The Springfield herald. (Springfield, Baca County, Colo.) 1887-1919, 1912-03-08

the Union. and completed the
Y nation OF states from ocean
to ocean, has had history
probably as turbulent and trying as
any state in the Union. The struggles
of the Pilgrims OF Massachusetts. the
Hollanders who coionized New York.
the Quakers who settled Pennsylvania
and the English who brought civiliza-
ton to the Virginia shores were no
harder than those Of the pioneers OF
Arizona. They were killed by lndi-
ans, robbed by lawless people Of their
own nationality. starved upon the des-
erts. frozen in the snow-capped noun
tains and bitten by poisonous reptiles
They had no government for many
years and fought as hard to get terri
torial rights as they have been fight
ing for the past ten years to get
statehood rights. They were on the
point Of rebelling at one time and
even went so far as to establish ter
ritorial form OF government OF their
own despite the expressed desire Of
congress, exemplified in its refusal to
grant a territorial government. that
they should remain a part OF New
Mexico.
Their nearest peace and judicial Of
hcials were then four hundred miles
away. at Mesilla. N. NJ. and their law
was the law OF the strongest against
the weakest. At one time all Of the
present state of Arizona was the
county Of Arizona, attached to New
Mexico for purposes of administration
only
Gen. Nelson A Miles. General Law
ton, General Crook and many other
noted men OF the United States army
gained their first fame In campaigning
in Arizona 1t was from Arizona that
the only raid of United States troops
was ever made into a foreign country
not then at war with US: the soldiers
were after Indians who had been kill
ing and robblng In Arizona. The his
tory of Arizona is thrilling from its
inception to the present day.
The origin OF the name Arizona is
not definitely known. Bancroft. the
historian. and some others have In
sisted that the name is from a sup
posed Pima Indian word. "Arizonac."
although Bancroft admits that the
aboriginal meaning of the term is not
known" The historian treats as
Extremely absurd" the suggestion
that the name is of Spanish deriva-
ton, and he apparently bases that
Conclusion upon the fact that there
Is no similar word in Spanish
But 1t is possible that Arizona"
may have had its derivation from the
Spanish words arida IONA (arid zone),
The well-known tendency of unedu-
Gated speakers of Spanish to leave
of the last syllables of words ending
in vowels and their tendency to run
words together would easily trans
form arida IONA into Arizona"
First True Exploration.
It was about 1927 that Cabeza de
vaca turned his wandering footsteps
to the Hopi and Zuni villages In the
northeast, gaining Mexico at last by
way of the friendly Pima settlements
along the ella
It was in 1910 that vasco de Coro-
nado. governor of Mexico. lured by
the golden tales OF monkish travel
er, started northward on the first true
exploration of that mysterious land
He sought the tabled Seven Cities OF
Cibola, where gold and precious gems
paved the streets. Though he did not
find the object OF his search his ex-
petition led to Spanish settlements
and agriculture. and mining had
some development
Back again Into barbarism was Ari.
xona plunged by the Mexican war for
Independence. and not until the Gads-
den purchase. In 1S4S. did the firm
hand OF governmental authority again
take hold. Even then. however, all
that was known OF Arizona was mar
row strip within which the Southern
Pacific railroad now runs and along
which flowed the tide of travel from
the eastern states to the gold fields
Of California.
Treachernous Indiana Of Long Ago.
When the white man first came to
Arizona there were approximately 40.
600 Indians within the borders of the
territority. The principal tribes were
the Navajos. Hopis. Wallapais. Cheme
huevis, Havasupias. Mohaves, Pimas
Maricopas, Yumas, Papagoes and
Apaches. OF which there were severa
groups or divisions. The Navajos
nerpetrated several massacres in the
early days but 1t was not long before
all the Indians except the Apaches
had been subdued
Tricky and cruel, the Apaches held
out for many years against the in
roads of the whites upon their ancient
hunting grounds Such leaders al
Cochise. Geronimo and Natchez led the
Apaches against famous American
generals like Nelson A. Miles ant
George Crook A reward of 5000
was once offered for Apache Kid. Blu
was never claimed.
Up to 1874 the Indians terrorizet
large sections of the territory ane
kept out immigration and capital. II
that year all the Apaches that coult
be rounded up were placed on thu
San Carlos reservation. 1t was sup
posed that an end had been put u
the Indian troubles. but raids in 1873.