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.