Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-11-16
"REMINISCENCES.
The Establishment of Fort Whippte- Men Who Figured in Early History
 of Arizona.
BY ALBERT F. BANTA.

Subsequently to, and shortly after the organization of Arizona Territory, Gen nral Carleton received notice from the Secretary of War to furnish proper and adequate escort to the newly ap- pointed Federal officials, then en route for Arizona. In the spring or early part of the summer of 1863, Gen. Carleton ordered a pioneer party, un- der the command of Captain Pishon. of the First California volunteer caval
 ", to make preliminary recon noissance in to the then unexplored portion of northern Arizona. The Surveyor-General of New Mexico ac- companied the expedition. Captain Pishon's orders were to follow, so far as practicable, the old route of Beale and of Whipple, sometimes called "the old emigrant route from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, Califor
 nia." The Pishon exploring party re- turned to New Mexico, passing through Albuquerque in the month of July, 1863. This party reported that gold was being mined by the "Uncle Joe Walker party" at Walkers gulch (now known as Lynx creek,) and they gave out such glowing accounts of the rich ness of the mines that 1t set the many restless spirits of New Mexico all agog for the new gold fields of Arizona.
 In October of this same year, the Quartermaster' Department at Ft. Union, N. M., received orders from the General, commanding this district, to at once forward to Ft. Wingate (Ojo de Gallo) sufficient transportation to carry the necessary supplies for the expedition, which was then organized and awaiting for final orders to pro- ceed into northern Arizona for the purpose of establishing Ft. Whipple. The transportation furnished consisted of sixty bull teams of six yoke of oxen to the team besides this, there were also train of mule-teams, eighteen hundred head of sheep and large band of beef cattle. In due time marching orders" were received and the expedition pulled out of Fort Win
 gate on the 7th day of November, 1863. The military part of this expedition comprised F aHd c companies of the First California valunteer infantry, command d respectively by Captains Hargrave and Benson-the whole un- der the orders of Major Willis, Cap
 tain Pishon, with detachment of his troop accompanied the outfit as guides. An extra train of ten mule teams from Ft. Wingate, loaded with grain, accompanied the expedition as far as the Oio Pescado, which is four teen miles east of the Zuni villages, where it left and Fptqrned to Ft. Win gate. The expedition followed along the old route formerly traversed by Lieutensnts Whipple and Beal lie, until it reached Antelope springs, the pres ent site of Flagstaff, At this point the outfit left the emigrant route and took a southvesterly course across Bill Williams mountain. After cross ing the last named mountain, the country vas found tg be So rough, covered as it was with malpals rock, but very slow progress could be made, and at times only two miles per day was accomplished. From the time oE leaving Antelope springs, the expedi- ton was obliged to make it's own road, as there yas not even 2 trail at that time, and the whole country was so in formally rocky the wagons were break ing down every day. To remedy this difficulty, Major Willis decided to establish a temporary camp on the mountains, where half or two-thirds of each wagon load could be left, and l the teams with the renainder could proceed. This temporary camp was named Camp Pomeroy," in honor of Lieutenant of that me attached to one of the compani hnd who was left in command of tn ew camp.
 The wagons being Il Pned of two thirds of their loa of expedition pushed on through VI sdars, passed Rattlesnake Tank, cru bd the noto- rious Hell Canyon, az h few days thereafter reached the Of the pro posed Fort This place 2now known as Chino Valley, and Il Md Fort was situated near where thu &nghart sta ton now stands. All ts mule teams of the expedition were lett with Lieu tenant Pomeroy, at his Camp on the mountains. One night the AIaches took Anotion they wanteq mule meat
 for wfch they are extreraely partial and they ran of every last hoof. ssS- sides the few horses left at the camp with the exception of one horse, the private property of the lieutenant After formally establishing the new Fort, the wagons were unl@ @aAed anC returned to Camp PomeroI5 T0r the balance of the supplies. N
 Along with the expedition, Nn ont capacity or other, were man W har( !, characters, the chief ot whom s ont "Sugar-Foot Jack" Several gon: were loaded with barrels of saue raut and the t9ushs, led bY sHg Foo Jack, in their search for whisl1 bored holes up through the bottom tn, , wagons into these krout barr let : ting the brine run out, and in nse
 quence each barrel of the krol iva
 spoiled, They even bQred into Aeai
 kegs; in fact the bottoms of fAos- wagon-boxes resembled sieve, hefnl
 so full of gimlet holes.
 A few miles out from Fort Wingqt our expedition was joined by two O
 three parties of civilians, who travelet in our company, for protection agains D hostile Indians One of these partie | was composed of five bull team, loaded n with merchandise principally grocer ! ies, and belonged to Jim Shelby, Loui I St. James and Frank Shaffer. As, with this same party were Tom Bar , mum, Billy Foster, John Justus, Franl f Riggs, and possibly a few others who's
 names I do not now remember. An k other one of the parties was compose . of w. c. Collier, E. E. Farripgtoiu, Ed
 G. Peck and Lou Thrift, the last name
 was afterwards killed on Granite stree y by discharged soldier, named Ro |. Jay. In February, GA, the Federal. ' as they were called, arrived at tn g newly established Fort, and had for a 7. escort two companies of the Ilth Mi, y souri cavalry (home guards I believ