Arizona state miner., 1925-07-18
THE FINISH Of
THE PIONEER

During the recent hearing of the
senatorial Investigating committee in
this state, scores of pioneer settlers
and their descendants related stories
Of Encouragement. There was a gen
eral similarity to their complaints. All
of them recited tales of oppression
from bureaucratic administration of
the forest service. They were the
sad tales of the reduction to poverty
Of many of the pioneering families of
Arizona-families which had establish
ed themselves in this state long before
the forest reserves were created.
Out of the many, the story of John
H. Pearce, related at the Holbrook
hearing, is probably as typical as any
one which could be selected.
John Pearce's father was the first
white settler on Silver Creek in the
White mountains. His sister was the
first white child born in that section
Of Arizona. The district is now known
as Aripine, in Navajo county.
The elder Pearce experienced all of
the hardships and dangers which were
the common lot of the early settlers in
the Indian country. Through earnest
toll over many years he built up a
large herd of cattle. When he died
his children were apparently estab-
Eshed comfortably in the stock busi-
ness. They had worked hard for what
they owned. 1t was a clean and legiti-
mate competency.
Then the SitgreaVes national forest
was established. 1t took in most of
the country over which the Pearce
family nerds had ranged for many
years.
For few years things went rather
well under the new system. The graz
ing fees were moderate and there an
peared to be no desire on the part of
the forestry administration to inter
fere unduly with the Pearce family
management of their cattle herds.
After few years a new supervisor
was appointed for the Sitgreaves for
est. For some reason. the exact na-
ture of which is not known, the new
supervisor took violent dislike TO
young John Pearce. He seemed to re-
gard him as renegade who should be
run out of the forest, and proceeded
by every official means to accomplish
that result.
He was fairly successful. 1t required
only few years of harassment from
the forest supervisor to break the
Pearce family. 1t was the usual story
of levying fines against them by the
forest supervisor, of forfeiture of
range rights, and confiscation of their
improvements
Every rule in the famous Blue Book
of the forestry service was dug up and
enforced against the Pearce family.
The supervisor boasted that he had
broken cattlemen on forest reserves
in Utah before coming to Sitgreaves,
and he would show the Pearces that it
didn't pay to cross his will
Pearce has bought out another COW
outfit with the understanding that the
grazing privileges which the owner
held would be transferred to him by
the forest service. After he bought
the cattle, he was advised that the
range rights had been allocated to
other parties, and he was ordered to
remove the stock from the forest.
Throughout the many years that the
elder Pearce lived with his family on
Silver Greek, they had made consider
able improvements to their range in
the way of tanks for water. drift
fences and buildings The improve
ments went to others without compen-
sation to the Pearces.
The forest supervisor changed the
range of the Pearce family, and order
ed them to improve it by building
new water tanks. After this order
had been complied with, and the i'm
provements made at heavy expense,
Pierce was served with notice that he
would have to give up a large part
of his range to others
Pierce became in arrears with his
grazing fees when the drouth added
to his other troubles bank held
mortgage on his cattle.
Here the finishing touch was ap-
piled The forest supervisor went to
the bank and had talk about Pierce
Soon thereafter the banker foreclOsed
the mortgage and the Pierce family
went out of the cattle business in
Arizona after fifty years of honorable
existence The banker stated frank
Iv TO Pierce that he was forced to
foreclose upOn his cattle business
Pierce was in trouble with the forest
supervisor and he conld not afford
TO anita gonize that official, the banker
stated.
John Pierce. with a wife and nine
children. who few years ago was
Of khr oaffJo horOnc of Mort horn