And don’t be embarrassed about not reading my article yet. I probably would not have gotten interested in that whole episode if my great grandparents hadn’t been involved. I will second your recommendations of McClintock’s book, which is available in several places on the internet as an ebook for free. Peterson’s book is also great, and highlights many of the long term issues, such as the conflicts with the Aztec Land & Cattle Company, and the mostly futile dam building efforts that took place over decades.

Mormons settled northeastern Arizona starting in the 1870s. [2] It is a harsh, unforgiving climate. The Little Colorado river beds are sandy and the seasonal floods are heavy and sudden, so setting up irrigation systems was a monumental effort, one which only succeeded due to the communal nature of the Mormon settlements. [3]

The pioneers established a number of towns including Brigham City, Sunset, and Joseph City to the northwest; Springerville, Eagar, and Nutrioso in the White Mountains; and St. Johns and Snowflake in-between. [4]

The pioneers were more successful at cattle ranching than at farming. [5]

There are several native American tribes in the area including Navajo, Apache, Zuni, and Hopi. [6] By the time the Mormon settlers arrived, the tribes had been contained on reservations [7] and were largely peaceful. [8]

The Mormon missionaries and some of the Hopis were fascinated with each others’ legends and religious practices, which were similar in a number of ways. Chief Tuba was one of the earliest Hopi converts. [9] He invited some Mormons to settle on land near his home in Moencopi. The settlers called the town “Tuba City.” [10]

Although the relations between the settlers and the native peoples were largely peaceful at this time there were some major underlying cultural difficulties. For example, the United States government was forcibly removing Hopi children from their parents and putting them in government schools. I’m interested (just a little bit) to see how Mrs Jones will treat these cultural tensions. (If she does at all.)

I think Ardis said this story happens in the early 1890s, so it is about ten years before the government decided to expand the reservation and bought out all the settlers at Tuba City. Many of them moved to Farmington, New Mexico.

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[1] Okay; so it turned into a long comment with ten footnotes. Evidently I’m a little bored today…

[2] kevinf wrote a paper for the Journal of Mormon History about the first failed expedition to the region in 1873. I am embarrassed to say that I have not yet read it. Other books on the region include McClintock’s Mormon Settlement in Arizona and Chas Peterson’s Take Up Your Mission.

[3] One of the interesting results of the struggles of these early pioneers is a surprising number of overachieving descendants, including members of the Udall, Lee, Romney, Flake, and other families. (Lots of doctors, lawyers, politicians, professors, judges, United States Senators, governors, and at least three presidential candidates among them.)

[4] Yes, there were other settlements in the area as well, including some over the border in New Mexico. St. Johns, Snowflake, Eagar and Springerville were the most successful of the communities.

[5] They had to deal with overgrazing and range wars, though. Think Hashknife Gang (the Aztec Land and Cattle Company).

[6] The Navajo and Apache are Athabascan peoples, which means that they came from northern lands six hundred years ago (give or take a few centuries). The Zuni and Hopi are Puebloan peoples and the Hopi are of Uto-Aztecan origin, which means that they are related to tribes from points south.

[7] It’s an awful, tragic story.

[8] A major exception is the Apache Wars and Geronimo Campaign, but that took place further south.

[9] If you’re not familiar with his story, at least read the Wikipedia article. Some of his family members are still members of the Church. For a fascinating look at the connection between this family and the Church, read the book Me and Mine by Helen Sekaquaptewa. Also, here’s a nice little article by Richard Oman about some of the art that came from this mingling of cultures.

[10] The settlement is called “Tanner’s Ranch” in the 1880 census, named after Seth Tanner. He was an explorer and miner, and many landforms in Northern Arizona are named after him. Here’s a gossipy article about him, full of unsubstantiated rumor as well as actual history. Some of Seth’s descendants still run trading posts in the Four Corners area.

Okay, so all considerations of plot and character and historical accuracy aside, the settlements at Moencopi and Tuba City are a fascinating little chapter in Arizona history, tying together three legendary characters: Chief Tuba, Jacob Hamblin, and Seth Tanner.

A distant cousin of mine has been doing some interesting work on the history of the Tuba City settlement from its start in 1875 to the government buyout in 1902/1903. Early Tuba City, Arizona. (Her six posts are in reverse order. Due to the expansion of the reservation, the contents of the town are documented in a thorough manner, and she includes all these documents in her posts.)