USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VI > Part 8
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
carefully examine into the mail conditions of the Territory and to re-establish the old Butter- field route between Los Angeles and Santa Fe, via Yuma and Tucson, and that he spent sixty odd days in Arizona from February 16, to April 16, visiting Maricopa Wells, Prescott, Tucson, Tubac, Wickenburg, Casa Grande and other places.
"He established new postoffices and new mail routes during his stay, many of which still exist. This was before there was any Phoenix or Florence; or, as he said, there were only stage stations between Yuma and Tucson, about 300 miles, although there was a big store at Mari- copa Wells, owned by Hooper, Whiting & Co. After an hour's running conversation and reminiscences, the major said, in substance, as remembered :
" 'It may be of interest to you to know that I named Phoenix-that is, officially. As a mat- ter of fact, Governor R. C. McCormick asked me to have the spot called Phoenix, the name the settlement had previously been called, and I so recommended to the postoffice department, and this gave it its name officially. Shortly after- wards I named Florence, after a maiden sister of the governor, Florence McCormick. At the time I crossed the Salt River on my way from Tucson to Prescott, via Camp McDowell and the Vulture Mine, near Wickenburg, the Apaches were very dangerous, and the only white man our party met for 150 miles was a man named White, who owned a small flouring mill some distance from Maricopa Wells, within the VI-8
114
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
safety of the Pima Indians, who were about 12,000 strong and who fought and whipped the Apaches often, and whose boast it was that they had never killed a white man. The Maricopas numbered 1,500 and they and the Pimas were friendly and intermarried, but each spoke a dif- ferent language.
"'I stayed over at the Vulture mine twenty- four hours, in March, 1867, and was greatly interested, as it was the first gold mine and the first stamp mill I had ever seen. The owners were taking out lots of gold and gave me a fine little cube, and a free gold specimen of quartz, which in 1877 I presented to John Sherman, Secretary of the Treasury, under President Hayes.
" 'We were five days going from the Vulture mine to Prescott, the latter place having been so named by Governor McCormick after Prescott, the historian. Here I was entertained by the officers of the army, and at one of the dinners given me saw a roasted wild turkey that had weighed thirty-eight pounds after being dressed. There were deer and wild turkeys only a few miles from camp, but also Apaches.
" 'In 1878 I again visited Arizona as special agent of the post office department, and stopped over near Phoenix as the guest of a man named Hayden, who had a fine house and was building a big corral. Phoenix was then quite a town, and had a good hotel, several stores, and trees along one or more of its streets. The Southern Pacific only ran as far as Yuma, so I made the trip between Yuma and Tucson in a buckboard.
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
"'Of course I could tell you a good many stories of this trip, how I was received at Tucson at receptions and balls given by Lord & Will- iams, the Zeckendorfs, and others, and of the good treatment I received at Phoenix, but I will call myself off now that I have presented the above salient features. But I have always had a mighty warm spot in my heart for Ari- zona, and have hoped for years that it would be made a state.' "
During these early years agriculture, of course, made more rapid strides in the Salt River Valley than in any other section of the Territory, because here the settlers were com- paratively free from raids by the Apaches, being protected to a great extent by the Maricopa and Pima Indians, but there was a good deal of planting done during the years 1867, 1868 and 1869 in the north, in and around Prescott, and good crops raised in many places. Some at- tempts were made to cultivate lands in the southern portion of the Territory, but whatever was placed upon the land there in the way of livestock was oftentimes confiscated by. the Indians.
In a report of a geological survey for a rail- road made by General W. J. Palmer in 1867 and 1868 over the 32nd and 35th parallels, an account of which is given by William A. Bell in a work entitled "New Tracks in North Amer- ica," there is given an estimate of the arable land in the Territory, the number of acres under cultivation and the amount of grain, maize and wheat raised in 1867, which, to the present day reader, will prove interesting :
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
"Not reckoning its tributary valleys, the Gila valley has about 300,000 acres of arable land, capable of sustaining an agricultural and min- ing population of 200,000, which is, no doubt, a low estimate. During the same season the same land produces two crops, one of wheat and an- other of maize. The breadth of land now under cultivation-in many places subject to the fre- quent incursions of the terrible Apaches-is quite small. Intelligent residents gave me the following estimate for Southern Arizona :-
"ARABLE CULTIVABLE LAND.
"Valley of the Aravaipa. Acres
" San Pedro
5,000
" Santa Cruz 50,000
20,000
66 " Gila
300,000
66
" Salt River 50,000
" Colorado 15,000
"Total : 440,000
"UNDER CULTIVATION.
Acres
"Tres Alamos and vicinity 500 200 Calabasas 66
Tubac 66 66
500
Tumacacori 66
50
San Xavier del Bac 100
Tucson 2,000
Above Pima Reservation, on Gila 1,000
Pima Reservation .1,000
Total : 5.350
1
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
"MAIZE AND WHEAT RAISED IN 1867.
lbs.
"Tres Alamos
500,000
Calabasas 200,000
Tubac
500,000
Tumacacori 50,000
San Xavier 50,000
Tucson
1,500,000
Gila river, above Reservation
1,000,000
Indian Reservation, wheat, 750,000
maize, 250,000 1,000,000
Total : 4,800,000
"That part of Southern Arizona lying east of a line drawn from Baboquivari Peak to the Gila above Sacaton possesses, in common with New Mexico, great pastoral advantages. It is covered at all times of the year with a magnifi- cent growth of grama grass-one of the most nutritious grasses known to stock raisers; and at no season of the year do cattle need other shelter than that afforded by natural variations in the surface of the ground.
"Timber is scarce. In the Santa Catarina and Santa Rita Mountains pine is abundant, but elsewhere, and then only upon the immediate banks of the streams, cottonwood and mesquit alone are found to supply either timber or fuel. The latter is a remarkably hard and durable leguminous wood, and grows in the lower Gila valley and in the Colorado to a size large enough for cross ties, and not unfrequently at- tains a diameter of from 18 to 30 inches. It makes the most highly prized pianoforte legs."
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
During the years 1867 and 1868 a large amount of corn and other grain was raised in the north- ern part of Arizona, and during those years large quantities were furnished to the United States Government at from eight to ten cents a pound.
:
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
CHAPTER VI. EARLY SETTLEMENTS-PHOENIX AND VICINITY (Continued).
MILL CITY OR EAST PHOENIX-HELLINGS' MILL -THE SWILLING FARM - SIXTH TERRI- TORIAL LEGISLATURE - CREATES COUNTY OF MARICOPA - OFFICIALS APPOINTED BY GOV- ERNOR SAFFORD-FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF MARICOPA COUNTY HELD BY JUDGE TWEED.
Mill City, or East Phoenix, became a village of considerable importance, and in 1872 de- manded and received postal facilities. Ed. K. Buker, a well known resident of the valley, was appointed the first postmaster. By the middle of 1873, W. B. Hellings & Co., had built up a valuable trade the flour and produce, and dur- ing the following year added to their stock quantities of bacon and lard. At this time their steam mill was turning out an average of twelve thousand pounds of good flour every twelve hours from a superior quality of wheat grown in the valley.
In 1873 there was no demand for bran, so the manufacturers of the flour had to purchase hogs to consume all the refuse and unsalable stuff about the mill. The mill and the surround- ing buildings were kept in first class repair, and the tract of land belonging to the firm was large, some of it planted to various crops. In 1873 the Swilling farm was added to these hold- ings. Upon this farm were planted apple and peach trees, and grape vines.
120
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
In a letter dated in November of the year 1872, the late Edward Irvine, of Phoenix, wrote the following description of the Swilling farm:
"On Saturday, November 9th, Granville H. Oury, J. B. Hartt and myself started out afoot, on a little excursion. Avoiding the roads we followed up the Dutch Ditch, a branch of the Swilling Canal; crossed the Extension, another branch of the same, and came upon a neat little artificial pond in a clump of willows and cotton- woods, which was covered with tame ducks, the property of J. W. Swilling, whose house, a com- fortably large one, 59 x 80 feet stood nearby. Mr. Swilling's ranch is conveniently situated near the head of the main ditch, on which he has a vineyard and an orchard containing apple, peach, plum, pear, cherry, fig, walnut and orange trees, all of which looked thrifty and promising, except the latter, which were injured by the frost. A patch of fine large cane close by, gave indications of the future production of sugar."
Long rows of cottonwoods, some poplars, and other shade trees were growing rapidly upon Hellings & Co.'s property, while castor bean plants were also abundant. In 1870, the prop- erty was covered with nothing but sage brush and greasewood, with not a drop of water in sight, so that the great change brought about in a few years by the owners was gratifying to all those who were interested in the progress of the valley.
The following article which appeared in the "Tucson Citizen" of January 2nd, 1875, shows the enterprise of Hellings Bros .:
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
"Among the noteworthy establishments of Arizona is that of Wm. B. Hellings & Co., of East Phoenix, in the Salt River Valley. It is well known throughout Arizona that they have a very large and complete steam flouring mill in the heart of the largest area of agricultural land, well supplied with water, in Arizona, and that they have been quite successful in operating it, as well as in making pork, bacon and lard. But during this year they intend enlarging and per- fecting their pork and bacon establishment by the introduction of all the best appliances ob- tainable in the old states. Additional buildings will be erected and machinery installed for handling the hogs and for the making of all the barrels and casks required, right on the ground, and the whole business is to be systematized and perfected in its details as it is in the cities of Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati. They killed 250 hogs in 1874, and they proved to be of better quality and weight than in 1873, and better than was expected prior to killing and dressing. The result of their operations in 1874 was, or will be when completed, 400 barrels of mess pork with proportionate quantities of bacon, lard and sausages. They will ship these articles to various markets in the Territory, not supplied by local producers. It is the purpose of the firm to make their articles equally as good as can be purchased in the San Francisco or other markets, and sell them as cheaply as they can be laid down here from any other market. Local dealers will find it to their advantage to patronize them."
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
The following item also appeared in the same newspaper shortly after:
"W. B. Hellings & Co., have 60,000 pounds of hams and bacon on the way from Phoenix to Tucson, and have made arrangements to supply all the stores of this town. Samples of their manufacture may be seen at E. N. Fish & Co.'s store, and we are entirely safe in saying that no better articles of hams and bacon were ever of- fered in any market. They have put the bacon up in shape particularly convenient for miners or other persons who have to camp out, and yet in entirely acceptable form for household uses. Mr. W. B. Hellings has satisfied himself that the Salt River Valley climate cannot be excelled for the curing of hams and bacon; in fact, he is of the opinion that it is superior to any other part, and he stands ready to guarantee that everything made by his firm will keep perfectly for one year, and we thoroughly believe that he is entirely safe in making such an offer. We think this local- ity favored in getting the products named, for they are without question, first class in every way."
In March, 1875, the Hellings Company opened a branch store at Tucson for the special sale of the flour, pork, bacon, and lard produced at East Phoenix. A grocery trust, such as are quite common throughout the country to-day, existed at the time in the Old Pueblo, called the "Mer- cantile Association," with which the Hellings Company had no connection. Their advertise- ment stated that "From all persons who desire a fair competition in trade, and who are opposed to combinations and monopolies, such as now
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
exist here, we ask patronage. Within sixty days we will receive a large stock of staple groceries, which will be sold much below the present rates."
Their establishment in Tucson was called the "Marble Front," and was located on Main Street.
In Hinton's "Handbook to Arizona," pub- lished in 1878, appears the following description of East Phoenix :
"East Phoenix is a very pretty little hamlet gathered about a large flouring mill, with water running on either side of its only street, which for half a mile is also lined with young cotton- wood trees."
To-day, however, nothing remains but a few crumbling ruins where this thriving and ambi- tious village once stood. The bare blackened walls of the three storied mill are still standing to designate the center of Mill City's business activity. In later years the land upon which the little village had flourished became the property of John J. Gardiner, and was known as the Gardiner Ranch. He cleared away most of the old ruins, and used the old mill for the storing of hay and grain until fire destroyed it.
The population of the Salt River Valley had increased to such an extent, that when the elec- tion was held in 1870 for Territorial and County officers, it was the second largest precinct in Yavapai County. In Phoenix precinct at this election the vote cast numbered 188, while the vote cast in Prescott was 306. J. A. Young and C. Carter, were elected Justices of the Peace, and James A. Moon, constable.
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
The Sixth Territorial Legislature was con- vened at Tucson in 1871. Its members were as follows :
COUNCIL.
Name.
Residence.
Occupation.
Age. Where Born.
Yavapai County.
John T. Alsap,
Phoenix,
Farmer,
40 Kentucky.
Harley H. Cartter,
Prescott,
Lawyer,
61 New York.
Andrew J. Marmaduke, Prescott,
Farmer, 45
Virginia.
Mohave and
Pah-Ute Cos.
Not Represented.
Yuma County.
John H. Phillips,
Eureka,
Physician,
56
New Jersey.
Pima County.
Hiram S. Stevens,
Tucson,
Merchant, 39 Vermont.
Daniel H. Stickney,
Santa Rita,
Clerk,
58 Massachusetts.
Estevan Ochoa,
Tucson,
Merchant,
37 Chihuahua.
Francisco S. Leon,
Tucson,
Ranchero,
52
Arizona.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Name.
Residence.
Occupation.
Age. Where Born.
Yavapai County.
J. H. Fitzgerald,
Wickenburg,
Metallurgist, 39
Kentucky.
John L. Taylor,
Prescott,
Farmer,
36 Kentucky.
William J. O'Neill,
Kirkland Val., Farmer,
40 Ireland.
G. A. Wilson, Joseph Melvin,
Phoenix,
Farmer,
52 Virginia.
Verde,
Farmer,
40 Pennsylvania.
James L. Mercer, Mohave and
Pah-Ute Cos.
Not Represented. Yuma County.
Marcus D. Dobbins,
Arizona City,
Lawyer,
43 Pennsylvania.
C. H. Brinley,
Arizona City,
Miner,
43 Massachusetts.
Thomas J. Bidwell, Pima County.
Ehrenberg,
Gardener, 38 Missouri.
J. W. Anderson,
Florence,
Farmer,
45 North Carolina.
F. H. Goodwin,
Tucson,
Physician,
37
Georgia.
William Morgan,
Tucson,
Farmer,
27
Pennsylvania.
W. L. Fowler,
Tucson,
Farmer,
25
Pennsylvania.
Ramon Romano,
Tubac,
Farmer,
34 Mexico.
Juan Elias,
Tucson,
Farmer,
30
Mexico.
Rees Smith,
Tubac,
Farmer,
42
Ohio.
Phoenix,
Farmer,
36
Ohio.
The Legislature was organized by the election of Daniel H. Stickney, of Pima County, as Presi- dent of the Council. He died before the end of
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
the session and Harley H. Cartter, of Yavapai, was elected to fill the vacancy.
Marcus D. Dobbins, of Yuma, was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The following is the record concerning the creation of the County of Maricopa at this ses- sion :
"IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- TIVES :
"Jan. 26-Mr. Fitzgerald introduced a bill 'Creating the County of Pinal,' and a motion to suspend the rules, for second reading, was lost by the following vote :
"AYES-Messrs. Anderson, Bidwell, Melvin, Mercer, O'Neill, Smith and Taylor-7.
"NAYS-Messrs. Brinley, Elias, Fitzgerald, Fowler, Goodwin, Romano, Wilson and Mr. Speaker-8.
"Jan. 27-The bill 'Creating the County of Pinal, read a second time and a motion to make it the special order for Feb. 23rd was lost by a vote of 7 to 8, being then referred to the "Com- mittee on Counties and County Boundaries."
"Jan. 28 .- A petition from Pima and Yava- pai citizens for a new county was refused refer- ence to the 'Committee on Counties and County Boundaries' by a vote of 5 to 9, and was then referred to a 'Committee of Fve'-three from Yavapai, and two from Pima-consisting of Messrs. Fitzgerald, Mercer, Taylor, Anderson and Smith.
"Feb. 1 .- Messrs. Fitzgerald, Mercer, Smith and Taylor, of the 'Special Committee' to whom was referred the petition of citizens from Pima
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
and Yavapai, for a new county, embracing the Gila and Salt River Settlements, reported it back and recommended that it be laid on the table. Subsequently the petition came up for action, and by a vote of 9 to 6, it was laid upon the table.
"Feb. 6 .- Mr. Fowler, of the 'Committee on Counties, etc.' reported favorably upon the bill to create the 'County of Pinal,' which was con- sidered in Committee of the Whole, without recommendation.
"Feb. 7 .- The Pinal County bill was consid- ered in Committee of the Whole, and was amended; the committee arose and asked to sit again. The Pinal County bill came up again and was amended in Committee of the Whole, so as to exclude Wickenburg; this proceeding was adopted by the following vote :
"AYES-Messrs. Anderson, Bidwell, Brinley, Elias, Melvin, Mercer, Morgan, O'Neill, Ro- mano, Smith, Taylor and Wilson, 12.
"NAYS-Messrs. Fitzgerald, Fowler, Good- win, and Mr. Speaker, 4."
After this action the bill and report was re- ferred to the Yavapai Delegation as was also a petition presented by Mr. Mercer, from citizens of Salt River Valley on the same subject.
"Feb. 9 .- The Yavapai Delegation, to whom had been referred the Pinal County bill, reported a 'substitute bill' for that 'Creating the County of Pinal'; which was adopted."
Mr. Anderson, of Pima, moved to amend the substitute bill so as to embrace territory
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
south of the Gila; upon this motion the vote stood as follows :
"AYES-Messrs. Anderson and Morgan-2.
"NAYS-Messrs. Bidwell, Elias, Fowler, Goodwin, Mercer, O'Neill, Romano, Smith, Tay- lor, Wilson and Mr. Speaker-11."
The substitute bill "Creating the County of Maricopa" was then considered engrossed and passed by the following vote :
"AYES-Messrs. Bidwell, Elias, Fowler, Goodwin, Mercer, Morgan, O'Neill, Romano, Smith, Taylor and Wilson-11.
"NAYS-Mr. Anderson and Mr. Speaker-2.
"IN THE COUNCIL.
"Feb. 11 .- After the opening of the day's pro- ceedings, Mr. Phillips, of Yuma, presented a petition from citizens of Wickenburg, Vulture City, the Vulture Mine and Phoenix, asking for a new county, to be formed out of Yavapai; this petition was ordered laid on the table."
The "substitute bill" for that creating the County of Pinal, which was the one to "Create the County of Maricopa," was then brought up and was passed unanimously.
"IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- TIVES :
"Feb. 15 .- After the opening of the day's pro- ceedings, a communication was received from the office of the Governor announcing his approval of a number of bills, among them being :
"'An Act to create the County of Maricopa,' " this bill having been signed by Governor Safford on the previous day.
128
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
Thus, on February 14th, 1871, on the 35th day of the session of the Sixth Legislative Assembly, the county of Maricopa was officially created.
This was the second county created by an Arizona Legislature, under pressure of public petitions.
The First Legislative Assembly divided the Territory into the four immense counties of Mohave, Pima, Yavapai and Yuma.
Out of the northern portion of Mohave County was carved in 1865 the county of Pah Ute, the first created by petition of citizens after the initial session of the Legislature, and which occupied the extreme northwestern corner of Arizona.
For some reason, to this day unexplained, the greater portion of the land included in this Ari- zona county was ceded to the State of Nevada by the Congress of the United States under an act passed on May 5, 1866.
This act provided, however, that the cession should not be valid unless consent for the accept- ance of the same, was formally given by the Nevada Legislature. This latter body, soon after, accepted in due form this valuable grant, which comprised an area of 12,225 square miles, by passing the required legislation on January 18th, 1867.
By this peculiar act Arizona's area was re- duced from 126,141 to 113,916 square miles, its present area, and "Pah-Ute" County, Arizona, was almost wiped out of existence.
In 1871, by the same legislature which created the county of Maricopa, the act creating this first county was repealed, furnishing, at the same time, the only instance in our political history,
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
wherein a once official county name cannot be found upon the maps or records of today. That remnant of Pah-Ute county which was left in Arizona was again merged with the mother county, and is still a portion thereof, valuable mostly for its vast stretches of virgin timber.
In Yavapai county, the passage of the "Mari- copa County" bill created much discussion, and some doubt was expressed as to the ability of the residents of the Salt River Valley to sustain a separate county government, without the aid of the settlements along the south side of the Gila River. The following correspondence expresses fully the sentiment of that day :
"The trustees of the young and growing town of Phoenix, have shown very good sense in hav- ing set apart lots for school, church, and Masonic purposes, and we are sorry that the entire people of the settlement did not exhibit equally good sense upon the county question.
"They should not have severed their connec- tion with us at this time, when both we and they are 'hard up.' Had they succeeded in having the 'Gila Settlements' included in their new county, we would not have said one word against the movement. But as 'Maricopa County' now stands, we cannot help thinking that its people will have to 'pay too dear for their whistle.'
"But then the railroad is coming, and all will soon be well with our neighbors of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona." ("Miner," March 4th, 1871.)
And also the following:
"By 'The Citizen' of February 18th, we learn of the creation of the new county of 'Maricopa,' VI-9
130
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
and also, to our astonishment, learn that it is made entirely out of Yavapai County. There is but little feeling here about the division of this county, as it is large enough to be divided again and leave plenty of land for us, but that the southern boundary of the new county should be made the Gila river, is surprising to us who have not yet learned the reason. If the southern boundary had been so located as to take in all the settlements in the Gila Valley, south of that river, it would have been a sensible arrangement and have been geographically correct; as it is, the inhabitants along the Gila in Pima County are not benefited, their natural affinities with their neighbors on this side of the river are not strengthened, and the new county has not the population without them to go on as prosper- ously as would be desirable. Probably two years will show all parties interested that 'Maricopa County,' must have the southern portion of the Gila Valley to be complete and comfortable."
Over twenty times two years have now passed, and these misgivings sound strange and out of place to us of today, when Maricopa County is one of the wealthiest and most prosperous sub- divisions in the State.
The Bill as passed, was as follows:
"Section 1. All that portion of the Territory of Arizona, now embraced within the present boundaries of Yavapai County, and bounded as follows, to-wit:
"Commencing at the point where the San Carlos River crosses the parallel of thirty-four degrees of north latitude, and running thence to a point on the Rio Verde, thirty miles above its
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