Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-12-28
I "REMINISCENCES.
Personal Experiences and Recol-
lections of Arizons, During
the Past Thirty-three
Years.
The Esta blishment of Camp Mogollon
and Other Matters Connected
Thsrewith.
"a. F. Banta in Holbrook Argus.)
CHAPTER J.

CHAPTER j.
At the time the events occurred OF
which this paper treats, viz, the year
1869, Arizona was divided into two mill
tary districts-the Northern and South
ern, and were attached to the Depart
ment of the Pacific, which at that time
was commanded by Brigadier General
E. o. G. Ord. The Southern District OF
Arizona, the one in which the incidents
transpired and are related in this paper,
was commanded by Bv't -Brigadier Cen
eral Thomas E. DeveD, whose headquar-
tiers we're esta ablished at Camp Mcdowell
situated on the west bank OF the Rio
Verde, eighteen or twenty miles above
it's confluence with the Salt river. Camp
Mcdowell, once the center OF military
activity and thrilling incidents usually
experienced at all frontier Posts, has
since been abandoned by the War De-
partment, and it is now a mass of adobe
ruins.
In order that my readers may have q
better understanding Of the matters
hereinafter recorded, it will be necessary
to bring into this history, the long since
abandoned military post of "old Fort
Goodwin"
Camp Goodwin (as it was named prior
to 1870), first established by the Calitor-
MIA volunteers in 1864, and was named
by them ''Camp Goodwin" in honor Of
Arizona's first acting governor, Hon
John N. Goodwin, Of Maine; in 1869 this
post was part of the southern Military
district of Arizona, and under the im-
mediate command of Major John Green
of the 1st. Cavalry, and who was familiar
ly known to army circles as "hoDest
j John Green" who is now and for severa
years past been upon the retired list of
the army. Serving at this time at Camp
Goodwin were Little Steve, we'll, Z
not so favorably known to old ArlZo-
ans; also M. A. Sweeney, subsequently,
murdered at Tom bstone In June 1878 10y
Oliver Boyer bstter known perhaps as
j ack Friday. Perhaps it IS we'll to men,
tion the fact that Little Steve and Mar
tin A. Sweeney first came to the terri
tory as memb bers OF the notorious thiev-
ing Fourteenth and were discharged from
that regiment at Camp Goodwin. This
military post has long since been aban-
doned on account of Its unhealthy loca-
ton, it being situated about three miles
so the south of the Gils river, near
tpring whose waters formed quite
large malarial producing marsh.
For many decades preceding, but
more particularly during the years of
1868, 1869 and 1870, the Apache Indians
we're extremely trou blesome, and were
necessarily committing murders, acts OF
pillage, and of incendiarisms throughout
almost the whole of Southern Arizona.
Lying to the north of the Gila river,
and between it and the Rio Colorado
Chiquito, little red river, are three ex-
tensive mountain ranges; first going
north is the Codillera de Gila, next the
Natames and lastly the grand Mogollon
range the largest in Arizona, entering
the Territory at it's northwest corner ana
for four hundred miles ia q southeast
erly direction il traverses Arizona, finally
losing itself in the great plateau OF
northern Mexico. This name 'mogo-
lion" signifies "spur of a range of
mountains" it in fact being a spur OF
the Nevada range; and, IN the course of
few million years the big Color do
river has worn it's way little by little
through this immense range of noun
tsins, and thus by constant abrasion has
formed that greatest and grRndest
natural wonder in the world-The
Grand Canon of the Big Colorado River.
AS further proof of the fact, if more
be needed, that the Mogollon range is
an off-shoot of the Navadas, is the en-
countering in this range the true
Grizzely bear found no where else out
side of the Nevadss. l make this dar-
Jog assertion, notwithstanding the
many "great and mighty hunters" for
ever prowling up and down the land,
who call everything met with in the
mountains-'s grizzly" ranging from
the ground hog up.
Notwithstanding this somewhat
lehgthy DEPRESSION l have no excuse to
offer but simply return to my mutton"
At this time-1S69-the mountain
ranges above named were practically,
unknown and unexplored, except by an
occasional hunter and trapIer, and were
inhabited solelysby hordes of Apache
savages, perhaps the most cruel and
blood thirsty of any ever existing upon
either the North or South American
continents. These Apaches we're divid-
ed into seperate and independent bands,
each under its own chief, and having
name for each band derived from some
peculiarly of the Indians themselves, or
OF the section of country in which they
lived and claimed as their own, Wis: the
"Sierra Blanca" the "Ooyotero," the
spinal" the "Arivaipa," and the ''Tonte'
Apsches.