The First Americans in Arizona
American fur trappers following the Gila River.
The following is excerpted from the book, A Frontier Documentary by Kieran McCarty.
Kieran, the editor of this collection of Spanish colonial documents, provides a forward to his translation of a letter addressed to the Mexican governor of Sonora from Tucson’s mayor in 1826 describing the first appearance of Anglo-Americans in Arizona.
On October 8, 1826, a delegation of Gila Pimas passed through the gates of the Tucson presidio. They were always welcome, for they invariably bore news of importance. In fact, in modern military terms, they were an early warning system that was essential for the safety of the Hispanic settlement of Tucson.
Less than a month later, on November 4, Tucson's second constitutional mayor, Ignacio Pacheco, informed the state government by means of the following document of the Pima visit and its aftermath. On this date, Pacheco penned the earliest extant record of Mexican awareness of Anglo Americans in Arizona.
Map of the Gila River and tributaries.
Early in the fall of 1826, Old Bill Williams himself was leading a party of beaver trappers down the Gila toward the Colorado. On the way he accepted the hospitality of the Pimas and, of course, regaled them with the usual gifts - mostly such products of eastern manufacturing as knives and axes. It was his visit that the Piman delegation reported. The aftermath is supplied by Pacheco's letter.
What is only suggested in the document, however, is the American interest not only in beaver pelts but in mules and horses as well. The value of Old Bill's gifts far surpassed an overnight stay in a Pima village.
As we see in the document, the Americans asked about mules even before they asked about beaver. The mule, as by far the best mode of transporting pelts, was the backbone of the fur trade. Suspicion ran high that even the loyal Gila Pimas were not above playing middleman between, for example, Old Bill Williams and the Papagos (now the Tohono O'odham), who surreptitiously relieved Mexican ranchos of their mules, which were guarded in turn by the Pimas until an American party came along.
“Old Bill” Williams statue in Williams, Arizona.
Old Bill Williams's speech to the Gila Pimas, complete with gestures of the ocean waves rolling up onto the continent, reflected the lingering fear at the time of the continuing danger of European powers, including Spain, once again invading western North America and the Gila and Colorado Rivers, none of which yet belonged to the fledgling United States. James Monroe's speech to Congress on December 2, 1823, establishing the Monroe Doctrine bore this out. We are impressed not only that a distant wanderer like Old Bill knew of the Monroe Doctrine- less than three years old - but that he was using it to forge a link between Native Americans and himself.
- Kieran McCarty
19th century Depiction of the Tucson Presidio.
November 4, 1826
Report to Governor Gaxiola from Tucson
On October 28 the Gila Pimas, represented by a village governor and two of his men, arrived at this presidio with news of 16 foreigners bearing arms along the banks of their river [the Gila].
The Gila governor demanded papers of identification, in lieu of which one or two of their number would have to proceed to this presidio of Tucson to report the destination of their party.
Their leader replied that they came only to visit Indians along the Gila in order to obtain mules and horses from them and to find out where there might be other rivers abounding in beaver.
Manuel de León, our commander, decided to send myself as mayor and Lt. Antonio Comadurán with a detachment of seven men to accompany the village governor and his two companions back to the Gila to meet the strangers and if they were Americans to confront them with the verbal and written orders of our commander general [Simón Elías González] at Arizpe to present themselves there personally before proceeding farther.
We left for this mission on October 30. As the sun was setting on October 31, I came upon seven Indians hunting near the Gila. It was they who informed me that the strangers had left three days earlier, back toward the east.
Gila Pima home. Photo: Edward S. Curtis 1907.
With Comadurán, I then continued on to the Gila and convoked a meeting of the Pima leaders. They all agreed that the strangers had come with their mules laden with trapping gear for the sole purpose of capturing beaver for their pelts.
They had shown no signs of malice during their four-day stay. On the contrary, they were most friendly and gave many presents of blankets, knives, trays, glass beads, and animals they had trapped.
A beaver in the Gila River. Photo: NPS
Their message to our authorities was that they were coming to these villages because Governor Narbona of New Mexico had told them that there were many beaver along these rivers. They had come this first time only to find out for themselves and then return with the proper papers to stay a while. They would bring more presents, for it saddened them to see people so poor, especially since the Indians were such good people.
The strangers then made signs to describe the ocean rolling up on the beach, explaining that people on the other side of that ocean were enemies, enemies of both the white man and the Indian, which made the Indian and the white man brothers.
When the leader of the strangers found out that some Indians had gone to report their presence to the Tucson presidio, he was happy, hoping that they would also report the thievery the Maricopas had inflicted on the strangers, stealing their mules and blankets in broad daylight. A Maricopa dared to steal the captain's own serape.
Saltillo Serape 1800-1850. Met Museum.
One of the strangers pointed a gun at the thief, but the captain ordered him to put the gun down. The Maricopas were obviously trying to provoke a fight. Refusing to fall into the trap, the captain told them he did not need the serape and had many more to bring them to gain their friendship.
When they finally stole his suitcase containing his clothing, his papers, and letters from the governor of New Mexico [Narbona] - he gave up trying to win them over and left the village to avoid further confrontation.
The Maricopa who had stolen the suitcase later turned over to me two passports in a foreign language and a letter and a passport signed by the governor of New Mexico. I herewith enclose copies of these documents and am sending the originals to the military commander general in Arizpe.
Lastly, I instructed the Gila Pimas that the moment the strangers returned the Tucson presidio should be advised so as to send word on to the military commander general in Arizpe. Since the strangers seem to be good people, I forbade the Pimas to do them harm and encouraged them to keep the Maricopas from harming these strangers.
Ignacio Pacheco