Pioneers and Pioneering in Southeastern Utah

Pioneers and Pioneering in Southeastern Utah BY JOSEPH I'.ANDERSON, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE, MILLARD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

In Two Parts — Part Two. In the whole West there is probably not a population stand- ing unique, in so many respects, as does that of the San Juan country. It is the largest county in the State, but the most sparsely settled. It is the most isolated community in the state Bluff being one hundred forty-seven miles from the railroad sta- tion at Thompson's Spring's. But notwithstanding her isolation, she boasts being the wealthiest county per capita, in Utah, or, for that matter, in the whole West. Never have the civil authorities of San Juan county made any provision for paupers, for none have ever been present. No people are more ready to give help where help is needed, but the official hand of charity has never had to be extended to the strictly indigent. The saloon, which almost always has followed close in the wake of the first settler, has never been seen in San Juan. But the absence of the saloon seems not to have hindered in the least the splendid prosperity, the sober industry, the building of high ideals, and the growth of virile manhood and virtuous womanhood manifestly present in that far-off corner of Utah. Even such a thing as a licensed pharmacist, doing business in that county, is a thing unheard of. Nor has the matter of health ever been such a problem as to in- duce a physician to hang out his shingle in any of her towns. Not even a lawyer has ever settled in that territory to help the people settle their differences. San Juan has never boasted a newspaper with which to tell the rest of the world of her struggles and her triumphs. There is no such organ to voice her greatness and tell of her vast timber lands, her hundreds of thousands of acres of dry-farm lands, her stock ranges, her carnotite deposits, and her oil fields. Yet we find in those remote towns, modern homes, with bath rooms and water works, well kept yards and gardens, up-to- date public buildings, and a refinement and educational atmos- phere that would do credit to those closer to the so-called civilized centers. One of the first houses built at Bluff was a combined meetinghouse and schoolhouse. The records at the Brigham Young University show that 'duff sends a greater percentage of I

its population to that institution than does any other community.

These things and others to be mentioned attest the calibre

UNRECLAIMED DRY-FARM LANDS IN SAN JUAN COUNTY These are covered with a thrifty growth of native vegetation. The scene in the Foreground illustrates the method of travel used by the pioneers in breaking the old "Mormon" trail.

and ideals of the men who, in the face of untold difficulties, laid the foundation of that growing empire. Such names as Lyman, Redd, Jones, Nielson, Hammond, Perkins and Smith will forever, in San Juan parlance, stand for backbone as well as wishbone. Two of the stubborn problems with which these sturdy set- tlers had to do from the beginning were the greatly superior num- bers of wild, nomadic Indians with which they were perpetually surrounded, and the constant tide of transients and outlaws. Bluff lay in the path of the latter, in the old thoroughfare leading all the way from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south. The people of San Juan have many a thrilling storv to tell of encounters with desperate whites and renegade Indians. Many a time have the men from the little towns of Bluff, Grayson, now called Blanding, and Monticello been called in pursuit of fugitive outlaws into the roughest parts of one of the roughest countries in the world. The whole West owes a debt of gratitude to the sterling- border scouts who have rendered inestimable service in the inter- est of law and safety. Mention will be made of one of the numerous services thus rendered, as an illustration of the dangers encountered. A band of notorious outlaws was being pursued from Bluff bv Lem. H. Redd, Hyrum Perkins, Jos. A. Lyman, Bishop Nielson and Platte D. Lyman. The outlaws had led these men on a hazardous chase of several days through the bad lands along the San Juan river. The pursuit was interspersed with gunfights, until finally a bullet shattered the bone of Lyman's leg. In spite of the excru- ciating pain and the danger of his condition, so many miles from home or any civilized habitation, he urged that the pursuit be con- tinued to a successful issue. Outlaws passing in that direction soon came to learn that the men of the San Juan were among the most formidable with whom they had to measure arms. After the settlement of the "San Juan Mission" but few of the des-

c\72 M PROVEMENT ERA

peradoes who went that way ever passed them by. The colonists most valiantly the mission for which Brigham Young sent filled them there, namely, to keep the southern savage tribes in check, and to intercept outlaw bands fleeing from the scenes of their depredations in the set- tlements to the north. With his usual keen insight into human nature, Brigham Young selected just the men who have proved themselves equal to the situation. Perhaps the greatest problem of all has been that of maintaining peace with the Indians of the south, and pre- venting them from moving against the unprotected set- tlements to the north. That peerless colonizer, Brigham Young, gave this characteris- tic, safe and sane advice in

dealing with the Indian prob- lem. He advocated that it is better to feed and clothe the Indians than to fight them. He promised the prospective settlers that if the details of his advice were followed, their lives would not be jeop- Photo by Frazier, Utah Arch. Exfcd. ardized by the Indians. In GIANT CONIFERS ON THE ELK MOUNTAINS, SAN JUAN COUNTY fulfilment of this promise, the Vast areas of excellent timber easily ac- people of Bluff point to the cessible are awaiting the coming of the rail- road to transfer the lumber. fact that only one of their number (Amasa M. Barton) has been killed by the Indians since the settlement of Bluff, while nearly forty other whites have lost their lives in the neighborhood of Bluff at the hands of the Indians. Often it became necessary for the settlers to deal somewhat harshly with some of the most troublesome of the Indians. In early days, Mancos Jim caused a great deal of trouble for the set- tlers, but he promised, a few years ago, to be a "good Indian," and he has kept his promise. These Indians may usually be de- pended upon to keep promises made in good faith. Sub Chief Posey has always been a notorious character. He is well aware of this, and will even speak of himself as a "bad

Indian." Those who know him were not surprised to hear of his

participation in last winter's trouble, in connection with the arrest of Tse-Ne-Gat. The writer once had an impromptu arg ument with Posey, on the question of the harmlessness of the cam- era, to the person whose pic- ture is taken. He insisted that the camera is "bad medicine," and declared in a rage born of righteous indignation that he would smash the writer and his camera too, if an attempt were made to photograph him, or any of the forty braves with him. He is a man of energy and iron nerve. AUTOMOBILING IN SOUTHEASTERN UTAH The story is told of how he The auto has invaded that rough country, but it depends upon the horse to help it and his brother, Scotty, were over some of the difficult places. held in custody by the settlers on the charge of raiding the cattle ranges. By a clever ruse, Posey broke away from his captors and made a dash for the San Juan river. Be- fore reaching the river, how- ever, he received a bullet wound in his leg, but he was on his feet again in an instant. Plunging into the San Juan river, he swam to the opposite shore where he was received by members of his tribe. Old Poke has not been regarded as an especially bad character until his spectacular defiance of the posse which attempted to arrest his son, Tse-ne-Gat, last winter. That which gives splen- did promise of being the most potent factor in bringing San Photo by Brooks, Utah Arch. Exped. Juan into the front ranks in LEMUEL H. REDD. PRESIDENT OF wealth, production and popu- SAN JUAN STAKE lation is dry-farming. Only President Redd for many years has been a prominent figure in San Juan affairs. recent years has it within been discovered that San Juan and Grand counties comprise one of the best dry-farming sections in the arid West. Reports of recent yields on such farms are little short of amazing. The Nielson Brothers raised 4,700 bushels of good wheat from one

Photo by Rynearson, Utah Arch. Exped. GRAIN BINS OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS, SAN JUAN COUNTY These storage bins were built near the cliff homes and were used by the ancient inhabitants of San Juan county for storing grain and other food supplies raised by them. The doors were sealed with flat stones. The man in the center is J. M. Redd of Monticello, a pioneer of San Juan and guide to the Utah Archaeological Expedition.

hundred acres of new land last year, without irrigation. yield A of upwards of fifty bushels to the acre on old land is not uncom- mon. Alfalfa and other crops are thriving on the dry-farm lands. The writer saw heavy stands of alfalfa hay in the Grayson and Monticello districts that had been started and perpetuated with- out irrigation. Alfalfa seed is a more certain crop on the dry-farms than on the irri- gated farms, and promises to be the source of abundant rev- enue. It is estimated that there are around the town of Mon- ticello alone over a million acres of excellent dry-farm Photo by the Author. lands, with an annual precipi- COURTHOUSE ROCK, NEAR MOAB tation of from seventeen to This was so called because it became the place where cowboys tried and hanged cat- twenty-two inches. The aver- tle "hustlers." The civil courts have now age yield of wheat in this sec- made such a tribunal obsolete. tion last vear was thirty-five bushels to the acre. With improved methods these yields are being- increased. The people are buying and reading Dr. John A. Widtsoe's book, Dry-Farming, and the influence of this great book on the economic evolution of the arid west is thus spreading into a country which, a few years ago, was considered good for nothing but a cattle range. The town of Grayson came into existence only eight years

PIONEERS AND PIONEERING IN SOUTHERN UTAH X/S

ago, but the inducements to dry-farmers are such that the popu- lation has now almost reached the one thousand mark. The real value of the vast San Juan country is becoming more and more apparent. The La Sal ranch, which sold a few years ago for seventy-five thousand dollars, changed hands recent- ly for a quarter of a million dollars. Evidently, then, the pio- neers of the "San Juan Mis- sion" pioneered a country which is better than they knew. The problem of trans- portation will no doubt be solved by the coming of rail- roads eager to tap the vast la- tent resources of that wonder- land. The extensive timber- lands alone are sufficient to turn the eyes of railroad men seriously in that direction. The commandment to subdue the earth has been vigorously obeyed by the pio- neers and settlers of San Juan. Photo by Stockman, Utah Arch. Ex[>cd. They have been uncompro- DIFFICULT TRAVEL mising in their conquest of the Members of the expedition making their desert. They have been equal- way over some of San Juan's rough terri- tory in the neighborhood of the great na- ly uncompromising in their tural bridges. Top to bottom: G. A. Ry nearson, Jos. F. Anderson, and Attorney J. devotion to their religion— in H. Stockman. high ideals, clean living, and standards of conduct. The sentiment against the use of tobacco and whisky is so strong and well known that commercial trav- elers making those towns say they "ditch" their cigars before entering the San Juan country. The perpetuation of this repu- tation for morality and sturdy character will be one of the best monuments that the coming generation can build to the mem- ory of the illustrious pioneers of the "San Juan Mission." FILLMORE, UTAH