Mormon Settlement in Arizona: A Record of Peaceful Conquest of the DesertMcClintock, James H.
History
Mormon Settlement in Arizona: A Record of Peaceful Conquest of the Desert
McClintock, James H.
Arizona -- History -- To 1950; Latter Day Saints -- Arizona -- History
Luna, in New Mexico, twelve miles east of Alpine, Arizona, was on the
sheep range of the Luna brothers, who did not welcome the advent of the
first Mormon families, those of the Swapp brothers and Lorenzo Watson,
February 28, 1883. Two prospectors had to be bought out, to clear a
squatter's title. In the summer came "Parson" Geo. C. Williams, also a
pioneer of Pleasanton. The first name adopted was Grant, in honor of
Apostle Heber J. Grant, this later changed to Heber, as there was an
older New Mexican settlement named Grant's. But even this conflicted
with Heber, Arizona (named after Heber C. Kimball), and so the original
name endures, made official in 1895. The first house was a log fort. A
notable present resident is Frederick Hamblin, brother of Jacob and
of the same frontier type. There is local pride over how he fought,
single-handed, with a broken and unloaded rifle, the largest grizzly bear
ever known in the surrounding Mogollon Mountains. This was in November,
1888. The bear fought standing and was taller than Hamblin, a giant of a
man, two inches over six feet in height. The rifle barrel was thrust down
the bear's throat after the stock had been torn away, and upon the steel
still are shown the marks of the brute's teeth. The same teeth were
knocked out by the flailing blows of the desperate pioneer, who finally
escaped when Bruin tired of the fight. Then Hamblin discovered himself
badly hurt, one hand, especially, chewed by the bear. The animal later
was killed by a neighbor and was identified by broken teeth and wounds.
New Mexican Locations
As before noted in this work, the Mormon Church sought little in New
Mexico in the pioneering days, for little opportunity existed for
settlement in the agricultural valleys. In western New Mexico, however,
the country was more open and there was opportunity for missionary
effort. Missionaries were in the Navajo and Zuni country in very early
days and at the time of the great Mormon immigration of 1876 already
there had been Indian conversions.
In that year, by direct assignment from President Brigham Young, then at
Kanab, Lorenzo Hatch, later joined by John Maughn, settled in the Zuni
country, at Fish Springs and San Lorenzo. Thereafter, on arrival of
other missionaries, were locations at Savoia and Savoietta. It should be
explained that these names, pronounced as they stand, are rough-hewn
renditions of the Spanish words cebolla, "onion," and cebolleta, "little
onion." Nathan C. Tenney and sons were among the colonists of 1878.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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