Fort Davy Crockett January 23 Trappers and Indians Fight Over Horses at Bleak Colorado Outpost Play by Richard W

Territorial News www.territorialnews.com www.facebook.com/TerritorialNews Vol. 32, No. 1 Your Connection to the Old West January 9, 2019

Next Issue Wednesday Fort Davy Crockett January 23 Trappers and Indians Fight Over Horses at Bleak Colorado Outpost Play By Richard W. Kimball center of the park, is slow Arizona Trivia and placid until it leaves See Page 2 for Details ort Davy Crockett the park in the south and was established in plunges down through the This Week’s Fthe northwest corner Lodore Canyon. No one is of Colorado about 1836. sure how Browns Hole got Question: Well, it was not a real fort. its name. Some say it was It was more or less a trading named after a French-Cana- In 1968, the Colorado post and possibly not even dian named Baptiste Brown River Basin that. It was constructed at who might have built a cabin Project Act Browns Hole on the bank of nearby. Others say it may authorized the the Green River near Vermil- have been named after such construction of a lion Creek by three moun- William Craig Kit Carson men as Bible-Back Brown, 336-mile-long tain men—William Craig, Old Cut Rocks Brown, or canal that’s better Philip Thompson and Previtt Rocky Mountains. The oth- from Fort St. Vrain and Fort even Bo’sun Brown. But it known as what? Sinclair. They named the ers were Fort Uncompahgre Vasquez. There was also remains a mystery. No one (21 Letters) “fort” in honor of the leg- in Colorado and Fort Uintah some intercourse with the really knows. endary frontiersman Davy in Utah. Hudson’s Bay Company at A large group of free Crockett, who was killed in The three partners were Fort Hall. trappers arrived at Fort Texas during the siege at the not considered good busi- Browns Hole is a beau- Davy Crockett in the fall of Index Alamo a year before. The nessmen. In fact, the fort tiful mountain meadow. It 1838 planning to spend the three men formed a business seemed to depend on outsid- has been favored by Indians winter there. The group in- Arizona Kid...... 11 partnership to run a frontier ers for trade goods and ac- and wildlife for centuries be- cluded many well-known Arizona Trivia...... 2 trading post to be used by cess to markets. It is gener- cause of its mild winters. It trappers like Joe Meek, Kit Business Directory...... 22 both Indian and white trap- ally believed that Fort Davy soon became a favorite win- Carson, Doc Newell, and Classifieds...... 22 pers. For a short while, Fort Crockett was probably sup- tering ground for mountain Joseph Walker. They arrived Jim Harvey...... 2 Crockett was one of only plied with trade goods by men too, because its broad shortly after the last Rocky 150 Years Ago...... 18 three trading posts known to occasional visits by travel- grassy fields could support Mountain Rendezvous that exist on the west side of the ing trading parties sent out large herds of horses without was held the previous sum- crowding. The park is about mer farther up the Green In Their Own Words 35 miles in length and six River. The Shoshone Indi- miles wide with mountains ans called the stream the on all sides. The Green Riv- Dancing in Chicago er, which passes through the (See Misery on Page 6) British visitor to Chi- present one’s self in before cago wrote in 1833, ladies of an evening, yet, in The Mormon A“Chicago consists of my earnestness to see life on 150 wooden houses, placed the frontier, I easily allowed Battalion irregularly on both sides of all objections to be overruled the river. . . .There is already by my companions, and we he story of the Mor- Searching for someplace a place of considerable accordingly drove to the mon Battalion, its to practice their religion trade, supplying salt, tea, house in which the ball was T formation and its free of persecution, Smith coffee, sugar, and clothing to given. It was a frame build- difficult journey west is and his followers moved a large tract of the country ing, one of the few as yet to not widely known. How- westward and established Charles Fenno Hoffman to the south and west; and be found in Chicago; which, ever, the battalion’s march the city of Nauvoo, Illi- when connected with the ering. Here is his account of although one of the most an- through New Mexico, Ari- nois. Near here, Smith was navigable point of the river the event. cient French trading-posts on zona, and California was an murdered in 1844. Mem- Illinois, by canal or railway, the Lakes, can only date its integral part of the history bers of his church, now cannot fail of rising to im- We had not been here growth as a village since the of America’s “Manifest in the thousands, realized portance.” an hour before an invitation Indian war, eighteen months Destiny.” that they would have to At about this same time, to a public ball was courte- since. Joseph Smith had move farther west, beyond New Yorker Charles Fenno ously sent to us by the man- When I add that the pop- founded the Church of Je- the boundaries of the Unit- Hoffman visited the city. agers; and though my soiled ulation has quintupled since sus Christ of Latter-day ed States, to practice their While there, Hoffman at- and travel-worn riding dress Saints in western New York (See March on Page 8) tended a formal social gath- was not exactly the thing to (See Ball on Page 4) State during the late 1820s. Page 2 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Sun Tracks Arizona - Web of Time The Track of the Sun across the Sky leaves its shining message, let molds, gun powder and Illuminating, Strengthening, flints, Green River knives, Warming us who are here, Jim Harvey buffalo robes, glass beads showing us we are not alone, we are yet ALIVE! The Arizona Trail and frontier whiskey for And this fire! Our fire! Shall not die! horses, mules and woolen -Atoni (Choctaw) The limestone rock for- surviving memory stick blankets. The whiskey was mation on which sightseers records an 1833 meteor a mixture of pepper-fla- stand when they view Ari- shower and, after that, epi- vored raw alcohol colored Captain’s Bar Presents zona’s Grand Canyon from demics, battles with enemy with chewing tobacco. The its south rim was created tribes, and the arrival of the Navajos called him Bi- ARIZONA TRIVIA before there were any di- telegraph and the railroad. lagaana San, which meant This Week’s Question: In 1968, the Colorado River Basin nosaurs, mammals or birds Old American in English. Project Act authorized the construction of a 336-mile-long anywhere on earth. At Canyon Diablo Modern automobile travel- canal that’s better known as what? north of the Mogollon Rim ers pass right by the place (21 Letters) Southern Arizona’s and west of Winslow, a on Interstate 40. white merchant from New Last Issue’s Question: What historic Mormon fort located Akimel O’odham Indians in northwest Arizona is now a National Monument? once remembered their his- Mexico traded with Na- The last meal served Answer: Pipe Spring tory by carving figures on vajo ranchers the summer to a convicted murderer sticks of wood. The oldest of 1852. He swapped bul- before he was hanged at Congratulations! You got the right answer! 1886 Prescott consisted Leo Achin, Keith Adams, Sid Clarke, Larry Damer, Doyle of breaded chicken with Ekey, Richard Fordyce, Kevin Gartley, Robert Lidgett, Roger cream sauce, fried oys- Ringer, Bill Riordan, Marilyn Smith, William Smith, Gary ters, lamb chops, steak and Swanson, Richard Valley. mushrooms, pancakes with How to Play jelly, potatoes, bread and Letters are hidden in the advertisements. Find the letters to spell the an- coffee. After his feast, he swer. Submit your answer with your name, address & phone number on a rode to the gallows sitting postcard for the current issue’s question to Territorial Publishing, P.O. Box on his coffin carried by a 1690, Apache Junction, AZ 85217. Look for the answer in the next issue. buckboard. To have your name listed in the next issue, cards must be received no later than 10 days past the current issue of the Territorial News. For example: submitted answers to the 1/9/19 question, deadline is 1/19/19. Limit one South of Kingman in postcard per household per issue. Must be at least 18 years old. Remember 1891 at a silver mining town to put your name on your entry! called Signal, there was a woman who said she was 115 years old. She told people she’d been born on July 4, 1776 when the United States declared its indepen- dence. And she claimed she had known George Wash- ington. History records her name as Mrs. L. Coit.

In 1905, forest rang- ers carried six-shooters and rifles to protect themselves from Williams residents angry about the federal government’s attempts to regulate timber cutting and livestock grazing on pub- A lic land to protect the trees and grass. Today, a century later, the Kaibab National Forest is headquartered in Williams. Territorial News www.territorialnews.com 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. January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 3 Henry Plummer Outlaw Sheriff Hung by Vigilantes

he lynching of sher- dered and robbed and then lantes’ failure to so much as iff Henry Plummer their bodies…cut into pieces question the man hanged for Tposes one of the most and put under the ice, others directing the alleged may- haunting mysteries of the burned and others buried.” hem, Dimsdale branded Old West. The story is well- But, she continued, “these Plummer a murderous out- known: in 1863, min- law chief. ers at the booming gold Plummer was born camp of Bannack (then in Addison, Maine, in in Idaho Territory, now 1832. His father, older in Montana) elected a brother and brother-in- sheriff. The soft-spo- law were all sea cap- ken young Easterner tains and Henry was proved to be an effi- expected to follow in cient lawman, yet in their footsteps. How- 1864 he was lynched ever, the young man by the infamous Mon- was slight of build and tana Vigilantes. Vigi- consumptive, making lante apologist Thomas the rigors of the sea Dimsdale explained to trade too much for him the populace that the to handle. sheriff had been a “very His father died demon” who directed a while Henry was in his band guilty of murder- teens. In 1852, at age ing more than 100 citi- 19, he headed west to zens. the gold fields of Cali- The aunt of vigilante murders had not been dis- fornia. His mining venture prosecutor Wilbur Sanders covered by the people here.” went well and within two described the outlaw band’s Mrs. Edgerton was describ- years he owned a mine, a countless atrocities: “The ing the mutilation of corpses ranch and a bakery in Ne- sheriff…was the captain,” that had never been discov- vada City. In 1856, he was Mary Edgerton wrote, and ered! Despite the absence of “the victims were…mur- actual bodies and the vigi- (See Lynching on Page 12)

J Page 4 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Dancing in Chicago Ball

(From Page 1)

last summer, and that but few mechanics have come in with the prodigious increase of residents, you can readily imagine that the influx of strangers far exceeds the means of accommodation; while scarcely a house in the place, however comfortable looking outside, contains Chicago in 1833 more than two or three fin- walls so ingeniously covered not so warm, however, that ished rooms. In the present with pine-branches and flags the fires of cheerful hickory, instance, we were ushered borrowed from the garrison, which roared at either end, into a tolerably sized danc- that, with the white-washed could have been readily dis- ing-room, occupying the ceiling above, it presented pensed with. second story of the house, a very complete and quite As for the company, it and having its unfinished pretty appearance. It was was such a complete medley of all ranks, ages, profes- sions, trades, and occupa- tions, brought together from all parts of the world, and now for the first time brought together, that it was amazing to witness the decorum with which they commingled on this festive occasion. The managers (among whom were some officers of the garrison) must certainly be au fait at dressing a lobster and mixing regent’s punch, in order to have produced a harmonious compound from such a collection of contrari- eties. The gayest figure that was ever called by quadrille playing Benoit never afford- ed me half the amusement that did these Chicago cotil- lions. A Here you might see a E veteran officer in full uniform balancing to a tradesman’s

(See Ball on Page 10) January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 5 Page 6 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Fort Davy Crockett

Misery annual event for free trap- companies took part in the pers and Indians. The first Rendezvous. They were, in (From Page 1) one was sponsored by Wil- addition to Ashley’s firm, liam Ashley and Andrew the Hudson’s Bay Company, Seeds-kee-dee-Agie, or Prai- Henry, the operators of a North West Company, and rie Hen River. The native fur trading company called Manuel Lisa. Usually the fur term for the river was later Rocky Mountain Fur Incor- companies would get togeth- adopted and widely used by porated. It was a place where er to determine a location for most mountain men in that the mountain men could sell the Rendezvous. Then mule area. their pelts and buy supplies. trains loaded with supplies The Rendezvous was an Eventually, several large fur and whiskey would come and set up a trading fair. According to one visitor, Fort Crockett was just a single, one-story cabin with three wings built into an E-shape—an open hollow square. The cabin, made of hefty logs, had only packed earth for a floor with a roof constructed of long poles covered with dirt. Outside, I several skin lodges or tipis were set up, that were oc- cupied by the Indian wives of white trappers. T.J. Farn- ham, a traveler on his way to Oregon, said the largest skin lodge belonged to a trader

(See Misery on Page 14)

N January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 7 Page 8 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Mormon Battalion March

(From Page 1)

religion free of persecution, Smith and his followers moved westward and established the city of Nauvoo, Il- linois. Near here, Smith was murdered in 1844. Members of his church, now in the thousands, realized that they would have to move farther tercept them should they allay fears of Mormon seces- west, beyond the boundaries attempt to cross the Rocky sion, but also to bolster the of the United States, to prac- Mountains. pathetic state of General Ste- tice their religion. Stranded The Mormon leadership, phen Watts Kearney’s Army on the frontier of a young notably Brigham Young, sent of the West. nation, with no resources or letters to Stephen A. Douglas This was welcome news capital, and facing the ill will and other members of Con- for the Mormons. The Saints of the nation, their future gress to persuade the govern- could emigrate west, out of looked bleak. ment that there was no plan the United States, with fi- Due to stereotypes on the Mormons’ part to ally nancing generated from the and misunderstandings, the with other nations against the battalion of men, literally at government of the United United States. Simultaneous- the expense of the U.S. gov- Some of us learn from the mistakes of others; States considered the Mor- ly, the Mormon leadership ernment. Brigham Young the rest of us have to be the others. mons a hostile force. With began to lay plans to obtain said, “The enlistment of the tensions rising between the government patronage while Mormon Battalion in the United States and Mexico journeying west. Eventually, service of the United States, over claims to Texas and the the decision was made by the though looked upon by many Southwest, President Polk United States to invade Cali- with astonishment and some eyed the Mormons, who fornia. In 1846 Polk issued with fear, has proved a great called themselves “Saints,” an order that a battalion of blessing to this community. as a threat to the continued men be drawn from the Mor- It was indeed the temporal westward expansion of the mon emigrants in Iowa, a nation. He was ready to in- move calculated not only to (See March on Page 13) January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 9 Geronimo Apache Leader Became an American Legend

eronimo was born in trusted with the task of en- ish attempt to pronounce his about 1829. Follow- couraging the other Apache true name Goyathlay; oth- Ging the Apache cus- bands to join the war. During ers believe that his enemies, tom, his father had moved subsequent years of fighting, when attacking his forces, from his Nednai homeland in Geronimo avenged the death appealed aloud to St. Jerome the Sierra Madre of Mexico of his loved ones many times for assistance. In any event, to an area near the headwa- over. He also acquired a rep- the name stuck. O ters of the Gila River, where utation among his people as The details of Geron- his wife’s people, the Bedon- an intrepid, if not reckless, imo’s personal life during kohes, lived. Coming of age fighter. His success in war the 1860s and 1870s are ob- in that arid and mountainous was attributed to a mystical scure. After Alope’s death, terrain, Geronimo learned power that prevented guns he apparently wed women how to worship Apache and bullets from killing him. from the Chiricahua and spirits, hunt, plant, and fight The Mexicans called him Bedonkohe bands. Though enemies. He also married a Geronimo, or Jerome, for these marriages produced woman named Alope and reasons that are not entirely children, at least one child, had three children with her. clear. Some claim it was a An 1858 episode of transcription of the Span- (See Apache on Page 15) genocide in Mexico, together with U.S. expansion into the West, changed Geroni- mo’s life forever. In that year Mexican troops slaughtered many Bedonkohe women and children, including Geronimo’s wife, children, and mother, after which the Bedonkohes prepared to re- taliate. Geronimo was en- Page 10 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Dancing in Chicago Ball be dos a dos to the elegantly eyes of jet, and touching turned shoulders of a deli- a cheek where blood of a (From Page 4) cate-looking Southern girl; deeper hue, mingling with and in another, a pair of Cin- the less glowing current daughter still in her short derella-like slippers would from European veins, tell frock and trousers, while chassez cross with a brace of a lineage drawn from the there the golden aiguil- of thick-soled broghans, in original owners of the soil; lette of a handsome surgeon making which, one of the while these golden tresses, flapped in unison with the lost feet of the Colossus of floating away from the eyes glass beads upon a scrawny Rhodes may have served for of heaven’s own, colour over neck of fifty. In one quarter, a last. a neck of alabaster, recall the high-placed buttons of a Those raven locks, the Gothic ancestry of some linsey-woolsey coat would dressed a la Madonne, over of “England’s born.” How piquantly do these trim and E beaded leggins peep from under that ample dress of black, as its tall, nut-brown wearer moves, as if uncon- sciously, through the grace- ful mazes of the dance. How divertingly do those inflated gigots, rising like windsails from the little Dutch-built hull, jar against those tall plumes which impend over Why do the French eat snails? They don’t like fast food. them like a commodore’s pennant on the same vessel. But what boots all these incongruities, when the spirit of festive good humor animates every one present. (See Ball on Page 22)

C January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 11 National Banking Act of 1863 he Civil War brought cent on state bank notes, state banks to join the feder- vast changes to the which gradually increased al system. By 1865, national Tfinancial system of over time. By imposing a banks had 83 percent of all the United States. Before the tax on state bank notes, the bank assets in the United war, the federal government federal government forced States. did not issue paper money. Instead, more than 1,500 state banks issued their own paper notes, which resulted in more than 10,000 different kinds of currency. To end this chaotic system and to impose federal regulation on the financial system, Congress enacted two important pieces of leg- islation. The Legal Tender Act of 1862 authorized the federal government to issue paper money. Because these notes were printed on green paper, they became known as greenbacks. The National Bank Act of 1863 created the nation’s first truly national banking system. As finally adopted by Congress, the National Banking Act of 1863 char- tered national banks which met certain requirements, made the notes of national banks legal tender for all public and private debts, and levied a tax of two per-

N Page 12 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Henry Plummer Lynching the attempt, Riley was killed. sage home being available, Plummer turned himself in to Plummer accepted, along (From Page 3) the police, who accepted that with Jack Cleveland, a horse the killing was justified, but, dealer who had known Plum- elected sheriff and city man- fearing that his prison record mer in California. While at ager and it was proposed that would prevent a fair trial, rec- the mission, both Plummer he should run for state repre- ommended that he leave the and Cleveland fell in love sentative as a Democrat. state. with Vail’s attractive sister- On September 26, 1857, Plummer headed to in-law, Electa Bryan; Plum- Plummer shot and killed one Washington Territory where mer asked her to marry him, John Vedder. He had been gold had been discovered. and she agreed. As gold had having an affair with Ved- However, he once again be- recently been discovered in der’s wife. In the resulting came involved in a dispute nearby Bannack, Montana, trial, Plummer was sentenced that ended in a gunfight won Plummer decided to go there to ten years in San Quentin. by Plummer. This event left to try to earn enough money However, in August, 1859, him feeling that his only to support them both. Cleve- his many supporters wrote to recourse was to return to land followed him. the governor seeking a pardon Maine. Half way home, wait- In January 1863, Cleve- based on his good character ing for a steamer to reach land, nursing his jealousy, and civic performance; the Fort Benton on the Missouri forced Plummer into a fight governor subsequently grant- River, Plummer was ap- and was killed. Fortunately ed the pardon, but it was based proached by James Vail who for Plummer, this happened on his health—Plummer was was seeking volunteers to in a crowded saloon, and suffering from tuberculosis. help protect his family from there was no doubt that it Then, in 1861, Plummer tried anticipated Indian attacks at was self-defense. In fact, to carry out a citizen’s arrest the mission station he was Plummer was viewed very of William Riley, who had attempting to found in Sun favorably by most town resi- escaped from San Quentin; in River, Montana. No pas- dents and, in May, he was elected sheriff of Bannack. The newly elected sheriff organized a deputy net- work throughout the camps and triumphantly rode to Sun River for a June wed- P ding. After he had settled his

(See Lynching on Page 16) January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 13 Mormon Battalion

March officer by a vote of battalion antiquated prescriptions, the officers. The leadership tran- soldiers suffered from ex- (From Page 8) sition proved difficult for cessive heat, lack of suffi- many of the enlisted men, cient food, improper medical salvation of our camp.” who were not consulted treatment, and forced long- While not the first white about the decision. distance marches. people to travel the route, Smith and his accompa- The first division of the battalion, en route to a nying surgeon, a Dr. Sander- the Mormon Battalion ap- rendezvous with General son, have been described in proached Santa Fe on Oc- Kearney in San Diego, was journals as the “heaviest bur- tober 9, 1846. At Santa Fe, the first group to bring wag- dens” of the battalion. Under Smith was relieved of his ons west across the deserts, Smith’s dictatorial leader- and it is given credit for ship and with Sanderson’s (See March on Page 19) forging the first east-to-west road through the region. The route traveled – overlapping the one traveled by Father Kino and Juan Bautista de Anza from Tubac, Arizona, to California – became a route for thousands of pioneers, treasure seekers and others who would follow the lure of California and gold. Further, the battalion proved the importance of this lower, warmer route, which could be traveled year-round. The road, through a region an- nexed by the United States with the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, would eventually become part of John But- terfield’s Southern Overland Mail Route. Mormon troops set out on their journey from Coun- cil Bluffs, Iowa, at the end of July 1846, under the leadership of army Captain James Allen, who was soon pro- moted to Lieutenant Colonel. Though most left their wives and children behind, some women and children did accompany the battalion. They arrived at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on August 1, 1846, where they were outfitted for their trek to Santa Fe. Bat- talion members drew their arms and provisions, as well as a clothing allowance of forty-two dollars, at the fort. Since a military uniform was not mandatory, many of the soldiers sent their clothing allowances to their families in the encampments in Iowa. The march from Fort Leavenworth was delayed by the sudden illness of Col- onel Allen. Captain Jeffer- son Hunt was instructed to begin the march to Santa Fe, but he soon received word that Colonel Allen was dead. Allen’s death caused confu- sion regarding who should lead the battalion to Santa Fe. Lieutenant A.J. Smith arrived from Fort Leavenworth claiming the lead, and he L was chosen the commanding Page 14 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Fort Davy Crockett Misery

(From Page 6)

named Robinson “who usually stationed himself here to traffic with the Indians and white trappers. His lodge was his warehouse and buffalo robes spread upon the The Green River at Browns Hole ground his counter on which appears somewhat poverty- started to refer to it as Fort he displayed his butcher stricken. The people at the Misery too. knives, hatchets, powder, fort seemed worse off than Kit Carson, and some lead, fish-hooks, and whis- we were. The day before other trappers, had an agree- key.” they had bought a lean dog ment with the fort’s owners Less than a week lat- from the Indians for five to keep the small commu- er, F.A. Wislizenus, who dollars, and considered its nity well supplied with fresh passed by on his way to meat a delicacy,” Wislize- meat. They often went into Missouri referred to the fort nus said. Whenever there the mountains to hunt game as Fort Misery. “The fort was a rain storm, the fort once or twice a week. Dur- itself is the worst thing of and everything in its vicin- ing the winter of 1838-39, the kind that we have seen ity became a muddy mess. It Carson, six mountain men, on our journey… in short, was not long afterward that and two Indian women were the whole establishment most of the local trappers hunting when their encampment was attacked by a party of Sioux Indians. The trappers managed to fight off the hostiles by seeking shelter behind a fence of logs used to confine the horses; however, one man had been shot five times with arrows. The trappers used their Kentucky rifles and buffalo guns to re- pel the enemy. Their bullets went straight and true. Sev- eral of the Indians were either killed or wounded. Finally, the Indian leader waved a stick that had a white cloth tied to it. It was the universal signal that he wanted to talk. The trappers, however, were on high alert. Some simply did not trust the Sioux. After discussing among themselves, the trappers decided to let the Indian chief come forward, so they could hear what he had to say. What happened next is best described by Kit Carson:

(See Misery on Page 20)

please Support Our Advertisers January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 15 Geronimo Apache Reservation, Geronimo be- deaths of Cochise and other came a leader in opposing prominent Apaches. Con- (From Page 9) the planned dismantling of versely, other Apaches, who Apache culture. Geronimo’s viewed armed resistance as a along with its mother, was threat to the delicate peace, killed by the Mexicans. cooperated with U.S. mili- Meanwhile, encroach- tary and civilian authorities, ing U.S. miners, settlers, and working as reservation po- military men had begun to licemen and scouts. disrupt Apache life, taking In 1876, Geronimo pro- land, instigating conflict, tested the Chiricahuas’ re- and subjecting the Indians moval to the desolate San to white laws. In 1863, when Carlos Reservation by flee- U.S. soldiers used force to reputation as a warrior, his ing with his family. Although establish a post in Chiricahua oratory skills, and his wis- captured, arrested, and trans- country and murdered Chief dom enabled him to com- ported to a San Carlos guard- Mangas Coloradas under a mand a following and have house, he did not end his op- flag of truce, bloody warfare a hand in matters of war and position to the government’s ensued. Geronimo fought peace. His rising influence under Cochise, Victorio, and filled a void caused by the (See Apache on Page 17) others, but the Apaches were overpowered. By the early 1870s, most Apache bands, threatened with extermination and star- vation, had accepted peace terms and reservations. Yet many of them detested the new life. They were expected to become Christian farmers R under deplorable conditions that included confinement, hunger, and white supervi- sion. Soon after moving with his family to the Chiricahua

C Page 16 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Henry Plummer O Lynching Langford, Plummer confid- “crime in the area seemed ed, “Now that I am married to be played out.” And the (From Page 12) and have something to live Union League (a Bannack for, and hold an official po- political group) voted unani- bride into their log home at sition, I will show you that mously to recommend Plum- Bannack, he convinced citi- I can be a good man among mer as a deputy U.S. mar- zens of the need for a deten- good men.” Even Langford shal. tion facility, to end the cur- conceded that Plummer had This Plummer is a far rent practice of immediate “wonderful executive abili- cry from a bloodthirsty de- hangings. With subscriptions ty” and “was oftener applied mon addicted to robbery and of $2.50, which Plummer to for counsel…than any mayhem. Instead, pioneers personally collected, he con- other resident.” Constituents recall seeing the “genteel- structed the first jail in what praised the sheriff’s “ex- mannered” peace officer, is now Montana. To his bit- haustive efforts” to protect fastidiously neat in his el- ter political enemy Nathaniel the camps, commenting that egant overcoat, patrolling Bannack’s streets at dawn. But during the final months of 1863, a rash of crime swept the Bannack and Alder Gulch mines–not the alleged 100 murders and robberies, but four alarming occurrences: a murder, two stage robberies and the attempted robbery of a freight caravan. Although Plummer increased his efforts to offer protection, while he was es- corting a freighting party to Fort Benton, pro-vigilante forces organized. In an ensuing hanging spree that lasted a month, vigilantes eradi- cated 21 men suspected of belonging to an outlaw gang. Among the untried victims was Plummer himself, who had publicly stated that he intended to put a stop to the lynchings. On January 10, 1864, a mob armed with revolvers, rifles and shotguns surrounded the ailing Plummer’s cabin and lured him from his sickbed by threatening to lynch a robbery suspect in A custody. Unarmed, Plummer stepped outside and argued for the suspect’s right to a trial, but vigilantes surrounded him and marched him to the pine gallows up the gulch. They provided no drop, but

(See Lynching on Page 23) January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 17 Geronimo Apache the Apaches as murderous group of followers and their renegades who deserved families after hearing rumors (From Page 15) death, imprisonment, or that their leaders would be banishment. Geronimo in executed. With five thousand program. In 1878 Geronimo particular became targeted U.S. troops, several hundred and his supporters joined oth- for elimination. Indian scouts, and hundreds er Apaches in Mexico, but in Apache scouts under of Mexican soldiers in pur- the winter of 1880, tired of General George Crook, the suit, the Chiricahua leaders fighting, they re- surrendered to turned to San Car- Crook, consent- los. In September ing reluctantly 1881 Geronimo to live in Florida and several others for two years. Be- bolted after U.S. fore reaching San soldiers forcefully Carlos, however, Z suppressed a reli- Geronimo and gious gathering. some thirty fol- Geronimo and his lowers raced back group stormed to Mexico. Low San Carlos the on ammunition following spring and not wanting to and led hundreds risk more deaths, of Apaches in a Apache Indian prisoners, including Geronimo they surrendered at a railway rest stop, September 10, 1886 desperate bid for to General Nelson freedom. commander of U.S. troops A. Miles, Crook’s replace- During these outbreaks, in Arizona, located the Chir- ment, in September 1886. defiant Apaches raided icahuas in Mexico during U.S. soldiers quick- Mexican and U.S. settle- the spring of 1883. Pursu- ly shipped the captives to ments, fighting soldiers and ant to an agreement reached three Florida internment settlers on both sides of the with Crook, the Chiricahuas camps, where other Apaches border. Though Mexicans returned to San Carlos. In had previously been sent. and white Americans had 1884, Geronimo’s follow- Among the exiles, who been massacring Apaches ers were placed at Turkey eventually totaled 469 peo- for years, land-hungry set- Creek, within the San Car- ple, were Apache scouts tlers and government offi- los reserve, but they fled the cials nevertheless branded following year with a small (See Apache on Page 21) Page 18 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Sweat Lodges mong Native Amer- bathed in sweat, even as they a sweat leader. A fire keeper, icans in the West, flagellated themselves with who maintained the fire and Aand especially in pine branches or buffalo tails. opened and closed the door the Plains, a spiritual and When the ceremony ended, at specific times during the physical purification rite was some tribes, such as the Na- ceremony, assisted him. undertaken before seeking a vajo, cooled off in snow or The ceremony had dif- vision, going on a war par- sand, while others plunged ferent meanings and purpos- R ty, or taking part in a es for the various Na- religious ceremony. tive Americans who The Sweat Lodge have practiced the was believed to bring rite for centuries. For purification by expos- instance, the Sioux ing the body to heat. see the interior of the The Sweat Lodge was sweat lodge as rep- usually a small dome- resenting the womb shaped wigwam of Mother Earth, its covered with hides. darkness as human Sometimes there ignorance, the hot were large, commu- stones as the com- nal lodges that were ing of life, and the also used as clubhouses or into a lake or river. hissing steam as the creative for ceremonial meetings. A In a typical Sweat force of the universe being number of men would gather Lodge ceremony, smok- activated. The entrance faces in the structure to conduct ing a pipe with tobacco en- east, source of life and pow- the ceremony, in which wa- hanced the religious aspect er, dawn of wisdom, while ter was sprinkled over hot of the rite. Lasting approxi- the fire heating the rocks rocks that were handed in mately two hours, the Sweat is the undying light of the from outside. The heat from Lodge ceremony, which in- world, eternity. the resulting steam filled the cluded prayers and songs, In some places, it is still lodge, and the men were would be presided over by practiced to this day. 150 Years Ago in the Old West January 1, 1869 by Thomas Orr, a school- wounded in action on the The Denver Pacific Rail- teacher whom Baker had Solomon River in Kan- way and Telegraph Com- picked on once too often. sas. pany’s telegraph line to Cheyenne is completed. January 8, 1869 Also in January 1869 Denver Mayor William General Philip H. Sheridan As Comanche chief To- Clayton wires Cheyenne’s establishes Camp Wichita sawi (Silver Brooch) sur- Mayor Murrin. on Medicine Bluff Creek in renders to General Philip present Oklahoma. Sheridan at Fort Cobb, January 3, 1869 Missouri, he reportedly Construction begins on a January 25, 1869 says, “Tosawi good In- 900-foot Denver Pacific With a futile estate fight be- dian.” Replies Sheridan, Railway bridge across the hind him, 18-year-old Pat “The only good Indians South Platte near present Garrett departs Claiborne I ever saw were dead.” Evans, Colorado. Parish, Louisiana, to seek a Lieutenant Charles Nor- new start in the West. dstrom hears the remark January 6, 1869 and passes it on for pos- The outlaw Cullen Baker January 28, 1869 terity as “the only good is tracked down and killed The 7th Cavalry reports Indian is a dead Indian.” in southeastern Arkansas six Indians killed and 10

R January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 19 Mormon Battalion

March Angeles, were mustered out families. of the United States Army The men of the Mor- (From Page 13) on July 16, 1847. Eighty- mon Battalion were hon- one men chose to reenlist ored for their willingness to command by Lieutenant and serve an additional eight fight for the United States Colonel Philip St. George months of military duty un- as loyal American citizens. Cooke. Cooke, aware of the der Captain Daniel C. Davis Their march of almost 1,500 rugged trail between Santa in Company A of the Mor- miles from Council Bluffs Fe and California and also mon Volunteers. Most of the to California is one of the aware that one sick detach- soldiers migrated to the Salt longest military marches in ment had already been sent Lake Valley and were re- from the Arkansas River to united with their pioneering (See March on Page 22) Fort Pueblo in Colorado, or- dered the remaining women and children to accompany the sick of the battalion to Pueblo for the winter. Three detachments consisting of 273 people eventually were sent to Pueblo for the winter of 1846-47. The remaining soldiers, I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not too sure. with four wives of officers, left Santa Fe for California on October 19, 1846. They journeyed down the Rio Grande del Norte and eventually crossed the Continen- tal Divide on November 28, 1846. While moving up the San Pedro River in present- day Arizona, their column was attacked by a herd of wild cattle. In the ensuing fight, a number of bulls were killed and two men were wounded. Following the “Battle of the Bulls,” the battalion continued their march toward Tucson, where they anticipated a possible battle with the Mexican soldiers garrisoned there. At Tuc- son, the Mexican defenders temporarily abandoned their positions and no conflict ensued. On December 21, 1846, the battalion encamped on the Gila River. After following the Gila westward, they crossed the Colorado River into California on January 9, 1847. By January 29, 1847, they were camped at the Mis- sion of San Diego, about five miles from General Kearny’s quarters. That evening Colo- nel Cooke rode to Kearny’s encampment and reported the battalion’s condition. During the remainder of their enlistment, some members of the battalion were assigned to garrison duty at either San Diego, San Luis Rey, or Ciudad de Los Ange- les. Other soldiers were assigned to accompany General Kearny back to Fort Leaven- worth. All soldiers, whether en route to the Salt Lake Val- ley via Pueblo or still in Los Page 20 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Fort Davy Crockett T Misery two after the incident with better disposed from enjoy- the Sioux, they rode up to ing security among any of (From Page 14) Fort Hall. There they stayed the tribes. A party of these overnight but left early in the renegades, led by Thompson, “When the Indians were morning with 14 horses sto- went over to the Snake River within shooting distance, len from the fort’s corral. As to steal horses from the Nez some of the trappers fell back they passed by a Shoshoni Perces. Failing in this, they behind some trees and one encampment on their way robbed the Snake (Shoshoni) shouted a signal to his com- back to Fort Davy Crockett, Indians of about 40 animals panions. They fired their ri- some of the mountain men and ran them off to the Uin- fles and killed the head chief crept up and stole an addi- tee Mountains. The Indians and one or two others. The tional 30 ponies from the In- followed and complained to Indians got very much ex- dians’ herd. Needless to say, the whites at Fort Crockett cited and started raving and the troopers at Fort Hall were that their people had been tore around. They kept up a furious. When Thompson robbed by white trappers and firing at us for a short time and his men arrived at Fort demanded restitution.” and then retreated. When the Crockett with the horses, the A party of mountain men chief was shot, he jumped up trappers who had remained was formed at the fort deter- and fell down dead.” Their at the fort were angry also. mined to try to recover the leader was apparently a dis- According to Joe Meek, horses. The party, under the tinguished man and much “To make matters more se- command of Joe Walker, con- respected by the Sioux. rious, some of the worst of sisted of 25 men and included Philip Thompson and a the unemployed trappers had Meek, Carson, Craig, and few trappers decided to try taken to a life of thieving and Newell. They found the sto- Tomorrow, I’m going to form a support group something different. They mischief which made en- len horses on an island in the for people without a support group. planned to steal some horses emies of the friendly Indians Green River about 25 miles to from Fort Hall. A week or and was likely to prevent the the south. The horse thieves barricaded themselves in- side a crumbling fortification at the mouth of the Uintee River. Since he had no desire to spill the blood of the ren- egade trappers, Walker tried to recover the horses by having some of his trappers get behind Thompson’s men, so they could run the horses into the little fort. Walker’s men succeeded in keeping the rob- bers on the outside. Thomp- son tried to get help from some Ute Indians at a village not far away, but Walker threatened vengeance against them if they dared to interfere in the trappers’ quarrel. Since the Utes were generally afraid of the trappers and did not want to face the wrath of their Shoshoni enemies, they agreed to back down and stay away from the situation. The trappers on both sides then spent the rest of the day arguing and yelling at each other. Walker’s men T were able to drive the horses off the island and eventually return them to their rightful owners—the troopers at Fort Hall and the Shoshoni Indi- ans. The partnership Philip Thompson had with Wil- liam Craig and Previtt Sin- clair was quickly dissolved. The next summer, Fort Davy Crockett was abandoned. Capt. John C. Fremont’s party passed through Browns Hole in 1844, but little could be seen of the little fortification that was once used as a trading post on the banks of the Green River. January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 21 Geronimo Apache who recorded and edited his Mescalero. story in Geronimo’s Story of Congress finally re- (From Page 17) His Life, published in 1907. leased the Apache prison- Still a prisoner of war and ers in 1913. One hundred and their families, people longing for home, Geronimo eighty-seven of them went to who had once provided in- died of pneumonia at Fort the Mescalero Reservation, valuable assistance to the Sill on February 17, 1909. and seventy-eight stayed in United States. Irrespective of He was survived by a daugh- Oklahoma. By then, Geroni- which side they had fought ter, Eva Geronimo, at Fort mo had become an American on, the Apaches now not only Sill and the two children at legend. were held as prisoners of war, but also were expected to adopt white culture. Incar- cerated at Fort Pickens, near Pensacola, away from their wives and children, several men, including Geronimo, performed hard labor, saw- ing logs. Many Chiricahuas died from heat, humidity, and disease. The survivors were forced to cut their hair, wear Euro-American clothing, and send their children to distant boarding schools. In 1887, military of- ficials reunited the Apache families at Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama. While there, one of Geronimo’s two wives received permission to move to the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico Territory. She took their two children, Lenna and Robbie, with her. In 1892, 388 survivors were shipped to Fort Sill, In- dian Territory (Oklahoma). Once there, Geronimo con- verted to Christianity, apparently without forfeiting his traditional beliefs and values. He sustained his family by ranching, farming, and sell- ing autographed pictures of himself. He gained celebrity status, appearing at President Teddy Roosevelt’s inaugu- ral parade and the St. Louis World’s Fair. He also told his experiences to S. M. Barrett, Page 22 Territorial News January 9, 2019 Mormon Battalion March

(From Page 19)

history. According to Colonel Cooke: “History may be searched in vain for an equal march of infantry. Half of it has been through a wilderness where nothing but savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts where, for lack of water, there is no living creature.” The battalion contributed to the early development of Califor- nia by building Fort Moore in Los Angeles, building a courthouse in San Diego, and making bricks and building houses in southern Cali- fornia. Following their discharge, many fired a hostile shot. men helped build flourmills and saw- Historic sites associated with mills in northern California. Some of the battalion include the Mormon them were among the first to find gold Battalion Memorial Visitor’s Cen- at Sutter’s Mill. Men from Captain ter in San Diego, Fort Moore Pio- Davis’ Company A were responsible neer Memorial in Los Angeles, and for opening the first wagon road over the Mormon Battalion Monument in the southern route from California to Memory Grove, Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah in 1848. Monuments relating to the battalion In spite of their long trek, his- are also located in New Mexico, Ari- toric accomplishments and near zona, and Colorado, and trail mark- brushes with hostility, the Mormons ers have been placed on segments of never engaged in battle. They never the battalion route. Dancing in Chicago Ball opportunity, after explaining to him the materials of which it was com- (From Page 10) posed, and the mode in which they were brought together from every “It takes all kinds of people to make section of the Union, than was af- a world” (as I hear it judiciously ob- forded by this very ball. “This is a served this side of the mountains), scene of enchantment to me, sir,” and why should not all these kinds observed an officer to me, recently of people be represented as well in a exchanged to this post, and formerly ball-room as in a legislature? stationed here. “There were but a At all events, if I wished to give few traders around the fort when I an intelligent foreigner a favourable last visited Chicago, and now I can’t opinion of the manners and deport- contrive where the devil all these ment of my countrymen in the ag- well-dressed people have come gregate, I should not wish a better from!” Business & Services

Advertise! Call for more info! 480-522-7728 January 9, 2019 Territorial News Page 23 Henry Plummer Lynching doubtful for several reasons. crimes is the sobering fact For one thing, none of the that during their entire spree, (From Page 16) four copies of the list agree the vigilantes never once en- with each other. And oddly countered the resistance of instead bound his hands, enough, the name of Deputy the West’s most “perfectly slipped a noose over his head, John Gallagher, lynched at organized” gang. In all prob- and gradually hoisted him. Virginia City, does not appear ability, the peace officer who Thus in 1864 a popu- on any of the four lists. slowly strangled to death on larly elected law officer in a In addition to the suspi- that moonless winter night U.S. territory was, without cion aroused by the list dis- led no outlaw band, but in- due process of law, lynched crepancies, the four bungled stead was killed because he by a vigilante mob. There crimes, the forced confes- had intentions of stemming is not a single shred of evi- sions, and the lack of con- the rise of vigilantism in dence linking Plummer to nection between the four Montana Territory. any crime committed at Ban- nack or Alder Gulch. Some historians now regard the ru- mored outlaw gang as mere myth. On the mining frontier, rumors of huge bands– complete with passwords, spy networks and codes for marking targeted coaches– were rife. In Vigilante Days and Ways, Nathaniel Lang- Money talks ...but all mine ever says is good-bye. ford wrote that Plummer had previously headed an outlaw band in Lewiston for three years. In fact, Plummer was residing in California at the time, and preserved documents suggest Plummer spent just three weeks in the Lewiston area. As for the Bannack outlaw gang, vigilantes claimed that it was “the most perfect organization in the West.” Yet study of the four afore- mentioned crimes in Plum- mer’s jurisdiction reveals that there was no connection between them, nor any ear- marks of an outlaw organization. The two stages robbed were not even carrying gold shipments, while the botched robbery of the caravan trans- porting over $75,000 in gold dust was carried out by only two men, one timid and the other inept. The method that vigilantes used to confirm that local outlaws had united into a fearsome gang was to loop a noose about the neck of suspect “Long John” Franck and repeatedly hoist him until the nearly strangled man gasped that there was indeed a gang. But when Long John attempted to lead vigilantes to gang headquarters, he came up empty-handed. Erastus Yeager, another suspect put under similar du- ress, supposedly dictated to a vigilante scribe the names of the gang members. Though vigilantes claimed that this dictated membership roll had guided their executions, the authenticity of Yeager’s list is Page 20 Territorial News January 9, 2019