The first attempt from the north of the Mormon Church to colonize within
the present limits of Arizona failed. It was by means of an expedition
placed in charge of Horton D. Haight. A number of the colonists met March
8, 1873, in the old tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and there were
instructed by President Brigham Young. At Winsor Castle they were warned
to be friendly to but not too trustful of the Indians and not to sell
them ammunition, "for they are warring against our government." The route
was by way of Lee's Ferry, the crossing completed May 11. On the 22d was
reached the Little Colorado, the Rio de Lino (Flax River) of the
Spaniards. From the ferry to the river had been broken a new road, over a
tolerably good route. There was no green grass, and water was infrequent,
even along the Little Colorado, it being found necessary to dig wells in
the dry channel. Twenty-four miles below Black Falls there was
encampment, the road blocked by sand drifts.
On June 1 there returned to the expedition in camp an exploring party,
under Haight, that had been absent eight days and that had traveled 136
miles up the river. There was report of the trip that the country was
barren, with narrow river bottoms, with alkaline soil, water bad and
failing, with no spot found suitable in which to settle. There also
appeared to be fear of the Apache. So the expedition painfully retraced
its steps to Navajo Springs, sending ahead a dispatch to President Young,
giving a full report of conditions and making suggestion that the
settlement plan had better be abandoned. At Moen Copie on the return was
met a party of 29 missionaries, under Henry Day.
An interesting journal of the trip was written by Henry Holmes of the
vanguard. He was especially impressed with the aridity of the country. He
thought it "barren and forbidding, although doubtless the Lord had a
purpose in view when He made it so. Few of the creeks ran half a mile
from their heads. The country is rent with deep chasms, made still deeper
by vast torrents that pour down them during times of heavy rains." There
were found petrified trees. One of them was 210 feet long and another was
over five feet across the butt, this in a land where not a tree or bush
was found growing. Holmes fervently observed, "However, I do not know
whether it makes any difference whether the country is barren or
fruitful, if the Lord has a work to do in it," in this especially
referring to the Indians, among whom there could be missionary effort.
Jacob Miller acted as secretary of the expedition.
On the back track, the company all had ferried to the north bank of the
river by July 7, although there had to be improvised navigation of the
Colorado, for the ferry-boat had disappeared in the spring flood and all
that remained was a little skiff, behind which the wagon bodies were
floated over. In all, were ferried 54 wagons, 112 animals, 109 men, 6
women and a child.
This first company had been called from different parts of Utah and was
not at all homogeneous, yet traveled in peace and union. The members
assembled morning and evening for prayers, at which the blessings of the
Lord were asked upon themselves and their teams and upon the elements
that surrounded them.
President Young directed the members of the 1873 party to remain in
Arizona, but the message was not received till the river had been passed.
The following year he ordered another expedition southward. According to
a journal of Wm. H. Solomon, who was clerk of the party, departure from
Kanab was on February 6, 1874. John L. Blythe (who had remained at Moen
Copie after the 1873 trip) was in charge. With Blythe was his wife. Ira
Hatch took his family. Fifteen other individuals were included. Progress
southward was stopped at Moen Copie by reports of a Navajo uprising. Most
of the party returned to Utah after a few weeks, leaving behind Hamblin,
Hatch and Tenney.