214      THE HISTORY OF NEVADA

CHAPTER V.

BY HELEN J. STEWART.

            Not to the pioneers crossing the plains; not to the Mormon saints looking for an empire of their own to build; not to the seekers for gold, who brought to light the fabulous wealth of the Comstock lode; but to the religious fervor of the Franciscan monks of Spain and Mexico are we indebted for our first knowledge of the country of which Nevada is a part.

            In the year 1767 the Spanish government expelled the Jesuits from Mexico and the fathers were driven forth to the wilds of what then was known as the Californias. Following this, in the year 1771, the great unknown, indefinite "California" was divided, the lower portion being given to the Jesuits, and the more northern portions to the Franciscan Fathers for their exploitation.

            The Pious Fund, so-called, originated with the grandees of Spain. In their great zeal for the advancement of the Catholic faith in Mexico, many ladies of noble birth and their liege lords, gave up portions of great fortunes that churches and missions might be built wherein the Catholic faith might receive advancement and protection. Little did the King of Spain realize when he expelled the Jesuits and divided honors with the Franciscan monks, giving them the control and conversion of the natives of the Californias, that he was aiding in the building up of a new republic and adding six more stars to the constellation which in future centuries was destined to shine as the mightiest nation of all the world's history, and of which "Our Own Nevada" will ever shine for us as the brightest star. The six particular stars created out of this vast empire so lightly valued by Spain are Nevada, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

            The treasure of the pious fund, the zeal of the Jesuits and the genius for exploration of the Franciscan Fathers, finally crystallized, through the

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treaty of Guadelupe in 1848, in the cession of the Californias to the United States, and from this date the modern history of Nevada may be dated.

            Among the first expeditions of exploration sent out by Father Junipero Serra was one by ship through the Gulf of California and up the Colorado River to the big bend. Here, in what is now Clark County, Nevada, their crumbling forts and abandoned mines are still in evidence. Seeking mines and agricultural lands, they traveled into the surrounding country, and with Mexican peons as helpers they worked the gold-bearing gravel, mined the turquoise hills and opened the silver mines. Two of their padres they sent up the Vegas Wash to the famous valley they had been told of by the Indians, where much Indian corn, sugar cane and wild millet were raised. And here came the first clash with the native Indian tribes when they, becoming jealous of the Mexican peons, rose up en masse and destroyed all but a very few who managed to escape.

            From this or some other similar expedition doubtless came the name of Las Vegas, which is the Spanish for The Meadows. It may be said, however, that some contend that this name was first applied to the Vegas Valley by Escalante, a Spanish explorer, many years previous.

            Many interesting relics of these early expeditions have been found at the old Vegas ranch and at the mines. Silver coins have been unearthed having a date of 1770. In one of the mines was discovered a rosary of the period of a century and a half ago, and strung on this rosary were coins, identified as from the Island of Luzon, whence the Franciscan Fathers came to California, and brass or copper coins said to have been coined by the Spanish government especially for the pious fund. Attached to the rosary was also a silver figure of the Saviour outstretched upon the cross.

            Two of the fathers came to the Las Vegas Rancho and here lived among the Indians long enough to teach them a portion of the Spanish language, which many of the Indians in this locality use today. In the Vegas Wash, about midway between the Colorado River and the Las Vegas Rancho, are two large natural pillars, resembling the ruins of old castles. At this place the padres met the Indians and talked to them of the Great Father, and of the work he had sent them here to do. The Indians were so impressed by this earnest appeal to their higher spiritual nature that, although the padres' stay among the Indians was short, the latter have ever since held the fathers in the highest reverence. Even to this day,

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when one of the tribe passes near those old structural pillars, he will toss a pebble to the top of the one where the meeting occurred in commemoration of that important event. This particular pillar, so held sacred, is some distance away from the others, near the middle of the Wash. They call it the home of God, or the home of Sy-nop, the Indian god.

            After the Franciscan monks came the trappers and traders. They followed the trails made by the wild animals far out into the Great American Desert, often to the springs and streams of water found in its mountain fastnesses and sheltered valleys. And, as often in the heart of Sahara the dying traveler finds rest and refreshment in the green oasis, so here, in southern Nevada, they found an oasis in the desert, green with verdure and filled with the sounds of streams of living water—Las Vegas, The Meadows, giving life and rest and refreshment to those for whom the scrawny hand of the grim death-angel of the desert was already reaching out.

            Among the first of the overland travelers came Fremont, the Path Finder, in 1842. With him were such brave men as Kit Carson and Goedy. When but a few miles out from Las Vegas they met a Mexican boy who told them that a few miles back, at the springs, the Indians had killed his father and mother and some men who were traveling with them. Arriving at the springs, Fremont found that the report was, alas, too true. Goedy begged permission of Fremont to lead a party in pursuit to punish the marauders. This was done, the Indians being overtaken and some of them killed, the horses, which had been stolen, being captured and returned to the boy, who then joined the party and journeyed on with them. The only damage done the whites in this battle was an arrow through Goedy's shirt sleeve. Because of these incidents Fremont would not allow the Indian bands near the camp. Among those who felt the wrath of Fremont's party, was To-Sho, who was shot in the hand. This Indian afterwards became one of the sub-chiefs of the Pah-Ute Indians at the Moapa Indian Reservation and always remembered the white men with fear.

            In the year 1849, Captain Hunt took the first wagon train through from Salt Lake to Southern California, there being one hundred wagons in the caravan for which the captain received $10 each. This is the party which gave to Death Valley its name through the fact that many of them perished there. When they had progressed as far as Las Vegas,

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they disagreed as to the best route to take from there on. A portion decided to go by Mountain Springs, Stump Springs and Resting Springs, making their way into the San Bernardino Valley with little loss of life. Another portion of the party traveled by Bird Springs, Mescal Springs, Hallerin Springs and Soda Lake, from whence they descended into the awful solitudes of the valley where ever since death has held its sway. After intense sufferings, many of this branch of the expedition perished and those who survived were gaunt and broken in health by their terrible privations.

            In the winter of 1850 the Mormon Church began to send its colonists into southern Utah, southern Nevada and Southern California in great numbers. In the Clara Valley, in southern Utah, they established a thriving colony and afterwards built the town of St. George, where they built a temple. At Las Vegas they began the construction of a fort as protection against the Indians, and also built homes for their families. Those who traveled on to San Bernardino established a thriving colony there in 1851.

            Returning from San Bernardino in 1855, a party discovered lead in the old Potosi Mountain, about thirty miles from Las Vegas, where it is still worked for its lead and zinc ores the mine of that name. There they mined the lead ore and brought it down to the Las Vegas rancho where they built and operated the first smelter west of the Missouri River. The fort which was begun in 1850, was completed by the Mormons in 1851 to protect the many parties traveling between Salt Lake and Port Wilmington, near Los Angeles.

            A man by the name of Slade was made superintendent of the Potosi mine in 1855, having been sent out by the church authorities to supervise the lead mining. They made an attempt to smelt the ore at the mine, using pitch-pine for fuel, with no result save badly burned hands. They also tried cedar wood for that purpose, which was better, but still not successful. Not being satisfied with the results, they brought their ore down to the Las Vegas rancho. Dudd Leavitt and Isaac Grundy here built a furnace in a fireplace, using the chimney for making a draft. When the ore became too hot they devised the plan of placing an adobe brick in the furnace to even the temperature. In this crude way they succeeded in making a success of their smelting operations. They moulded their lead in an old iron skillet which gave the bars the appearance of miners'

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loaves of bread. In this manner they prepared and sent to Cedar City, Utah, ten thousand pounds of lead which was put in charge of Bishop Smith and by him distributed.

            About this time N. V. Jones came with provisions and men to build an addition to the small fort and prepare for the reception of families which were already on the way, in charge of Samuel Thompson, who had been placed in charge of the mission here. These arrived in Las Vegas in the latter part of April, 1856. At this time they believed that Las Vegas was situated in Utah, and they began the cultivation of the soil, using the water from the great springs for irrigation. Nature responded generously to their efforts. They planted apple and peach trees, raised fields of grain and built substantial adobe houses and a strong adobe fort, with walls three feet thick and seven feet high, to protect them against the Indians. This fort occupied about two acres of ground, in which they built a church and a school house, as well as dwellings, and a watch house at each corner. Within the fort they also erected the smelter and a flouring mill, which was run by a big water wheel placed in the stream just outside the fort. Their grain fields and orchards were just outside the fort, but in a position easily commanded, so that they were ready at any time to easily drive away the Indians should they attempt any depredations.

            At the same time that these families came to Vegas, another band of colonists settled in the Clara Valley. In 1856 and 1857 the Moapa, or, as it is sometimes called, the Muddy Valley, was settled by a colony which was at a later date driven out by over-taxation.

            In the midst of the fulfillment of the ambitious plans of building homes and cultivating the rich lands of the valleys, word came that the United States government was sending troops to Utah under General Johnson. Brigham Young sent out a call for the settlers to come home at once, and so implicitly did they obey the command of their great leader that they went at once, leaving their growing crops nearly ready for the harvest. This was in the summer of 1852. But the result of their labors were still to be seen in peach trees which were bearing fine fruit as late as 1882, and from the mission grapes they brought here was planted a vineyard of three acres, the vines of which are still bearing.

            About this time Bishop Anson Call built a stone warehouse at the big bend of the Colorado River, about thirty miles from Las Vegas, which

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was named after him "Callville." It was the plan of the Mormon Church to ship goods and immigrants as well up the Colorado River from the Gulf of California, but navigation proved very uncertain. A man named Adams put on a steamer called the Esmeralda, thereby gaining the nickname "Steamboat Adams." He made two or three trips with the steamer, but the rapids, rocks, sandbars and other obstacles to navigation discouraged him and he was finally compelled to abandon the contract which he had made with the church to freight the goods and bring the immigrants to this country by the Colorado River route.

            About this time the monthly mail service which had been in use from Independence, Missouri, to Salt Lake City and thence to Southern California by way of Las Vegas, was discontinued, Judge Stoddard being refused the mail at Independence.

            For some years the Las Vegas rancho and fort remained "in statu quo" until Albert Knapp, a Mormon, took it up in 1860. Upon his death his brother, William Knapp, came and took charge of affairs at the ranch, but found it too lonely and dangerous to stay alone so far from civilization, so he persuaded Mr. O. D. Gass, a Mr. Salsbury and two men, named respectively Howell and Wilson, to join him. O. D. Gass finally bought out the entire interest of the others in the ranch and was for some years established there. At one time he was a representative in the Second Territorial Legislature of Arizona, 1865, being elected as the representative of Mojave County, Arizona. While there he introduced a bill creating the County of Pah-Ute. This bill passed both houses and the county created thereby included a portion of what is now Mojave County, Arizona, and the southern portion of old Lincoln County, Nevada, covering approximately what is now Clark County, and taking in the fertile Moapa or Muddy Valley, which by this time had a thriving population of some eighteen hundred or two thousand people. These people were interested in growing cereals, tobacco, sugar cane and cotton in considerable quantities, and a cotton gin was erected and used for many years at St. Joe, this fact being mentioned especially to show that the idea of raising cotton and other semi-tropical products in southern Nevada is not a new one, but that some of them were successfully raised half a century ago.

            At this same session of the Arizona Legislature the committee on memorials had under consideration House Joint Resolution No. 1, asking

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that the boundary line between California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona be adjusted. This bill was passed and in the general readjustment a little later, was the means of sending back to Utah the busy settlers in the Moapa, or Muddy Valley. The settlers all supposed that this section was included within the boundaries of Utah, and paid their taxes to the Utah officials. After the final location of the line between the two States they were found to be in Nevada. They were thereupon asked to again pay their taxes, this time to the Lincoln County, Nevada, authorities. This they refused to do, whereupon the sheriff of Lincoln County was sent down to demand the payment of the supposed delinquent taxes. The already overburdened people refused to submit to this demand. Sheriff Kane went back to Pioche, the county seat, but soon returned and posted notices to the effect that if they did not pay their taxes within a given time their property would be sold. They again refused to submit to what they considered a robbery, and, taking their families and household goods returned to Utah. This exodus of the Mormon people from the Muddy Valley occurred February 20, 1871, and through this mismanagement on the part of the county officials, Lincoln County lost the greater part of her agricultural population. This episode may be considered as the beginning of, and to some extent the cause, of the increase in the bonded indebtedness of Lincoln County, which, with accrued interest, amounted to about $625,000 at the time the refunding act, issuing $425,000 in new bonds to cover in full the old indebtedness, was passed.

            This large and valuable body of agricultural land remained idle for nearly twenty years after the exodus, and to the floating element of the population, attracted to the county by the fabulous wealth of the Raymond & Ely and other Pioche mines, was due the fact that what would have been a most valuable and permanent element in the life and prosperity of this section was, and after the decline of mining would have furnished a constantly increasing assessment roll, was driven out. The mines of the El Dorado Canyon district were at that time also quietly turning out much wealth, so that the interest in agriculture was at a very low ebb.

            Later, people through the county became interested in cattle raising, a large area in this section being particularly adapted to grazing. Many of the valleys were found to be covered with a profusion of wild grass, and a man with small means could soon acquire control -of the grazing on a large area, and with this start would soon become the owner of

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a valuable and profitable herd of cattle. But time works its changes quietly. The State Land Act of March 12, 1885, was still another benefit to the man of small means. It gave him the opportunity of buying a tract of 640 acres at $1.25 per acre, by paying 25 cents per acre in cash and being allowed twenty-five years in which to pay the balance of $1.00 per acre with interest at only six per cent. Very many availed themselves of this opportunity of becoming homemakers, agriculture took a new lease of life and orchards and vineyards were planted in many places adjacent to springs and streams. This was very noticeable in Spring and Rose valleys, at Panaca, near Pioche, in the Pahranagatt Valley south of Pioche, in the Moapa Valley, at Bunkerville in the Valley of the Rio Virgin and at Las Vegas.

            Some years previous to this date the first vineyard in the State of Nevada was planted at Las Vegas, the vines having been brought from France and Spain by Daniel Bonelli, who had been there on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints. At Las Vegas had also been planted at the same time a peach orchard, and a few apple trees, apricots, pears and plums, all of which grew in a thriving manner and some of which are still in bearing.

            Archibald Stewart, a cattle man from near Pioche, in 1880 bought the Las Vegas ranch from O. D. Gass and moved his family there, it being about 155 miles from Pioche. He brought with him from the north a goodly herd of cattle, a few horses and some farming implements, and began in earnest to cultivate the soil. Among other things he put in extensive alfalfa fields. In the mining camp of El Dorado, some fifty or sixty miles south, some 150 or 200 miners were busy in the mines. Here Mr. Stewart found a market for all the hay, vegetables, grain and beef the ranch could produce. Hiring a teamster for the heavier hauling, and taking a light team himself, he began the regular delivery of supplies to the camp and a goodly stream of gold came flowing back in payment for the goods. This goodly sum of money accumulating at the ranch soon attracted the attention of a band of highway robbers, headed by a man named Hank Parish. They soon matured a plan whereby they thought to come easily and quickly into possession of a couple of thousand dollars of this hard-earned cash. They also arranged to have one of their number steal a valuable band of horses to carry them out of the country. Choosing their time they waylaid and attacked Mr. Stewart, killing and

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robbing him. They then separated and took fight, some into California, some into Arizona, and one of them into Utah. Since these three States cornered within twenty miles of the Las Vegas rancho, it was easy for them to make their escape and elude pursuit.

            After the death of Mr. Stewart, the family still remained at the ranch and Mrs. Stewart's father, Hiram Wiser, came to live with her and care for the ranch. He proved a good farmer and became much interested in horticulture. He soon planted out quite an extensive apple orchard and five acres of vineyard. The apples were budded from stock of a variety already grown at the ranch and were of a superior size and quality. There was, of course, a great demand for the apples as well as for the other fruits. The grapes were also of a fine quality, both for wine and for raisins, of which large quantities were made.