USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VI > Part 9
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mouth, where it empties into Salt River, thence to the White Tanks, and thence due west to the eastern boundary of Yuma County ; thence south along said line to the Gila river; thence up said river, following the principal channel thereof, to the mouth of the San Carlos river to the point of beginning; be and the same is hereby created into a county to be known and designated as the County of Maricopa.
"Section 2. The Governor of this Territory is hereby authorized and empowered to appoint all such county officers in the county of Mari- copa, as may be necessary to effect a complete county organization under the laws of this Ter- ritory, and the Probate Judge so appointed may qualify before any officer in the county of Yava- pai, or Pima, authorized to administer oaths; and all other county officers, appointed as afore- said, shall qualify before the Probate Judge of Maricopa County; and the bonds of all county officers appointed in said county, where by law bonds are required, shall be subject to his ap- proval.
"Section 3. All officers except the Probate Judge appointed in the said county of Maricopa, as hereinbefore provided, shall hold their re- spective offices until their successors shall be duly elected and qualified, and the Probate Judge, appointed as aforesaid, shall hold his office until his successor shall be duly appointed and qualified under the general laws of this Territory.
"Section 4. There shall be a special election held in the County of Maricopa, on the first Mon- day of May, A. D. 1871, at which special election
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all county and township officers, except Probate Judge, shall be elected, and all officers elected, at said special election, shall qualify within twenty days after their election, by taking the oaths and filing the bonds required by law of such officers, and shall hold their respective offices until after the next general election, and until their succes- sors are elected and qualified.
"Section 5. All acts and parts of acts relat- ing to County and township officers and their duties, now in force in this Territory, and not in conflict with the provisions of this act, are hereby extended to and made applicable to the County of Maricopa.
"Section 6. The county seat of Maricopa County is hereby located at the town of Phoenix, near Salt River, subject to removal as herein- after provided.
"Section 7. At the special election hereinbe- fore provided for, any voter may designate upon his ballot a place for the county seat of Maricopa County, and all such votes shall be received, counted and returned as other votes, and the place receiving the highest number of votes shall immediately become the county seat of Maricopa County.
"Section 8. No indebtedness now existing against Yavapai County, by reason of its county organization, shall be considered as indebtedness against the said County of Maricopa, nor shall any credits, demands, public buildings or other property of any kind, now owned by or belong- ing to said Yavapai County, be claimed or allowed in whole or in part as belonging to said county of Maricopa.
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"Section 9. All acts and parts of acts in con- flict with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.
"Section 10. This Act shall be in force and take effect from and after its passage."
It will be seen that Maricopa County, as origi- nally laid off in this bill, comprised nearly double the area which it now has, the lines extending across Pinal and Gila counties into Graham County. One peculiar thing about the bill is that there is no fixed boundary as to the eastern portion of the county, the reason for which was that on account of the Apaches in that part of the country, little was known of its geography.
On the 21st day of February, 1871, Governor Safford, acting upon a petition presented by the citizens of the new county, made the following appointments for temporary county officers :
For Probate Judge- Sheriff,
Recorder,
District Attorney, Treasurer,
John T. Alsap, Wm. A. Hancock,
J. L. Mercer,
Richard Stinson,
Supervisors,
Public Administrator,
Justices of the Peace,
George E. Mowry, Columbus H. Gray, Francis A. Shaw, Martin P. Griffin,
James McC. Elliott,
- Charles Carter,
James A. Young.
These appointments met with the hearty ap- proval of the residents of the Salt River Valley, especially that of Dr. Alsap, who was well liked
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
and who, as Probate Judge, occupied the most important position in the new county. This position was appointive at that time, the power of naming the incumbent being vested in the Governor until 1878, when the Legislature made the office an elective one.
In some correspondence of that day is found the following :
"We have been favored more than we ex- pected in the appointment of officers. For Pro- bate Judge we have Dr. Alsap, that sterling old Democrat, who is the unanimous choice of the county. A better selection could not have been made. Hancock, the Sheriff, is a good fellow, and a great friend of Safford's. The others are good men and all are highly pleased." ("Miner," March 18th, 1871.)
On Tuesday, the 28th day of February, 1871, the appointed members of the Board of Super- visors for Maricopa County, took the oath of office before Probate Judge Alsap.
At their first official meeting, held upon the same day, they resolved to make "Hancock's Store" the official location of the Recorder's office, where their first sessions took place, thus making it, for the time being, the official seat of county government. Hancock's store was the first building to be erected upon the Phoenix Townsite, following the first public sale of town lots in December, 1870, and stood close to the north side of Washington Street, near the west side of First Street. This building served as a temporary courthouse for some little time, or, more definitely speaking, until about the first of October, 1871, when a large and substantial adobe structure was completed by Messrs. Han-
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
cock & Monihon on the east side of south First Avenue, some fifty feet south of Washington Street. A jail was added at county expense to the Hancock & Monihon building, which was maintained as county headquarters for some four years.
On Wednesday, March 1, 1871, the rest of the newly appointed officials were sworn in, and the county government of the youngest county in the Territory was put in full operation.
At this point we find the following press com- ments :
"We bid Yavapai adieu with the kindest feel- ings. You are our friends and, in connection with you, there are many proud and grateful recollections that hover over our record. With you, we constituted the only Democratic county in the Territory, and, with you, we hope to act in conjunction and redeem our Territory from the misrule of the 'Carpet Bag faction' who now disgrace it." (Letter from Phoenix, March 3, 1971.)
Also the following :
"THE FIRST BORN-Yavapai's baby, Maricopa County, is now set up in business for herself, and although her 'poor old mother' was loth to part with her, yet she feels a pride in be- ing the first of the original sisters to give birth to a new county, which she hopes to see prosper and remain true to the principles of Democ- racy." ("Miner," March 18th, 1871.)
For Judicial purposes Maricopa county was attached to the Third Judicial District, a bill providing for holding district courts therein having been introduced in the Council by Dr.
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
Alsap, on February 13th; it passed that body unanimously on February 15th; it passed the House by 15 ayes, nays none, on February 17th, and on February 18th the Council received a message from the Governor announcing his ap- proval of the same.
Judge Charles A. Tweed presided over the District, and he opened the First District Court for the County at Phoenix, with C. C. Mc- Dermott as Clerk of the court. Judge Tweed received his appointment to the Arizona Bench while a resident of California, his name being sent to the Senate on April 14th, and being con- firmed by that body on April 18th, 1870. At the same time John Titus was appointed Chief Justice in place of Wm. F. Turner, who had served in that capacity ever since the organiza- tion of the Territory.
Before coming to Arizona, Judge Tweed had been a resident of Auburn, Placer County, Cali- fornia, for a period of fifteen years, where, for a time, he served as District Attorney, and for one term represented that county in the State Sen- ate. He was noted for his amiability; a pro- found thinker and a rare conversationalist, he was a favorite in every circle.
On the night of July 22nd, 1871, J. H. Fitz- gerald, of Yavapai County, one of the most active members of the House in this Legislature during the county division controversy, com- mitted suicide at Mill City by taking a dose of strychnine. He had been living at Wickenburg when elected, and left a wife and family in Los Angeles, California, at the time of his death.
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PROGRESS OF SALT RIVER VALLEY.
CHAPTER VII.
PROGRESS OF SALT RIVER VALLEY.
AGRICULTURAL AREA INCREASING - FIRST HAR-
VESTING MACHINERY BROUGHT IN BY "CRETE" BRYAN AND W. J. MULHOLLAND- MANY VARIETIES OF GRAIN, FRUIT AND VEGE- TABLES GROWN - ACREAGE CULTIVATED- PIMA AND MARICOPA INDIANS AFFORD PRO- TECTION TO FARMERS AGAINST APACHES- VALUE OF PRODUCTS-TAXABLE PROPERTY- COST OF CLEARING LAND-COST OF CULTIVA- TION-IRRIGATING CANALS IN 1872-ACREAGE UNDER IRRIGATION-SUMMARY OF IRRIGATING CONDITIONS IN SALT RIVER VALLEY.
The year 1870 was a very important one to the Phoenix Settlement. It marked the begin- ning of an era of prosperity to the farmers in that section. The agricultural area under culti- vation throughout Yavapai County, was increas- ing all the time. The farming acreage of the Salt River Valley was expanding more rapidly than in any other locality. In this year the first harvesting machinery was brought into the val- ley, Crete Bryan, of Wickenburg, bringing in a header, and a well known rancher from Flor- ence, W. J. Mulholland, driving over a thresh- ing machine, and these two worked over a por- tion of the valley during that season. In the spring of the following year, the firm of Mur- phy & Dennis, and William and John Osborn, brought in threshers, while in 1873 Lum Gray and John P. Osborn, aided by Barnett & Block,
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
brought two more machines into the valley. After this they became quite common through- out the valley.
Various kinds of fruit trees and vines were planted during the season of 1870. These vines and trees were brought overland from Southern California, and it required a good deal of care to have the young plants reach their destination in good condition, but, once set in the ground, the extreme fertility of the soil insured their rapid growth. Early settlers, during the first years of farming, having but little or no capital, had to rely upon their own energy for their sup- port, so little opportunity was given for experi- mentation in products. The preparation of the ground, and the sowing of seed and setting of cuttings or young trees, required the expendi- tures of but little money. By the middle of 1870 there was perhaps a hundred fruit trees of vari- ous kinds, including fig, quince, plum, peach, English walnut, apricot and orange, set out in the valley with no absolute knowledge at that time that they would become productive. In 1868 grape cuttings were first set out by Jack Swilling and the Starar Brothers, and did well from the start, and consequently, were exten- sively planted by the early residents. Of the cereals, barley was the favorite crop, and yielded heavily each season, while corn was planted ex- tensively during the first years. The latter crop, however, was gradually supplanted by wheat, which always made a good crop. In 1870 only sixteen acres were planted to alfalfa in the Valley, being on the farms of Barnum, Duppa, Gray, and Swilling, and but two and a half acres
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PROGRESS OF SALT RIVER VALLEY.
of oats had been sowed, a couple of acres on the ranch of Darrell Duppa, and a half acre on that of the Starar Brothers. Gordon A. Wilson was the first to experiment with pecans, peanuts and tobacco, having, in 1870, about fifteen trees of the former, about a quarter of an acre of pea- nuts, and about a hundred plants of tobacco. J. G. Young was the first to try the cultivation of orange trees in the Valley, and, in 1870, had three trees of that variety upon his farm. In the latter part of 1872 Jack Swilling had quite a number of these trees on his ranch, which did not do very well on account of the exposed char- acter of the land. Afterwards on better and more protected ground, they proved a suc- cess. The acreage in the staple crops increased steadily year by year, and from some two hun- dred and fifty acres cultivated in 1868, the culti- vated area expanded to something less than a thousand acres in 1869, and to approximately 1700 acres in 1870.
During the latter year only twenty farmers had planted crops of various kinds, mostly bar- ley and corn, although the water supply at that time was sufficient to irrigate a far greater amount of land than was then under tillage. These pioneer tillers of the soil were, according to Barney, the following :
John T. Alsap and Wm. L. Osborn, with about 57 acres.
John Ammerman, with about 225 acres.
Thomas Barnum, with about 103 acres. Jacob Denslinger, with about 82 acres.
Darrell Duppa, with about 175 acres.
Columbus H. Gray, with about 72 acres.
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
George James, with about 64 acres.
John Larsen, with about 86 acres.
John B. Montgomery, with about 60 acres.
Frank Metzler, with about 78 acres.
James Murphy and John T. Dennis, with about 98 acres.
Benjamin F. Patterson, with about 61 acres.
Lewis Rodgers, with about 100 acres.
John W. Swilling, with about 193 acres.
Jacob and Andrew Starar, with about 243 acres.
Gordon A. Wilson, with about 78 acres.
J. G. Young, with about 52 acres.
In the San Francisco Weekly Bulletin, of Cali- fornia, there appeared in 1870, a well written article by a prominent pioneer, entitled "Wan- derings over Arizona," from which the follow- ing, relating to the early Salt River settlement, is taken:
"On Salt River is a settlement of about three hundred people engaged exclusively in agri- culture. The whole neighborhood is entitled 'Phoenix' and extends some miles along the river bottom, on the north side of the stream, and lies several miles above its junction with the Gila. The land is very rich, and was evidently cultivated years agone, for the channels of ditches are not wholly filled up, and may be traced for many miles though overgrown with shrubbery. Careful estimates give the amount of good land in this vicinity at 50,000 acres, only 1200 of which are under cultivation, and a com- paratively small amount is claimed. Salt River is larger than the Gila above the junction, and is supplied from the White Mountains where the
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PROGRESS OF SALT RIVER VALLEY.
snow falls deep, and springs are abundant, and Mr. Swilling, an intelligent farmer, is of the opinion that by carefully managing the water from this stream, the entire arable land of the valley could be brought under cultivation. This body of land lies several miles from any moun- tains, and therefore is comparatively safe from Indian depredations. But few raids have been made, and the raiders rarely got away with their booty, being overtaken as a rule, on the plains intervening between the Valley and the moun- tains. The first settlements were made in De- cember, 1867. Only two of all went there with money, and they with but little. Many are now in easy circumstances, and all are 'gathering gear' happy and contented. A few rent their lands for a fine income and do nothing but over- see their business. The crops are a full average this year and small grain sells on the farm at from four to five cents per pound. Sweet pota- toes are produced to perfection, and one farmer has sixteen acres growing. Fruit trees are to be obtained soon and the mildness of the climate is a guaranty that all the delicate fruits will grow excellently. For the farmer and fruit grower there is no more inviting locality in Central Ari- zona, and I doubt if in any other portion of the Territory."
Soon after there appeared in the Prescott "Miner," the following letter:
"Phoenix, A. T., Aug. 13, 1870.
"Upwards of 30 Pimas and Maricopas, with one citizen of this neighborhood, named Eugene Carter, passed here yesterday on their return
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from a raid for a week against the Pinal Apaches. They report one fight in which they killed two Pinals and destroyed a large ranch- eria. One of the party had a large bundle of tanned buckskins, and much other property of more or less value was in their possession. It is well known that these raids are quite common, and to them and Camp McDowell this flourishing settlement feels indebted for the security of life and property enjoyed. They have made this section unsafe for Apaches, and the latter have rarely attempted depredations therein. There are many similar illustrations of the great practical value of the hostility of one tribe towards another. * * This set- tlement is receiving constant accessions of work- ing people. Within a few weeks some thirty new ranches have been located and four families have taken up their abode on as many farms. The older settlers have become attached to their new homes. A few grape vines were planted here two years ago, and as those who did it had no confidence in their production, they were un- cared for; but this season Messrs. Swilling and Starar each had a fine crop of as delicious grapes as ever grew in California, and they, as well as others, have determined to henceforth plant and properly cultivate vineyards. The common be- lief has been that Irish potatoes would not flourish here, but experiments this year prove otherwise. * * * Fig, pomegranate and other varieties, to a limited extent, of fruit trees have been planted and already steps have been taken to procure, during the coming fall, sev-
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PROGRESS OF SALT RIVER VALLEY.
eral wagon loads of vines and trees from Cali- fornia.
"Willows and cottonwoods have been planted for fences and shade, and they have grown rapidly. Some already make a secure fence, while all give some shelter from the sun and beauty to the landscape. Barley has been an average crop and the ruling price on the farm is 4 cents gold, and will be no lower this year. Corn is still being planted; experience has proven that the late planting yields a better grain and larger crops. Sweet potatoes may be planted with nearly equal advantage from early in June to nearly September, and they are still being planted at this date."
Still greater progress was made in the de- velopment of the Salt River Valley during the year 1871. Many new ditches were taken out on both sides of the river, and a great deal of new ground was leveled and prepared for culti- vation. During this year three thousand fruit trees of various kinds were brought from Cali- fornia and set out in the valley, and the area of cultivated land increased to some 4500 acres. The assessment-roll for this year showed taxa- ble property to the value of $170,000, and all doubts as to the permanency of the settlement, and the value of the lands placed under cultiva- tion, were dissipated. The area of cultivated land in and about Phoenix had increased in 1872 approximately to 8100 acres, seven thou- sand acres on the north side, and eleven hun- dred acres on the south side of the river. The land on the south side lay nearly opposite Phoenix, and was irrigated by the Prescott
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Ditch, which covered some six hundred acres of land, and by two other smaller ditches which, together, carried water for about five hundred acres. Of the 8100 acres around Phoenix cul- tivated during this year, 4000 were sowed to barley, 2500 acres to wheat, and the balance was given over to the gardens, truck patches, alfalfa, orchards and vineyards. The estimated value of the products raised in the valley during the year 1872 was $500,000, while the taxable prop- erty was valued at $290,000.
A well known farmer of the valley thus wrote of the prospects for the season of 1872 :
"All of the barley and wheat crops look well and will average, I think, to the acre, about 25 bushels. Many farmers here will exclaim against this average, and pronounce it en- tirely too low, but I think, nevertheless, that it is about the true one. There are many acres of grain in this valley that will yield 2500 lbs. per acre, but taking all that is sown, early and late, plowed in, harrowed in, and brushed in, 1500 lbs. is about the true average. This will give as the yield of the valley about 5,000,000 pounds of barley, and a little over 4,000,000 lbs. of wheat. Of this total about 2,000,000 pounds of barley will be required at home during this coming season for feed and seed, and about 500,000 pounds of wheat will be needed for seed. The balance will be for market, and will all be disposed of before January 1st, 1873. Buyers are, at present, bidding three cents per pound, and much grain will be sold at that price by those who are compelled to sell, while those who are able to hold on to their grain will get 4 or 41/2
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cents per pound before the next harvest. These prices do not include sacks, as all sales are made here in bulk, and the buyer furnishes sacks if he wants it put up that way."
The cost of clearing up a farm and putting it in condition for cultivation varied a great deal throughout the Salt River Valley. To clear "mesquite lands" cost from three to seven dol- lars an acre in 1872, while "sage brush lands" could be cleared and made ready for the plow at an expense of from one to two dollars per acre. The mesquite land produced the best look- ing grain, that is to say, it grew taller and looked greener, but whether the yield was greater or not, was never thoroughly demon- strated. It was the consensus of opinion that the "mesquite lands" would yield a larger crop than the "sage brush lands" but whether the ex- cess production was sufficient to pay for the extra cost of clearing, was a disputed ques- tion. Either class of lands yielded crops of sufficient value if properly cultivated, to pay the farmer good wages and interest on the money expended. During the year 1872, harvesting machinery became more plentiful in the Salt River Valley, and prices for harvesting crops were, therefore, reduced. During the season of 1871 it had cost $4.00 per acre to have grain harvested with a header, and during this year it was reduced to $3.00 per acre. Usually the threshing was done upon a royalty basis; one- twelfth of the grain threshed going to the thresher, the farmer, in addition, furnishing the hands necessary to bring the grain to the ma- VI-10
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chine. It cost about ten dollars per acre to cut and thresh grain and prepare it for the market during the early 70's.
Early in 1872 there were six ditches or irri- gating canals taken from the north side of the Salt River Valley near Phoenix, as follows:
The Swilling Irrigating Canal.
Wilson's Ditch.
The Juan Chiavria, often called the Griffin Ditch.
The Salt River Ditch, later known as the Farmers' Canal.
The Monterey Ditch.
The Mexican Ditch.
Of these the Swilling Irrigating Canal was the first constructed, work on it having been, as already stated, commenced in 1867. In April, 1868, it had, according to Barney, a total length of about two and three-quarter miles and a width of some twenty feet. Its cost was equiva- lent to about ten thousand dollars. It was en- larged and improved every year after 1868. In 1871, a portion of new ditch, with its head nearly three-quarters of a mile up the river, was dug, intersecting the old channel at a point 3300 feet from the river in a straight line.
This last stretch of canal was twenty feet on the bottom, with an average depth of about ten feet, and cost $9,000. Both the old and new ditches were used, and were capable of supply- ing, in 1872, about eight thousand inches of water, and much more by raising the dams across the river at their heads. The Swilling Com- pany originally claimed five thousand inches, which was later increased by an additional claim
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PROGRESS OF SALT RIVER VALLEY.
of seven thousand inches, making a total ap- propriation of twelve thousand inches. The first head of this ditch was intended for, and was a temporary affair, to enable the farmers to bring water upon the land while the more diffi- cult work of opening a permanent water head was being actively prosecuted. The water in the old Swilling Ditch was brought to the sur- face of the ground about a mile from the head of the ditch, and near this point it was divided into three principal divisions, as follows:
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