--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Kimball, S. F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 9 number: 8 published: 1906-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'S. F. Kimball, "Adventures on the Way to Arizona," *Improvement Era* 9, no. 8 (June 1906): 621–626.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0908unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0908unse start_page: 621 end_page: 626 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1906-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0908unse publication_year: 1906 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1906, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Adventures on the Way to Arizona ADVENTURES ON THE WAY TO ARIZONA. BY S. F. KIMBALL. After spending the greater portion of nine years in seeking for the things of this world, [I started for Arizona on the 4th day of July, 1877. The very thoughts of this trip almost broke my heart. It seemed like some powerful influence that I cannot describe took possession of me, saying, go, and I mus obey. If I had been sentenced to years of imprisonment, I could not have felt worse. President Young had heard that my brother, David P. and family, and myself, were getting ready to go, so he had us called to go as missionaries. We had been told that cattle were bringing fabulous prices there, and for this reason we decided to start with ox teams. Edward E. Jones and family accompanied us. We reached St. George about the 10th of August, and it seemed like Old Nick had been firing up for the occasion. We had learned by this time that we had made the mistake of our lives in starting with cattle, but it was now too late to back out. The roads for one hundred and sixty miles ahead of us were fearful, and water and feed were scarce. However, we worried along until we reached Pierce's Ferry, on the Colorado river. We were compelled to remain here a few days, in order to rest our animals. While here, an Indian who had been sent from St. George by Brother David H. Cannon, brought us the Deseret News containing an account of President Young's death. This sad news, in connection with the troublesome times that we were passing through, multiplied our sorrows. It was a great shock to us, and we could not have felt worse had it been our own father. We had met President Young at Nephi, on our way down, and he blessed us before leaving that place. We continued our journey to Cane Springs, about fifty 622 IMPROVEMENT ERA. miles south of the Ferry. By this time our animals were so worn out and footsore that we were compelled to remain about a month. Before we had been there two hours, one of my best oxen that had gotten into a mudhole was killed by the wolves within one hundred, yards of our camp. After our animals had sufficiently recovered from their hard journey, we made another start across a seventy mile desert that lay in front of us. We traveled three days and nights without water. Two men, one named Lee, who had escaped from the Utah penitentiary, came to our camp and traded us some blankets for provisions. The first water that we expected to reach was at a mining camp called Hackberry. When we reached within two miles of it, at 10 o'clock at night, we struck a sandy wash and lost the road. " The children were crying for water, and we and our animals were famishing. Water in that part of the country is so scarce that you may travel from fifty to sixty miles in almost every direction without finding it. We unhitched our teams, and Brother Jones and myself saddled our horses and drove our jaded animals up this wash all that night. Fortunately, we found water about daylight, which saved the lives of ourselves and animals. In the meantime, my brother David had found the Hackberry water, which was the means of saving their lives. Hackberry was an old deserted mining camp, and a company had just started it up again. Here we traded what few cattle we had left, for horses and mules, and remained two years in order to get another outfit so we could continue our journey. The day before our arrival the miners had lynched a man for killing another one. Lee and his partner, the convicts, had also gone to work here. One day, in an unguarded moment, I mentioned to a party the circumstances of their escape. They happened to hear of it, and made up their minds to kill me. One night, while I was out at a wood camp, this man Lee came out there to attend to this little matter. He would have done so had it not been for another desperado who had taken a liking to me, and who stood guard over me all that night. During the two years that I remained here, it seemed as if my life was in constant danger. It was difficult for me to understand the reason for it. I was attending to my own business, and working every day as hard as I could. However, I was not prospered ADVENTURES ON THE WAY TO ARIZONA. Q2.S in anything. If the rattlesnakes did not bite my horses on their noses, when they were eating grass, and kill them in that way, the animals were sure to get their hind feet into the bell strap, and thus kick their own heads off. And so it went with my other affairs. The most curious part of it was that I never for a moment thought that these misfortunes were coming upon me on account of my not living my religion. All supplies for this camp were brought up the Colorado river on steam boats to Hardysville. They were then hauled on wagons to Hackberry, about seventy-five miles east. There were two ■ ranges of mountains to cross, and the roads over them were quite rough in places, especially during the winter time. In crossing one of these mountains, from Mineral Park over to the toll gate, I came near losing my life on two different occasions. It was during the winter season, in both instances. On the east side, there was a dugway, about a mile long. It was very narrow, steep, crooked, and covered with ice from top to bottom. If one should happen to go over the side, one would go a thousand feet below. In order to get down with loaded wagons, it was necessary to *'rough-lock" both hind wheels. Even then it was dangerous. We rough-locked in this way: we locked our wheels with chains, and then wrapped another chain around the felloes, so that it would cut roughly into the ice. And so we drove down. This kept the wagon from crowding onto the team. The first time, I had only one pair of animals on my wagon, and the wagon was loaded with iron pipe. The night was dark as pitch. I had to drive down about one hundred yards before it was steep enough to rough-lock. Unfortunately, I had driven a little too far, and my team was unable to stop the wagon. We went down almost as if we had been shot out of a gun. Before I had gone far, one front wheel struck a projecting rock. The shock threw one of my horses bodily clean over the wagon tongue, landing him on his back. The accident brought everything to a standstill, and saved my life. On the next occasion, which was in the daytime, I had four animals, with a heavy load of freight. The leaders were a pair of wild mules. I got my team stopped all right, and rough-locked both hind wheels. I started down, but had not gone far before both rough-locks broke loose, and away I went again! The team (524 IMPROVEMENT ERA. went so fast that I could not jump off. Just before we reached a turn in the road, and were about to go off the dugway, the leaders struck a little piece of ground. Like lightning they jumped in toward the bank to save themselves, and by so doing threw the wagon into the bank, pulling us all up in a heap. This saved my life again. My protection from death made me think there surely must be some overruling Power watching over me. My father and mother had been dead ten years, and I had strayed so far from their teachings, during that time, that I had almost lost all faith in an overruling Providence. Sometimes, when driving along a level road, with everything as quiet as could be, suddenly my animals would act as if they were fearfully frightened. They would run to the right or left of the road as if some horrible object were in front of them. I was always trading horses in order to get animals that I could trust. Instead of bettering my condition I generally made it worse. Once I traded for a horse which I found out afterwards to be "Kicking Dick," and was known all over Arizona by that name. I also owned a mule once that had killed a man or two, and his Arizona name was "Buster." They were both professional kickers, and would run away at the drop of the hat. One of "Dick's" favorite tricks was to kick at a person's head with both feet. Several times he tried this on me, his hind feet just grazing each side of my head. When he ran away, it was always on down grade, of course. It might probably be interesting to mention one of these runaways; it was so novel. "Buster" and his fiery mate were in lead at the time. We had just started down a long, steep, hill, and the wagon was loaded. A miner, who had a burro, tied this long-eared animal behind the wagon and rode on the seat with me. We had not gone far before "Dick" commenced to show us how high he could kick. The spring seat upon which we were sitting was on the top of a double-bed wagon box. He kicked the brake off as fast as I could put it on. We were soon going so fast that the burro fell down, and we dragged him along, which answered the purpose of a brake. "Dick" kicked and ran, and ran and kicked, and finally jumped his front feet into "Buster's" singletree and they were jerked from under him so quickly that he ADVENTURES ON THE WAY TO ARIZONA. 625 fell down. Between him and the burro and brake, we came to a sudden stop. The burro lived, but he looked like a sheared sheep on one side, where the long hair had been worn off to the skin. I met what the Arizonans call a tenderfoot, one day, and he offered to trade me a pair of horses for my leaders. I lost no time in "taking him up" at his offer. He wanted one for a pack animal and the other to ride. Before putting on the pack and saddle, I blind-folded the mules, so as to help matters along. He put his pack-saddle on ' 'Buster" and lashed his flour, bacon, coffeepots, frying-pan, etc., etc., on tight. He put his saddle on the other mule. When he was all ready, I took the blinds off, and the way things flew was really surprising. The man went one way and "Buster" the other. I have never seen or heard of them since. One day I was driving down a steep mountain with six animals and two loaded wagons. I had a desire to learn the Spanish language, so hired a Mexican boy who could not speak a word of English. He was attending to the brake on the hind wagon, while I was driving and looking after the front one. The wagons began to crowd onto the animals. I called to the boy in Spanish to des menah, and he suddenly threw the brake off, and the consequence was that one of the wagons was broken to pieces. I had made a mistake. I should have said menah, which means, ' 'hobble the wheels." This one word of Spanish cost me one hundred dollars, and I was one hundred miles from home. I was disgusted with the language and discharged the boy. My Arizona experience has already been a horrible nightmare to me, and what I have here written covers only a small fraction of the troubles and dangers which I passed through while there. It appears to have been an experience that I had to pass through in order to bring me to my senses. I had a mission to perform. I was in no condition to perform it until I had reaped the wild oats which I had formerly so bountifully sown. But I knew nothing of these things when 1 was being buffeted and knocked about in this way, as I believe by the Evil One. I did not know that it was God's angels that were following me and saving my life continually while I was passing through these terrible dangers. This was all made plain to me later on. Then I could understand why it was neces- 626 IMPROVEMENT ERA. sary for me to suifer and be continually tormented. I had broken certain laws, and must pay the penalty. I had been seeking after the things of this world, and had turned my back on the mission which I had been sent here to perform. I had not lived the life of a Latter-day Saint, but had strayed away from the teachings of my father and mother. I discovered that I had my agency, but that I would be held accountable for every idle word that I uttered. In writing these experiences, and others to follow, I do it against my natural inclination, but with the hope that they will prove a warning to others. Salt Lake City, Utah. THE