USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VI > Part 15
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The demand for flour from the Hellings Mill was, during the first year of its operation, greater than the supply. Two grades of flour were made, the best being sold for eight cents per pound at the mill, and the second quality for seven cents; "semetilla" a coarser product, was sold for five cents, and bran for three cents. The
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greatest quantity of flour made in one day dur- ing the season of 1872 was 16,784 pounds, besides semetilla and bran, while the output rarely fell short of 10,000 pounds. As the valley adjacent to the mill contained no trees, fuel for the mill, which was operated by steam power, was hauled from the mesquite country below, near the pres- ent site of Phoenix. The first large contract to be taken by Hellings & Co., after the completion of their mill, was for supplying the military posts north of the Gila including McDowell, Date Creek, Hualapai, Verde and Whipple, with flour, from January 1st, 1872, to July 1st of the same year. This contract had been previously awarded to Bichard Bros., of Adamsville, but was later annulled and given to their recently established competitors. The Hellings plant was known as the Salt River Flouring Mill, and its Territorial Agents were Hellings & Veil at Pres- cott, Barnett & Block, at Wickenburg, Moore & Carr at Maricopa Wells, and E. N. Fish & Co., at Florence and Tucson. Nothing remains to mark the spot where the Hellings Mill was erected forty-five years ago, except the crumbling walls of the old building which, so far, the ravages of time have failed to totally obliterate.
Near the north bank of the Salt River, about opposite the Mormon town of Lehi, was located in early days the little settlement of Maryville, often called Rowe's Station. The founder of Maryville was William Rowe, a sturdy rancher who came to the Valley in 1868. Mr. Rowe built the station on the main travelled road from the Gila to Camp McDowell, and there domiciled his large family. Several hostile Apache tribes,
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were dangerously near to Mr. Rowe, but, like many other pioneers, he took his chances. Under trying conditions Mr. Rowe commenced the digging of a ditch to reclaim the fertile lands about the station, but it was uphill work and many years slipped by before Rowe's Ditch, as it was at first called, could be utilized for the carrying of water. Raid after raid was made by the savages upon his slender posses- sions, but he held on to his home for many years. Equally courageous neighbors came in time to dwell beside him, but the little settle- ment was hardly ever free from Indian attacks. On May 15th, 1870, Indians stole all the stock, eight or nine head, mostly cows, owned by Thomas Shortell, one of Mr. Rowe's neighbors. This rancher had at one time been a soldier at Camp McDowell, had a large family to support, and his loss, therefore, was very severe. A few days later Indians took all the stock, cows and oxen, belonging to Mr. Rowe. Rowe had at this time a family of eight little children, and his principal means of support for himself and family was upon the milk he sold, and the hay which he hauled with his oxen, to supply the mar- ket in other localities. The loss occasioned by this raid left him almost destitute, with a large family to support as best he could. On March 28th, 1874, Indians again raided the little settle- ment, robbing Mr. Rowe of all his mules and Joseph Cox, one of his neighbors, of his only horse.
In 1873 times were very lively at Maryville. The Maryville Irrigating Canal, which was eigh- teen feet wide on the top, and ten feet on the bot-
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tom, was being pushed to completion and was designed to carry ten thousand inches of water. At this time the settlement of Maryville con- sisted, in a business way, of a store and hotel, as well as blacksmith, carpenter and paint shops. About May, 1873, the progress of Maryville had become so pronounced that a postoffice was estab- lished with Charles Whitlow as the first post- master. To show its advancement in a social way, it is only necessary to state that on the even- ing of July 21st, 1873, an up-to-date theatrical performance was given by the Maryville Ama- teur Troupe, composed of Dr. T. J. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Davis, and the Misses Mollie and Sierra Nevada Whitlow, daughters of Charles Whitlow, who had come to the settlement from California. Mr. Wilson had been a school teacher in San Bernardino, California, whence he had come to the Salt River Valley, on July 20, 1872, with an armful of testimonials. Upon reaching the valley he stayed in Phoenix but a short time, soon continuing his journey to Rowe's Station. A man who had given his name as Thomas Maxwell had been stopping at this station and, on the evening of July 22nd, robbed Wilson, the schoolteacher, as well as Charlie Whitlow. The next morning Mr. Rowe and his son followed the thief across the desert, and he, when overtaken, commenced to shoot at the pursuers without effect. Rowe and his son returned the fire and wounded Maxwell so severely that he capitulated. He was removed to the station as soon as possible, where he had
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the attendance of a doctor and all other aid avail- able, but to no purpose, as he died the next night.
One of the first shooting scrapes to take place at the "Maryville Crossing of Salt River," as the place was sometimes called, occurred on Febru- ary 1st, 1873, when James C. Beatty was killed by Richard McGregor. The trouble began in a wordy dispute, Beatty making the first move to shoot, but getting the worst of it. McGregor came out of the encounter uninjured, and after- wards surrendered himself to the authorities at Phoenix. He was exonerated.
When Camp McDowell was abandoned as a military post, the travel along the road passing by Maryville Station became uncertain, and fin- ally of no importance whatever. With the de- cline of the McDowell country as a centre of military activity, the gradual abandonment of Maryville took place, its sturdy settlers going to more active localities. Some twenty-five years ago an old adobe ruin, near the deep worn Mc- Dowell road, still marked the site of Maryville, one more of the vanished settlements of Arizona.
The Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the first Protestant organization to establish it- self permanently in the Salt River Valley. The first regularly ordained minister of this church appointed for Arizona was the Rev. Alexander Groves.
This was in 1870, soon after the Los An- geles Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and almost immediately the reverend gentleman set out for Prescott, Ari- zona, the future field of his labors. He made the journey across the desert from California on
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horseback in the company of the late Edward Irvine. After reaching Arizona he rested a few days in the Phoenix Settlement, then a prosper- ous community, before proceeding to Prescott. At this stopping place he met with the kindest of treatment and the information was furnished him that a church would soon be erected in the Valley and that the services of a good minister would be required. From Phoenix this pioneer minister continued his journey to Prescott, which. he reached on the evening of Tuesday, December 13th, 1870, where he found almost virgin reli- gious ground awaiting well directed effort.
In February, 1871, the Rev. Franklin Mckean, another minister of the same denomination, ar- rived in Phoenix, and immediately began his work. As was said at the time, the settlers were "pleased to know that this church will hereafter take great interest in our spiritual welfare." The Rev. Mckean gradually aroused interest throughout the Valley in religious work and preached to appreciative audiences at whatever ranch house seemed most convenient. From the time of his arrival concerted religious effort in the Salt River Valley may be said to date, and it has never been dormant since.
In October, 1871, the Rev. Groves left Prescott for California, to attend the annual conference. During his stay in Prescott he had been able to establish a church organization, but he did not return to that place as the Conference sent him to the Salt River Valley, where he was after- wards held in high esteem. After his departure from Prescott Chaplain Gilmore, of Fort Whip- ple, and Chaplain White, of Camp Verde, con-
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tinued to preach sermons at the courtroom in Prescott on Sundays.
When the Rev. Groves reached the Salt River Valley, he took up his abode upon a ranch, farm- ing and preaching alternately. With his coming the Valley, for a time, had two preachers, as the Rev. McKean was still in this vicinity. Until an adobe building of fairly good size was completed in Phoenix on the southwest corner of Center and Monroe Streets, most of the early Methodist services were held in the open air, or under the shade of brush "ramadas" in various parts of the Valley. The following is a good description of an old time religious service, held at "Bar- num's Grove," north of Phoenix:
"Parson Groves held religious meetings Friday and Saturday evenings, and three separate ser- vices on Sunday (September 15th, 1872), in the pleasant grove on the ranch of Thomas Barnum. During the Sunday services quite a number at- tended from Phoenix. After morning service an impromptu table was arranged, and an excellent dinner, gotten up by Mrs. John Osborn, Mrs. Griffin, Mrs. Thomas Barnum, and Mrs. Rodgers, was served to the visitors, who did ample justice to the viands. The intervals between the ser- vices were occupied in singing and recreation. Those who lingered to the last sat down to a pleasant supper with Mrs. Barnum, and all de- parted much pleased with the day's proceed- ings."
The pioneer preachers, like the early school- masters in Arizona, found much difficulty in ob- taining sufficient financial aid to meet their daily
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wants as the struggling settlers among whom they lived could help them but little.
In September, 1872, Edward Irvine made a trip from Phoenix to Tempe, and in returning by the south side road, thus described a meeting with the Rev. Groves :
"All along, as I went, I passed excellent farms which bore evidence of having produced abun- dant crops the year past, and of active prepara- tions being made for extensive sowing during the coming season. On Hiltibrand's ranch, I sur- prised Parson Groves, black as a negro, busy with fork and axe, clearing off the mesquite brush. The parson works thus during the week, and preaches at Phoenix nearly every Sunday, and, occasionally down at Mesquite and up at Bar- num's Grove, walking backwards and forwards a distance of ten or twelve miles each way."
This teacher of the gospel would also take loads of potatoes and other products raised in the val- ley to the Bradshaw Mountains for barter among the miners and prospectors of that region. He made his living in this way, but everywhere he went he preached the doctrine of friendship, charity, and love, more like the Peter Cart- wrights of the West than the well-paid preachers of to-day. He was conscientious and adhered strictly to his interpretation of the spiritual laws as laid down in the Bible.
In the middle seventies the question of Sunday labor came up in the Valley, and caused some dis- cussion and some feeling among the church brethren. In a correspondence from Phoenix, under date of January 26th, 1875, the following is found:
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"The public school is now open under the man- agement of Miss Nellie Shaver. The Sabbath school is conducted by the Rev. Mr. Groves, in the absence of Miss Florence Tweed, who is on a visit to Tucson. The Rev. S. M. F. Herrett an- nounced from the pulpit yesterday forenoon that until further notice, there would be no more church services on Sunday morning because the people are so busy working, thus virtually ap- proving of Sunday labor. In the evening, Mr. Groves announced from the pulpit that he would hold services, himself, every Sabbath in the fore- noon. Parson Groves has always been a firm standby in the church, and now when Godliness is on the decline, refuses to go over and join the world, but bravely rears the banner of the Cross and stands firmly at his post."
In the year 1873 the Methodist Episcopal Church South was regularly organized by the Rev. Groves. On the 15th day of May, of the same year, the Phoenix Townsite Commissioners, Messrs. Griffin, Alsap and Hancock, donated to the Church, Lots 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, in Block 65, the certificates of donation being made out to W. H. Franklin, Edward Irvine, Major Charles H. Veil, Capt. William A. Hancock, and G. A. Reuter, as trustees. These lots, however, were not built upon until 1878.
One of the most successful church gatherings of the early days was the quarterly conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, which was held at Phoenix in the courthouse, commenc- ing on Friday evening, December 5th, 1873, and closing on the following Sunday evening. The at- tendance was very good in spite of rain and mud.
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On Sunday evening the house was full-half the congregation, at least, being ladies-at which time the sacrament was administered. On Sun- day, December 7th, the Sunday School was re- organized. Although the library was, at that time, small, two ladies each promised a donation of books to it. On the evening of December 8th, after the close of the conference, the Rev. A. B. Gill lectured at the courthouse on "Theology." The Rev. Gill, a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church South, had reached the valley from California on November 22nd, 1873, with the in- tention of residing in Phoenix for some time. The first Church Conference ever held in the val- ley was that of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, at the "Mesquite" in May, 1872, and lasted four days.
Forty years have made a great change in the religious life in Phoenix. Many, if not all, the denominations are represented, and the minis- ters are not compelled, as Parson Groves was, to toil for his bread, and preach the gospel without remuneration. His successors suffer no hard- ships, nor through the sweat of their brow earn their daily bread, laboring from sunrise to sun- set, but are employed at liberal salaries, and speak to fashionable audiences, in costly edifices, comfortably and luxuriously furnished, which are now scattered over the city in all directions.
The first Catholic Padre to come into this sec- tion was in 1872. He held a "misa" in the val- ley on Sunday, April 12th, 1872, and one in the town of Phoenix on the Tuesday following. Having performed his pastoral duties in Phoe- nix, he visited the settlement around Tempe,
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which was then a prosperous community. This priest came to the valley from the Florence Set- tlement, where he was regularly established in charge of a large number of Catholics residing in that vicinity. Phoenix at that time was a place of secondary importance to Florence, from a religious standpoint, and until a permanent parish was established at the former place, Catholic priests from Florence continued to make frequent visits to the settlers of their faith in the Salt River Valley.
The Rev. Charles H. Cook, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, began his work as a teacher and missionary to the Pimas in the year 1871, and continued to occupy this field with great success for many years thereafter. An ac- count of his labors will be given in a future volume.
In the early days of the settlement of the Salt River Valley, there were but few children of school age and the need of public schools was not pressing, but as the population increased, and with it the influx of many families, it became evi- dent that schools would have to be established, not only for the resident boys and girls, but also as an inducement to encourage further immigra- tion into the valley.
The first intimation that the settlers desired educational facilities for their children is contained in a brief paragraph written from the Salt River Valley August 13th, 1870, and appearing in the "Prescott Miner" of August 27th, following :
"The citizens are anxious for a school, and in- tend to have one as soon as possible, both for their own convenience and as a strong induce- VI-16
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ment for outside families." It was more than a year, however, before this was accomplished.
In the early part of 1871, the Sixth Territorial Legislature passed a new law for the establish- ment of public schools throughout Arizona, which will be found in a succeeding chapter un- der the head of Territorial Legislation, and which contained the following provisions :
"The public school year shall commence on the first day of January, and end on the last day of December. No school district shall be entitled to receive any portion of the public school moneys in which there shall not have been taught a public school, for at least three months, within the year ending the last day of December previous."
In order to meet this requirement the resi- dents of Phoenix and vicinity opened in the lat- ter part of the year 1871, a semi-public school, sustained by private contributions. This school was held in the first county courthouse which had been completed only a month or two before, on South First Avenue, just off Washington Street. January 1st, 1872, it became a real pub- lic school, as from that time it was maintained by direct taxation as proposed by the new school law. John T. Alsap, Probate Judge of Maricopa County, was ex-officio county super- intendent of Schools, and the following is con- densed from the first report he made to Gover- nor Safford, at the time ex-officio Territorial Superintendent of Public Instruction:
On January 1st, a public school was opened, and the first term of three months closed on March 22nd, J. R. Darroche being the teacher
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to preside over the destinies of this pioneer school. The average attendance for the quar- ter was twenty-five. Judge Alsap very prop- erly visited the school several times during the term, and on the day it closed, and was much pleased at the evident "improvement of the scholars." Maricopa County's share of the first money raised by taxation for the support of this school was exhausted on the one term, but a sub- scription was started, and funds for another quarter promptly raised, the second quarter com- mencing on April 1st. This school was located in District No. 1, then including the whole county of Maricopa, which had been created by order of the Board of Supervisors, on the 15th day of May, 1871. Shortly after the opening of the school in District No. 1, a petition of citizens liv- ing too far below Phoenix to share in the benefits of the school there, was presented to County Superintendent Alsap, who endorsed the views of the petitioners and presented the petition to the Board of Supervisors, who were urged to form another school district. On the 11th day of March, 1872, the Board created District No. 2 as requested. A small schoolhouse had already been erected by the petitioners, the first to be built in the county, and a school term was com- menced on April 1st, under the supervision of Mr. E. M. Johnson as teacher. This was known as the "Mesquite School," and the first trustees appointed by the school superintendent, were Matthew R. Morrell, A. B. Sorrels, and S. S. Stroud.
In closing his report Judge Alsap said: "The people generally seem to be interested in keeping
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the schools up, and the probabilities are that a school will be kept at Phoenix for nine months, at least, of the year 1872."
In commenting upon Judge Alsap's report, the "Tucson Citizen" of April 6th, 1872, edi- torially said :
"The liberality shown in maintaining free schools in Salt River Valley, is in the highest de- gree worthy of imitation all over the Territory, and, we believe, will prevail. We freely accord much credit to Judge Alsap for the splendid progress of the free school system at Phoenix, but, by his own report, he shows how well the citi- zens there second all his efforts. He makes a good showing for the 'border statesmen' of Mari- copa County."
The voters of District No. 1, having failed to elect Trustees on the first Monday of 1871, ac- cording to the act passed during that year, the school superintendent made the following ap- pointments, on June 10th, 1871: William H. Kirkland, James A. Young, and John P. Os- born, who were duly sworn in and assumed the duties of their office, the first in the county to serve in that capacity.
In the following year School District No. 1 elected the following trustees : Captain William A. Hancock, John P. Osborn and J. D. Rumberg, all well-known residents of Phoenix and vicinity. On August 5th, 1872, these gentlemen met at the office of Capt. Hancock and finding their certifi- cates of election correct, organized the school board by the selection of Capt. Hancock as Clerk and Treasurer. At this initial meeting of the trustees, plans for the early construction of a
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small schoolhouse were discussed, and before ad- journing Clerk Hancock was instructed to "draw up and circulate a subscription paper for the pur- pose of raising money to build a schoolhouse in the town of Phoenix, on the block donated to the school trustees for school purposes by the Town Association." Maricopa County was the baby subdivision of the Territory at this time, but it was the first to avail itself of the provisions of the new school law, and to its enterprising citi- zens belongs the honor of putting into operation the first free public school in the Territory under the law of 1871.
In addition to the two public schools in opera- tion at this time, "Gus" Chenowith had a private school in his own house. The two public schools closed for the summer season about the begin- ning of July, and on the 3rd of that month J. R. Darroche, the first master of the Phoenix school, was, by the Board of Supervisors, appointed County Recorder to succeed J. L. Mercer, who had resigned. After a vacation lasting through the summer months, the fall term opened on October 14th, 1872, under the auspices of J. Par- ker, the second master of the local school. A Phoenix resident who visited the school on November 22nd, wrote as follows :
"Yesterday afternoon I visited the public school in town, and found it in a flourishing con- dition under the management of J. Parker. About twenty-six children belong to the school, of whom twenty were in attendance. They showed great proficiency in their studies."
Parker did not serve long as master of the school, which was discontinued on the 14th day
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of December, 1872. At that time it was decided by the trustees to employ a female teacher in the future, and with that object in view a corre- spondence was commenced with Governor Saf- ford, who was, as has been stated, ex-officio Ter- ritorial Superintendent of Public Instruction. Female teachers were not readily available at that time, and the Phoenix School was started again on January 13th, 1873, with W. A. Glover in charge.
On March 8th, 1873, a meeting of the voters of District No. 1 was held in the courtroom on South First Avenue, for the purpose of selecting trustees for the ensuing two years, and of dis- cussing plans looking to the erection of the long desired schoolhouse. The trustees elected at this meeting were J. D. Rumberg, of the first board, Benjamin F. Patterson, and George Roberts, two well-known ranchers. Preliminary steps were taken toward starting the work on the pro- posed schoolhouse, which was deemed a necessity by all of the settlers. Judge Alsap was author- ized by the trustees to purchase lumber and other material and attend generally to the details of the construction of the schoolhouse, and on Au- gust 25th, 1873, he entered into a contract with John Casey for the erection of the adobe walls of the building. A man named J. L. Hunt put on the shingle roof; Richard Pearson made the windowsashes, the school desks, and did other carpenter work; Thomas Williams did the plas- tering, while H. Sayers whitewashed the walls. A man by the name of Curtis, H. Franks, J. Goldwater & Bro., Wormser & Wertheimer, and Charles W. Stearns. contributed build-
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ing material of one kind or another and during the first winter the school stove was kept burn- ing with wood furnished by Benjamin F. Patter- son. Mr. Patterson was one of the school trus- tees, and had come to the valley in 1868. Not much is known of Glover who was teaching dur- ing this time, but he was followed by the first really capable teacher to be placed in control of the Phoenix school, Miss Ellen Shaver. To this pioneer teacher belongs the distinction of being the first woman instructor to be employed in our local schools.
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