance Kid, Harvey Lo- 1,500 miles as they success- to demolish the express car. gan, and Flat Nose George fully eluded pursuit. Mountain Men E Trappers publicized and glorified that tent on possessing the rich he became known to most farm lands of Oregon and (From Page 17) Americans as the Pathfind- newly annexed California, er. His journeys made the and they heralded a new routes and lands for settle- wilderness seem less wild, age in westward expansion. ment across and beyond the producing detailed surveys Signs of this new era were Rocky Mountains. of the South Pass over the apparent as early as 1843 Fremont’s abilities as Rockies, of the interior when famed mountain man a scientist and cartogra- lands of the Pacific North- Jim Bridger built a post on pher were impressive, but west, of routes to Califor- Black’s Fork of the Green he wasn’t much of a trail- nia both from the north and River in present day Wyo- blazer or outdoorsman. He from the east, and of the ming. The irony was that relied heavily on the skills Great Basin that stretched Bridger built his post not and experience of others out between the mountains as a trading station to re- in his parties, most notably and the ocean. ceive furs and pelts from mountain men Kit Carson With this new view of his brother trappers, but as and Joseph Walker, to navi- the West, a new breed of a resting stop for the weary, gate the terrain. Fremont’s pioneers was on the move. westbound emigrants who exploits were so highly They were family men in- were sure to be coming. Page 20 Territorial News October 30, 2019