by THOMAS W. SMITH

The Garfield and Kane County Expeditions of May 1948 were sponsored and headed by Allen Cameron of Panguitch, and D. S. Moffitt of Kanab. The exploring group involved about fifteen men, all of whom seemed to be jolly good fellows. The guides were elderly men, full of fun and mischief, and as the caravan moved from place to place and from camp to camp, they would tell fantastic tales and great stories of historic events that had occurred at different points in the remote land.

Since it was my privilege to serve as a guide and to take part in the story telling (above mentioned) it has been requested of me by Arthur L. Crawford, Commissioner of the Raw Materials Division of the Utah State Department of Publicity and Industrial Development, to write and give the details of a Pioneer Story related by me at our first camp near the old town site of Pahreah, and to give a brief history of the early Pahreah settlements.

I am fortunate to get first hand information regarding the story directly from one who knows the facts. This comes from my mother, Elizabeth J. Smith, who is eighty-seven years of age and resides at Henrieville, Utah. Despite her advanced years, she possesses a most wonderful recollection of the early pioneers of Pahreah, and many historic events that made the history of early Utah. She was among the first immigrants to colonize on the Pahreah Creek.

However Peter Shirts and Ezra Meeks were the first white men to settle on the Pahreah Creek. They were mining men and were interested in a claim located about three miles west of Rock House, known as "The Hatty Green Copper Mine."

These men settled at Rock House in 1865, only to be driven out by hostile Indians the following year. About three years later, Rock House was resettled by about six families headed by Thomas W. Smith Sr. Houses, corrals, and a rock fort were constructed, and about one and a half miles of ditch were dug to irrigate the land, where plenty of corn, sorghum, and garden truck were produced.

As time went on, other families moved in; but the little place was destined to a short life due to the water sinking in sand and gravel at the creek bottom. Because of this condition, in about 1871 the settlers were obliged to seek a new and better location. There was a difference of opinion among these people and so this group of home-seekers divided. Some of them went down stream about five miles and established a community which they called Pahreah. For several years this village prospered; the fields and gardens returned good yields. It soon developed into a very prosperous cattle and farming community.

By this time there were enough people in Pahreah so that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints formed a ward of the Kanab Stake there. Allen F. Smithson was appointed as the ward's first bishop. He was the father of Elizabeth J. Smith, mother of the writer of this story. Thomas W. Smith Sr. was the ward's second and last bishop.

After a few happy years, the prosperity at Pahreah came to an end. The flood waters of 1883 to 1885 washed away farm houses and fields and converted the narrow stream channel into a wash that extends in places from rock wall to rock wall. This was responsible for another pioneer exodus. The home-seekers went still farther upstream about thirty- five miles, where they found a haven and became among the first settlers of Cannonville, Henrieville, and Tropic.

The erosion at Pahreah continued from year to year; and as the farm lands were washed away, the families left seemingly one by one. The last of the settlers became disheartened and abandoned the place in about 1912. The farm land left at that point at present time will not exceed sixty acres, whereas at one time the fertile land and irrigation water were sufficient to produce adequate foodstuff to supply about forty-seven families.

Pahreah was the home of Elizabeth J. Smith, whose life has been an endless string of good deeds and who, from childhood to womanhood, watched these early Pahreah villages rise and fall. In the meantime, she went back to her birthplace to marry in the St. George Temple, and since became the mother of fifteen children - eight girls and seven boys. Still hale and hearty, she has a vivid recollection of Major J. W. Powell, who was southern Utah's first geologist and who, in September 1871, stopped at her father's place in Pahreah, when she was only ten years of age. Elizabeth was mystified over Powell's condition. His left arm had been amputated, the first case of its kind she had ever seen. Major Powell was also a mystery man to the Indians. They called him "Kapurats," which means, in the Paiute language, "one-arm man."

Elizabeth says that Pahreah is a Paiute word that means "muddy water," or "water muddy." But whether it means muddy or clear water, Pahreah is historic and famous for early important visitors. Due perhaps to its particular location on the old trail that leads to the Ute Ford, or the "Crossing of the Fathers" - the only feasible crossing of the Colorado River in the early days - it would seem that it was a temporary stopping place for the Paiutes, Navajos, and perhaps the Cliff Dwellers before them. Jacob Hamblin often visited this place during his explorations and, as the records read, it was a camping place for Powell in 1871, Marshall in 1872, and A.H. Thompson in 1875. It is possible that Father Escalante passed this spot in 1776.

The following story is directly from the lips of Elizabeth J. Smith, who says the greatest thrill of her girlhood days occurred at Pahreah, Utah, in the Month of November 1874: "This is the story of an event which took place after the Grass Valley McCarty murder. This information will perhaps differ in some detail from a part of the Jacob Hamblin history written by both James A. Little and Paul Bailey, with reference to a peace treaty trip made by Hamblin to the Navajo country in the year above mentioned. I would like, however, to submit this as the true and correct story of that particular event.

"Those who are familiar with the early history of Utah know about the three young Navajo Indians who were murdered at Grass Valley in 1874, by a mining man named McCarty. That terrible crime created such a commotion among both the white people and the Indians that those who were children at the time can remember it vividly, especially children of my age - thirteen years or more. I have a very clear and distinct recollection of the Incident and of Jacob Hamblin's peace treaty trip to the Navajo country and those who accompanied him on that journey.

"After the outrage of the McCarty murder, President Brigham Young immediately dispatched Jacob Hamblin, the "Indian Apostle," as he was called, to the Navajo country. This was urgent, indeed, because a war between the Mormons and the Navajos seemed inevitable; and the Mormons at Pahreah were now on the first line of defense. This is a situation which would be extremely hard to forget.

"Jacob Hamblin evidently left Kanab alone in an effort to fulfill his assignment, because he arrived at Pahreah alone. However, soon after his arrival, his son Joseph rode into town with a note from Bishop Levi Stewart of Kanab, requesting Jacob to return. Bishop Stewart no doubt thought that Jacob intended to make the dangerous trip into the Navajo country alone. However, the next morning Jacob sent his son back to Kanab to tell Bishop Stewart that he had chosen James E. Smith and Nephi Smithson from the village of Pahreah to accompany him on his dangerous mission.

"These two men were hand-picked by Jacob. He explained to them in detail the importance of this mission and told them that something must be done immediately concerning the matter in order to avoid a war with the Indians. The men accepted the call to go as envoys of the Church to assist the Indian Apostle in an attempt to solve one of the most important problems ever to arise between the Mormons and the Indians in the early days of Utah. They knew their lives would be at stake, and that to comply with such a request would require both faith and courage. But despite the danger, preparations were made and the trip was soon started. As the three men rode away, the entire village mourned. This was a sad parting, indeed, because the people were aware of the Navajos' threat that they would retaliate at the very first opportunity. It was an Indian custom to demand "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," and everyone feared that these three men - the exact number to pay for the three Navajos murdered at Grass Valley - would surly fall victims to that threat. This sorrow was somewhat lessened, however, when Jacob said, "If you will all pray and exercise your faith in our behalf, I will promise you in the name of our God that we will all safely return." Jacob asked me, even though I was a little girl of only thirteen, to pray for their welfare. This I did, to the best of my ability.

"The three men, with their animals, camping equipment, and the necessary food to last to and from the remote country, left to travel a long, lonesome trail that led by way of the old Ute Ford or "Crossing of the Fathers," to a country of hostile Navajo Indians. They carried no weapons of any kind with which to defend themselves. They took along some presents for the Indians, with a thought in mind that these would have a tendency to soften the angry Navajos. The presents were such things as small pieces of rawhide or cowhide, the size of a man's foot. This material was used then and still is, for the soles on the Indian's shoes, called moccasins. It was a very scarce article then and would serve as an ideal gift for the red man. Some tobacco and a few other small items were also included among the gifts.

"Nephi Smithson was my brother and about five years after this event took place, I became the wife of James E. Smith. Last but not least, I later became the writer's mother.

"The following story gives the details of the trip made into the Navajo country by Jacob Hamblin, Nephi Smithson, and James E. Smith, in the fall of 1874. This authentic story has been taken from pieces of worn manuscript compiled by James E. Smith:

"After a few days of strenuous travel, we reached the Navajo country at a watering place about twelve miles east of Moenkopi, at which place we expected to see a friendly Navajo names Much-an, who was an old acquaintance of Jacob's. But we were disappointed as the place was vacated. We did, however, meet near this place a young Navajo messenger on his way to Mowabby. This young fellow seemed to be quite pleased to see three Mormons - as if to say, just the right number to pay for the three Navajos killed at Grass Valley. After a little talk with this Indian, he pointed in the distance to a high mesa and said the Navajos were camped at that point. He said a number of the older Navajos were then in counsel, formulating a plan to make a drive on the Mormons to revenge the three Navajos who lay dead in the Mormon country, where the wolves would eat their bodies. After obtaining this information, we decided to hide our camp equipment and provisions and turn our animals loose at a little spring of water that Jacob had learned about in some of his previous trips, and walk from there up to the Indian camp on the mesa. Jacob told us to keep out of sight until we got within close range of the Indian camp, then to run to the big hogan where the council was in session and take the Indians by surprise. This was the exact procedure followed. Then and there, by the aid of a Paiute interpreter, Jacob introduced us and explained the purpose of our journey to their country. The council advised Jacob that the right Navajos were not present to discuss the matter, so the conference was postponed until the others could get there, which the Indians said would take several hours.

"During this delay two other white men rode up to the mesa camp. They were brothers by the name of Smith - prospectors whom we had seen the day before at Mowabby. The initials of one of those men wore the same as mine, his name being John E. Smith and mine James E. Smith.

"Now, after several hours of waiting, the Navajos began to come in numbers to the camp, some old, some young. About twenty-four old, gray-haired Navajos assembled in the big hogan with the five white men. A great number of young Navajo warriors tarried on the outside of the hogan. They weren't allowed to take part in the council, but were given a chance to speak.

"Jacob invited the two prospectors to sit in with us during the discussion with the Navajo council. After the discussion was started, it soon developed into a heated argument. The Navajos called Jacob a liar and a false leader with a forked tongue. They said that the Mormons had killed the three Navajos at Grass Valley and these three Mormons must die for those Navajos. In a revengeful spirit the Indian council decided to put these Mormons to death by burning them at the stake. The young warriors waiting on the outside of the hogan had already gathered the wood to do the job. This, of course, excited the two gentile Smiths because it looked like their three white friends would surely die. They reached for their revolvers and said, "Boys, we will kill Navajos as long as we have ammunition." Jacob, in a low, soft voice, asked the Smiths to remain quiet and not touch their guns. He said, "Nobody is going to die and there will be no need for a gun."

"Jacob continued his talk with the members of the council by telling them they couldn't kill their friends. He said, "We have always told you the truth and we always will. we have always been your friends and we always will be. The Mormons didn't kill your young men at Grass Valley. It was a non-Mormon who did the killing and we don't want to die for something that another man has done." This seemed to win the Navajos' confidence. They decided to drop this charge if Jacob would give them 350 head of cattle - 100 for each of the three dead Navajos, and fifty for the wounded man - and that would settle the difficulty once and for all.

"The prospectors urged Jacob to accept the Indians' proposal and promise to give the cattle to save their lives. But Jacob said, "We just can't give them the cattle, nor can we lie to them. We are Mormons and that's our Mormon philosophy. We must abide by it. Jacob repeated the same story over and over again to the Navajos, saying, "We have been your friends and we have never lied to you, and we never will. The Mormons didn't kill your young men at Grass Valley. They were killed by a stranger."

"After considerable talking, Jacob seemed to be gaining favor. The young warriors, however, evidently feared that the council would oppose their desire for revenge, so they interceded and displayed a very hostile spirit with great intensity of feeling. The wounded man was brought in; his wounds were exposed to the council; and a stirring appeal for retaliation was made by the young warriors. This, of course, stirred up the Indians blood from its very depths. The members of the council asserted that they could do nothing less than to put the three Mormons to death.

"The Smith brothers were again stirred with anxiety and gripped their revolvers in preparation for quick action; and again Jacob rebuked them and cautioned us all to sit still and not even move a muscle, if possible, which would demonstrate to the council and the young warriors that we were not at all nervous but were brave to this hour of trial.

"After the excitement had died down a little, Jacob spoke to the Paiute interpreter, but he sat trembling with fear and would not answer either Jacob or the Navajos. The Navajos then recommended another Paiute Indian as one with courage who would not falter. But he, too, soon fell into a stupor.

A Paiute chief standing at the door of the council room spoke to the last Paiute interpreter in an angered tone and accused him of having a very small heart and little courage. This chief then spoke to Jacob and asked him if he were scared. Jacob answered, "What is there to be scared about?" The chief replied, " These hostile Navajos." Jacob told him that they were not afraid of their friends. "Friends," said the chief, You have not a friend in the Navajo nation. Navajo blood has been spilled on your land. You have caused a whole nation to mourn. Your friend Kitch-e-ne, the father of two of the Navajos killed at Grass Valley, gave you meat when you were hungry and blankets when you were cold. Now he goes to mourn for his murdered sons. You have caused the bread he eats to be like coals of fire in his mouth, and the water he drinks, like hot ashes. Then you say you are not afraid! Jacob answered and said, "My heart never knew fear."

"After further conversation, the Indians appeared a little mollified, and in lieu of blood revenge, the council decided to settle the matter in some other way. They had become convinced that Jacob and his companions were good men brave and truthful - who never faltered and who showed no fear during the long argument. It would seem that they had now reached a decision to leave final settlement up to Jacob and Hastile, one of their noble chiefs, a man in whom they seemed to have much confidence, a man who was fair and possessed good judgment, like Jacob. Hastile was at Fort Defiance and couldn't be reached at this time, so the council decided to have Jacob and Hastile meet twenty-five days from that date for the final settlement. They got a stick and carved twenty-five notches on it and then said, "We will cut off one notch every time the sun goes down until twenty-five notches are cut off. When last notch is cut off, Jacob be back to see Hastile." Jacob, of course, agreed to abide by the decision, so the controversy was temporarily settled and the pipe of peace was passed from one to another until it made its round to the place of beginning.

"Then came a big feast - a midnight supper of broiled goat and its trimmings which had been prepared by the squaws. The big posts were placed in the center. The Indians and white men alike circled the utensils, where all dipped in and ate Indian-fashion, by using the two front fingers as spoons. The "Mulligan" didn't look too appetizing, but since we had been in a long session lasting for more than twelve hours, without food of any kind, the stew tasted very good. While the meal was in process a big cat came in and lapped in the pot. James knocked it back, but Jacob criticized him and said that it was one of the Indians' pets and to let it alone and do nothing to make them mad again. So the big cat, like all the rest, ate its fill.

"After the banquet we rested until morning, then we bade farewell to the Indians and walked back to the little spring of water where we had left our horses and equipment. We were soon in the saddles and on the way back to our respective homes at Pahreah and Kanab.

"When we arrived at Pahreah the joy over our return was even greater than had been the sorrow at our departure. This was a complete fulfillment of Jacob's promise when he said, "Pray for us and we will return."

"After a short period had elapsed, Jacob again prepared to return to the Navajo country, to be present when the last notch of the twenty-five was carved from the tally stick. On this second trip Jacob again went by way of Pahreah and again was alone when he arrived there. He found Lehi Smithson and another man preparing to start to Mowabby, as stated in the Jacob Hamblin history. Lehi was taking his wife, who was expecting soon to be confined, to her mother, Rachel Lee (one of John D. Lee's wives), who was a first-class nurse and midwife. Lehi Smithson was also a brother to Elizabeth J. Smith, and was John D. Lee's first son-in-law.

"Jacob accompanied this party to Mowabby. They went by way of Lee's Ferry and crossed the Colorado River on a ferry boat which had been constructed by Thomas W. Smith for the Mormon Church.

"Jacob was back among the Indians when the last notch was carved off the tally stick, and was ready for the big talk with the Chief Hastile. The two discussed the matter for some time. Jacob explained the entire case in detail and persuaded Hastile to accompany him back to Utah to make a careful investigation as to who was responsible for the killing of the three young Navajos at Grass Valley. Hastile accepted Jacob's invitation, and with two good interpreters, soon started the long trek to Utah.

"After reaching the settlements of southern Utah, they were joined by other Mormons who were accompanied them to the very spot in Grass Valley where the Navajos had been killed. After a careful investigation and considerable inquiry from those who knew all the details of the case, Chief Hastile was thoroughly convinced that the gentile man McCarty was guilty of the murder of the trio. That event brought to a close a very bitter dispute, and the greatest anxiety ever to be encountered by the early settlers of southern Utah. This was another victory accomplished under the splendid supervision of Jacob Hamblin, the "Indian Apostle."