The native Pinaleno Indians of the San Carlos region, while inclined
toward spasmodic outbreaks, were not as hostile as their western
neighbors, the Mohave and Yuma Apaches. A very dangerous element was
added when, in 1876, under direction of the army, Agent John P. Clum
moved to San Carlos 325 Indians of the Chiricahua-Apache strain from a
reservation in southeastern Arizona. Within a few years, 4500 Indians
were concentrated at San Carlos. The Chiricahuas, unsettled and forever
yearning to get back to the scene of their marauding along the emigrant
road to the southward and in Mexico, constantly were slipping away from
the reservation by individuals and by bands, and their highway usually
was up the river. In the early eighties the settlers along the Gila lived
forever in terror of the savage foe. The military was efficient.
Hardriding troopers would dash forth from one or all of the guardian
posts whenever danger threatened, and to these same troops undoubtedly is
due the fact that general massacres were not known in and around the Gila
Valley towns.
Often the Author finds in the manuscripts of personal experiences that
have been accumulated by the score in his office, a note indicating the
conditions under which the land was settled. There have been attempts in
other parts of this work to make clear the fact that the Mormons always
tried to be friendly with the Indians and suffered without protest
treatment from the aborigines that would have led to the shedding of
blood by others. One interesting little item of this sort is in a record
contributed by Mrs. W.R. Teeples. She found the Indians on the Gila Hirer
in 1879 were friendly, possibly too much so. She wrote, "When I was
cooking pancakes over the fire in our camp, the Indians would sit around
watching, and they would grab the cakes out of the pan before they were
done, so I had to cover the pancakes up to keep them for ourselves."
Mrs. J.N. Stratton wrote of the same period:
"Besides the fear of getting out of food was the greater fear of the
Indians. They were on the San Carlos reservation and were supposed to be
peaceful, but bands often went out on the warpath and spread terror
throughout the country, so the people never knew what to expect from
them. The mesquite and sage brush were so thick where Safford's streets
and houses are now, that one could only see a little distance, and it was
no uncommon occurrence for an Indian to slip out from behind the brush
and come walking in at the cabin door, or put his face up against the
window and peer in, if the door happened to be closed. One settler who
had two doors had her husband nail one up so that when the Indians did
come to call on them, she could stand in the other door and keep them
from coming in. The mothers never let their children get out of their
sight, for fear they would be stolen."
I.E. Solomon and his family had many experiences with the Indians, and in
several cases narrowly escaped death. A number of Solomon's employees
were killed in the open country toward Clifton.
An interesting chronicle is from Mrs. Elizabeth Hanks Curtis, who came
with her family in April, 1881. Incidentally, she is a descendant of the
Hanks family, tracing relationship to Abraham Lincoln. A mile above Eden
they built a log fort. In September this had to be abandoned, word
brought by a friendly Indian of the coming of a large band of Indians and
of imminent danger. Will Ransom from Pima provided a raft to cross the
river upon and the settlers concentrated at Pima. The settlers were
driven into Pima again in April of the following year, after huddling for
days in Moses Curtis' cabin. Protection came from Fort Thomas.