TT T T TERRITORIAL Prescott Arizona Corral TIMES of Westerners International TT T T A publication of the Prescott Corral of Westerners International Volume VII, Number 1 TT T T The TERRITORIAL TIMES is a publication of the Prescott Corral of Westerners International, Prescott, Arizona, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study, preservation, promotion and dissemination of information with respect to the real history of the American West. Price per copy is $7.50 ($10.00 by mail). Back copies of available issues may be ordered by mail. CORRAL OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Sheriff Dana Sharp Byteslinger Russ Sherwin Deputy Sheriff Tom Collins Swamper Trail Boss Bob Galloway Symposium Coord. Fred Veil Keeper of the Chips Jack Hoeft WI Liaison Al Bates Brands Recorder Donna Sherwin Historian Bruce Fee Immediate Past Sheriff: Cindy Gresser. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE The Corral members responsible for this publication are: Al Bates, Jay Eby, Bruce Fee, Russ Sherwin, Fred Veil and Andy Wallace. PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION CREDITS Photographs in this publication were provided by courtesy of the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives (Front Cover and p. 29) and the Sammy Jones Photograph Collection, Arizona Collection, Ari- zona State Universary Libraries (p. 9). Other historic illustrations are within the public domain. Maps used courtesy of the Arizona Historical Society (p. 5), Lee Hanchett (p. 22). John Huff created our front cover design. Tom Jonas created the map on p. 10. Territorial Times is printed by EMI Print Works, Prescott. Cover Photo: Colorado River steamer Cocopah circa 1880. Largely forgotten is the necessary role played by Colorado River paddlewheel steamboats that supplied early Arizona settlements beginning in 1852. Ocean-going ships brought their loads from San Francisco to the mouth of the Colorado where the goods and machinery were off loaded to shallow draft river steamers. They were first used to bring supplies to isolated military outposts at Fort Yuma and Fort Mo- jave. Then the discovery of gold and silver lodes on the Colorado extended their service to river ports such as La Paz, Ehrenberg and Hardyville (now Bullhead City). From those landing points mule-drawn freight wagon delivered goods to communities and mines further up the river and to the interior towns of Prescott, Wickenburg, Phoenix and Tucson. The importance of the steamer services to Arizona declined with the coming of the railroads and ended in 1909 with completion of the Laguna Dam above Yuma. Please see the Tom Sanders article beginning on page 27 to learn more of what those early times were like. © Prescott Corral of Westerners International, Box 11086, Prescott, Arizona 86304-1086 A publication of the Prescott Corral of Westerners International November 2013, Volume 7 Number 1 CONTENTS 1 Al Bates—1863: Arizona Territory’s First year. 9 John H. Marion—Notes of an 1871 trip from Prescott to Arizona City, Part 2 21 Leland J. Hanchett, Jr.—Staging on the Black Canyon Road 27 Thomas Sanders—1860s Freighting From the Colorado River to Interior Arizona i PmoGr.nM loff. TO THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA: I, JOHN N. GOODMN, having been appointed by the President of the United States, and duly qualified, as Governor of the TERRITORY OF ARIZONA, do hereby announce that by virtue of the powers with which I am invested by an Act of the Congress of the [Jnited Statesr providing a temporary government for the Territor/r I shall this d.y proceed to organize said government. The provisions of the Act, and all laws and enactments established thereby, will be enforced by the proper Territorial officers from and after this date. A preliminary census will forthwith be tak€tr, and thereafter the Judicial Districts will be formed, and an election of members of the Legislative Assembly, and the other officers, provided by the Act, be ordered. I invoke the aid and co-operation of all citizens of the Territory in my efforts to establish a government whereby the security of life and property will be maintained throughout its limits, and its varied resources be rapidly and successfully developed. ffipd &ffiffi JOHI\ ]){. GOODWII{. c"*g6F€t#s*" By the Governor: RICHARD C. M'CORh{ICK, secretary of the Territory' __._@ RIZONA Facsimile copy of the Governor’s Proclamation establishing Arizona’s Territorial Government on December 29, 1863, while en route to Fort Whipple. ii 1863: Arizona Territory’s First Year By Al Bates rizona Territory came into being on February 24, 1863, with President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Organic Act severing it from New Mex- Aico Territory. The initial appointment of federal officers for the new Terri- tory was completed within a few weeks, but none of them would appear in the new territory for ten more months. John A. Gurley, a former Ohio Congressman, There is little doubt that there was healthy was appointed territorial governor in March, trepidation among the new officials, for the but he requested a delay of departure to Ari- area they were going to (Tucson in particular) zona until July so that he and other appointed had a well-earned reputation for banditry and officials could have time to finish up their af- other violence—and the Apache and Navajo fairs in the East. By July, Indians were added illness in the Gurley family menaces. Add to this the caused further delay. threats posed by an Gurley died suddenly in Austrian-born Emperor of mid-August and the chief Mexico—supported by justice appointee, John N. French troops—and our Goodwin, a former Con- own ongoing Civil War, gressman from Maine, they were to enter a lightly became his replacement. settled area at a most unsettled time. Thus it was The Governor’s Party that new Governor Good- Leaves Civilization win dispatched Milton Duffield, US Marshal for By now there was urgency Arizona, to San Francisco for the officers to start west by the fastest means and the trek began by available (by steamship via railroad and river steamer the Isthmus of Panama) to to Leavenworth, Kansas, Arizona Territorial Governor request that the Army’s and then, at the end of John Noble Goodwin Department of Pacific September, by wagon train assign three additional over military supply roads to join the Santa Fe regiments to Arizona.1 Trail. The announced destination was Tuc- son, one of only two significant settlements in One other official would find his own way the territory. They would be on the trail for west; Charles D. Poston, Indian agent for the four months, leaving behind all the 19th cen- territory, crossed from the east coast to San tury technical advances—such as railroads, Francisco by stage line rather than to be steam-powered boats, the telegraph, and in- forced to endure company of the other offi- door plumbing—going into a wilderness cials for multiple months.2 Duffield and Pos- where white men are still outnumbered by ton later would enter Arizona from California often-hostile Indians. 1 across the Sonoran Desert at the Yuma cross- journey, but evidently were unsuccessful.5) ing. Judge Allyn left a lengthy record of the trek with letters published in his hometown news- At the start the overland travelling party in- paper, the Hartford, Conn., Evening Press.6 cluded appointed officials Governor Good- A few special items of luggage brought from win, Territorial Secretary Richard C. McCor- the east were documented. Allyn brought a mick, Supreme Court Judges William T. portable writing desk and ink supply for his Howell and Joseph P. Allyn, District Attorney correspondence that disappeared into one of Almon Gage and Surveyor General Levi the freight wagons to an unknown fate. Bashford. Chief Justice William F. Turner McCormick brought materials to set up a overtook the company at Fort Larned, Kan- newspaper, a small library of books, and sas.3 seeds to help start farming in the wilderness. The new officers travelling with the gover- Their military escort consisted of two compa- nor’s party were a relatively young bunch. nies of Missouri cavalry and one company of Justice Howell was the oldest at 53. Three mounted Missouri Militia. The line of march others were in their 40s. Justice Allyn at 30 consisted of the cavalry, followed by three and secretary McCormick at 31 were the mule-drawn “ambulances” (personnel carri- youngest. The governor himself was but 39. ers) carrying members of the governor’s party and some of their luggage, 30 canvas-covered Others of the 18-man party included a physi- mule-drawn heavy freight wagons carrying cian, Dr. T. P. Seeley; a protestant minister, baggage and supplies for the officials and es- the Rev. H. W. Reed—appointed as the new cort. It stretched out for over a mile. Several territory’s first postmaster—and a young man of the official party, including Governor from Michigan named Jonathan Richmond Goodwin, had obtained horses or mules to whose letters home provide interesting details ride and often would range well ahead of the of the trip.4 (They tried to hire a cook for the slowly moving wagon train. 2 An Inauspicious Beginning the main road by noon, but the heavy wagons again had trouble going over rough spots; six The departure from Leavenworth on Septem- were damaged and the doctor’s wagon over- ber 25, 1863, was inauspicious and after two turned once again, “distributing the medicine days of travel they were still just 10 miles in anything but homeopathic doses, and injur- from Leavenworth. The difficulties began ing it considerably.”9 By noon they were on with last minute and poorly planned loading the main road, just four miles from of the wagons that delayed the journey’s start Leavenworth and by evening they had by two hours.