Early Settlement and Attempts at Organization of the Territory
Survey and Location of Town of Yuma - Establishment of Fort Buchanan - Establishment of Forts Mohave and Breckenridge - Tucson - New Mexico Memorializes Congress for Organization of Territory of Arizona - Convention at Tucson - Nathan P. Cook Elected Delegate - President Buchanan Recommends Territorial Government for Arizona - Senator Gwin Introduces Bill - New Mexico Passes Resolutions in Favor of Bill - Various Petitions - Election at Tucson - Sylvester Mowry Elected Delegate - Congress Again Memorialized - Mowry Again Elected Delegate - Constitutional Convention at Tucson - Provisional Government Established - Officials Chosen - Edward McGowan Elected Delegate - Senator Green Introduces Bill.
The town of Yuma was surveyed in 1854, one year after the sale of the territory embraced in the Gadsden Purchase had been agreed upon between the two governments. In reference to this survey, Colonel C. D. Poston, in an article printed in the Overland Monthly, July, 1894, says:
''As the geography of the country was not well understood at the time, it
was not known to the makers of the treaty that the boundary line would
include both banks of the Colorado River in the American boundary, but it
does. By a curious turn in the Colorado River, after passing through the
gorge between Fort Yuma and the opposite bank, the boundary line of the
United States includes both banks of the river to' the crossing at Pilot
Knob, nearly nine miles. When the State of California was organized in 1850,
the constitution adopted the boundary line of Mexico as the boundary line of
the State, and consequently assumed jurisdiction over the slip of land on
the bank of the Colorado River opposite Fort Yuma. When Fort Yuma was
established, the commanding officer established a military reservation
including both banks of the Colorado River at its junction with the Gila.
"The boundary line between Mexico and the United States under the treaty of
1848, was run in 1850, and monuments erected on the southern bank of the
Colorado, to indicate the possession of the United States.
"While we were encamped on the banks of the Colorado River, in the hot month
of July, 1854, we concluded to locate a town site on the slip of land
opposite Fort Yuma, and as we were well provided with treaties, maps,
surveying instruments, and stationery, there was not much difficulty in
making the location. The actual survey showed 936 acres within the slip, and
this was quite large enough for a 'townsite.' A townsite is generally the
first evidence of American civilization.
"After locating the townsite at Yuma, there was nothing to do but to cross'
the desert from the Colorado River to San Diego. We made the journey on
mules, with extraordinary discomfort. At San Diego we were as much rejoiced
as the followers of Xenophon to see the sea.
"The townsite was duly registered in San Diego, which could not have been
done if both banks of the Colorado River just below its junction with the
Gila had not been recognized as being within the jurisdiction of the State
of California. The county of San Diego collected taxes from there for many
years. After the organization of the Territory of Arizona in 1863, Arizona
assumed jurisdiction over the slip, and built a prison there. Congress
subsequently made a grant of land included in the slip to the 'Village of
Yuma' so that it is a mere question of jurisdiction, not involving the
validity of any titles. The question of jurisdiction still remains
unsettled, as it requires both an Act of Congress and an Act of the State
Legislature to change the boundary line of a sovereign state."
Yuma was the only American occupation within what is now the State of
Arizona in 1854. The United States did not take formal military possession
of the Gadsden Purchase until 1856, at which time four companies of the
First United States Dragoons were stationed at Tucson, and afterwards at
Calabazas, some fifteen miles above Tubac on the Sonoita, a stream flowing
into the Santa Cruz River from the east. Fort Buchanan was established in
1857. It was selected because it was the center of a fine grazing country,
but was found to be unhealthy on account of malarial fevers which prevailed
in summer during the rainy season, consequently no permanent buildings were
erected. Late in the year 1856 Fort Mohave was established near Beale's
crossing of the Colorado, and was garrisoned by three companies of infantry,
and in 1859 Fort Breckenridge was created below the junction of the Aravaipa
and the San Pedro, and garrisoned by a part of the troops from Fort
Buchanan.
The military at these posts, commanded by able and energetic officers, had
many encounters with the Apache Indians, and did much good in protecting the
country from the incursions of these savages.
Tucson was the most populous town in Arizona, but was without any civil
government, Arizona, at that time, being a portion of Dona Ana County, New
Mexico, the county seat of which was several hundred miles distant. Being
thus left without courts or judicial or civil officers, the necessity for a
separate territorial government was urgent. In 1854, New Mexico memorialized
Congress for the organization of the territory of Arizona. There were three
names suggested, namely Pimeria, Gadsonia and Arizona. The latter was
adopted because it was supposed to be the most euphonious. Nothing was done
by Congress in reference to this memorial.
Futile attempts were also made by a few citizens of Arizona to have
Congress' organize a territorial government, the first of which was in 1856,
shortly after the United States had taken formal possession of the
territory. On August 29th, 1856, a mass meeting or convention was held in
Tucson, that being then the most important point in Arizona, there being, at
that time, no settlements north of the Gila River, and one Nathan P. Cook
was chosen as delegate to Congress, but he was not admitted to a seat. His
credentials were presented to the House of Representatives in 1857, referred
to the Territorial Committee, which reported them back adversely, and also
reported adversely to a territorial government because of the sparse
population of Arizona at that time. The Committee, however, called attention
to the unfortunate condition of the people, without any recognized
government, and recommended that a bill be passed organizing a judicial
district south of the Gila River, the appointment of a surveyor-general, and
the providing of representation at Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as for the
registration of land claims and mining titles. In February, 1857, such a
bill was passed by the United States Senate, but was not reached in the
House of Representatives before final adjournment. In his message in 1857,
President Buchanan recommended a territorial government for Arizona, and
Senator Gwin, in December, 1857, introduced a bill to organize such a
government for the Gadsden Purchase, under the name of Arizona.
In February, 1858, the Legislature of New Mexico' passed resolutions in
favor of this measure, but recommended a boundary line north and south on
the meridian of 109° west from Greenwich, and the removal of all New Mexican
Indians to Northern Arizona. Evidently New Mexico had but little use for the
Apaches, and was willing that the entire northern part of Arizona should be
set aside as a military reservation upon which these savages could be
herded. Petitions went up from different States and communities, favoring
the organization of Arizona into a separate territory.
In September, 1857, the people of Arizona had gotten up a new petition, and,
in an election held at Tucson, Sylvester Mowry was chosen Delegate to
Congress. Mowry was not admitted to a seat in Congress, and the bill of
Senator Gwin for territorial organization, failed of its' passage. Under
this bill, the northern line for the Territory of Arizona extended north to
33° 45', and included all southern New Mexico up to the parallel through to
the western line of Texas. In 1860 Mowry got out a map of this Arizona,
dividing it into four counties, not, however, attaching to them the names by
which they are now designated. On the west, what is now known as Yuma County
was called Castle Dome County; Pima County was called Ewell County, and
extended east to the western base of the Chiricahua range of mountains, at
Apache Pass. Mesilla County extended eastward to the Rio Grande and Dona Ana
County eastward to the line of Texas. The remainder of what is now embraced
in Arizona north of 33° 45', was left to New Mexico, and to the savages
inhabiting that wilderness.
If this bill had passed it would have been a very expensive affair, the
territorial limits extending from Yuma to the border of Texas, a distance, I
think, of something like six hundred or seven hundred miles. Evidently
neither New Mexico nor Arizona wanted the Apaches. To use a modern
vulgarism, the inhabitants of these two sections were willing to "pass the
buck."
In 1858 and 1859 Congress was again memorialized, and Sylvester Mowry was
again elected delegate, but no success attended the efforts of Arizona to
secure a territorial organization.
In 1860 an unauthorized Constitutional Convention met in Tucson, which held
its session from April 2nd to and including April 5th. It was composed of
thirty-one delegates, who proceeded "to ordain and establish a provisional
constitution to remain in force until Congress shall organize a Territorial
Government and no longer." This convention chose as Governor, Dr. L. S.
Owings of Mesilla, and three judicial districts were created. Judges were to
be appointed by the Governor, as were also a Lieutenant-Governor, an
Attorney-General, and some other officials. A Legislature, consisting of
nine senators', and eighteen representatives, was to be elected and convened
upon the proclamation of the Governor. Measures were taken for organizing
the militia, and a general election for county officers was called to be
held in the month of May. The laws and codes of New Mexico were adopted. The
proceedings of the convention, schedule and constitution, and the Governor's
inaugural address, were printed in Tucson in what was', so far as known, the
first book ever published in Arizona.
Under this provisional government the Governor made the following
appointments:
Lieutenant-Governor, Ignacio Orantia;
Secretary of State, James A. Lucas;
Controller, J. H. Wells;
Treasurer, Mark Aldrich;
Marshal, Samuel G. Bean;
District Judges, Granville H. Oury (chief justice);
Samuel H. Cozzens and Edward McGowan (associate justices);
District Attorneys, K. H. Glenn, Rees Smith, Thomas J. Mastin;
Major General, W. C. Wordsworth;
Adjutant-General, Valentine Robinson.
Beyond the election of these, there are no records that the self-constituted
list of officials accomplished anything. In November of that year, one of
the associate justices, Edward McGowan, well known in California for his
opposition to the Vigilance Committee in 1855, was elected as Delegate to
Congress from the State of Arizona to succeed Sylvester Mowry, but he did
not go to Washington, nor ask Congress to allow him to participate in
national affairs.
In 1859, another bill was introduced to organize the territory of Arizona,
the name having been changed to Arizuma, presumably to satisfy some element
in Congress. This bill was reported from the Committee of Territorial's in
1860. There was much debate upon it, the most of it being in reference to
the slavery question, and the bill, like its predecessors, failed of
passage.
Bancroft says Jeff Davis introduced this bill, which is an error. The bill
was introduced by Senator Green of Missouri. Davis at no time fathered a
measure to give a territorial government to Arizona.
Notes About Book:
Source: History Of Arizona Volume 1, By Thomas Edwin Farish, 1915, Printed
and Published by Direction of the Second Legislature of the State of
Arizona, A. D.
Notes about Online Publication: This manuscript has been ocr'd and heavily
edited. Many of the Native American words have been reproduced as clearly as
online publication will allow us, but not all are exactly the way they were
in the original work. The structure of this manuscript has been changed to
allow better online presentation.
