Bisbee daily review., 1911-01-17
REMINISCENCE IF EARLY DAYS
 BY BANTA

| lBy F. A. Banta. better known 10 all old timers in Tucson as Char ley Franklin. or Buckskn Charley. and after whom Franklin Street is named)
 The death of Ed Peck removes enc Of the historic characters Of ! Arizona He was born in Canada. in the early part of the year 1884 and was nearing his 77th year. al 1 the time of his death. at NogaIes, Arizona. December 14th, 1910. When quite a young man he came to the United States, but remained in the northeastern parts until 1857. when he began to drift southwest In 1858 Peck fell in with a party of immigrants en route 10 Callf1r- mia and being an excellent hunter and woodsman he vas welcomed addition to the immigrant party. The immigrants came over the old santa Fe trail as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico. Al this point it was de cided to strike westward along the Whirple trail and immirant route | between Albuquerque and Los Ar geles Without any serious 1nishaps i the party reached the villages of the. friendly Znnis. After remaining i for few days at Zuni and against ,he advice Of those people Wao warned them or the dangers from Navajos and Apaches, tho party | continued their journey to the west. The party reached the Little Colo rado river and crossed to the west side a sunset crossing, near the l present town of Winsiow. thence down the west bank to the mouth Of Canyon Diablo From this point cn they were continuously hsrassed night and day. by Apaches. and by the time the immigrant party had reached Antelope spring, near to the present city of Flagstaff, the red devils had become too numerous to think of proceeding any further. | That night the immigrants decided to retreat at once and they trav- led all that night, in comparative 1 safety as the Apaches were plan ming to take the party at a disad- vintage further along. and was not expecting the immigrants to make a retrograde movement On the retreat the party travelled all nights. until they reached the Zunis, where they stopped for sometime to re- euperate their wornout animals and themselves. The. Zunis took a fancy ! ff. al a years later to the writer. who was formally adopted into that tribe s5 years ago-and tried very hard to persuade him to remain with them.
 | Having pretty well rested up the immigrants pulled out for Albu- ] querque where the party broke up, some returning to the States and some went south to Franklin, Texas. now named Fl Paso. Peck remained in New Mexico and followed hunt. ing and trapping until the fall Of 1863, when he returned again 10 Arizona in company with W. C. CoIyer, R. E. Parringion and Lon Thrift: I am not certain whether Lew Alters was or not one of the CoIyer party. The first four named are now dead, Peck being the fast survivor of that little party.
 Messrs Colyer. Farringtch and Peek secured the first hay contract aE Fort Whipple. then located in Chino valley. The contract called for 300 tons, at sS0 per ton, to he cut with hoes. After completing hay contract. in the forepart of 1864, they moved up to Granite creek. at point close to and above the Rocks, two/ or three miles below where Prescott now stands. Here they built , a cabin and cared for loose stock at three dollars per head. Peek sai- piled meat with his rifle and Bean. Poker sandy. did the cooking. Ye
 humble scribe heraed the mfners loose stock at s7.5e per month, in
 ciuding board and room;r tfs board was deer-meat, coffee ant slapjacks, and lodgings the runnins gears Of a wagon: the bosses used the wagon-box
 The Apaches were some plenty 1T those days, and were daily getting z to be more daring or more inlDHden. Before the cabin was built we sat about the campfire at nights and the Apaches would occupy the summit -ol
 small vo,canic butte ba X n
 where the cabin was shortly afs.r
 wards erectsl They could bsys
 punctured us with arrows but the
 distance was hisie too great {,
 be effective, without a mere acei-
 ceat One night I eeterminsI t'
 give the reds a surprise party. ] and without saying a word rs
 anyone. took my rife and a blan
 ket-all muzzle loading rifles il
 those days-and went up to th'
 top of the butte to lay for 'en
 but no Apache showed up that night
 and Peck finding out what I has rdone. he forbid any repetition-un
 less he went with" me
 The Apaches were becoming 8
 bad. Governor John N Goodwin de