Books & Info on the Indian Wars

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Books & Info on the Indian Wars

Post by count »

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on good books (or other available sources) on the Indian wars in central Arizona, especially the Superstition Mtn area. <br> <br>I've read the books by Bourke, Thrapp, etc. on the subject, but they all make only brief mention of specific places around the Superstitions. They say things like "our troop was sent out to comb the Superstitions", but no with no details. <br> <br>I know the Superstition Mtn Museum has a display with a reference to a specific battle in Garden Valley. Seems like I've seen also references to indian rancheras near Weaver's Needle. So I guess what I'm looking for is books, manuscripts, or other available sources that actually talk about this in as much detail as possible.
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Post by count »

Good question. <br> <br>I too have looked for books on the subject....a military history of the Superstition Mtns.... but I have not come across any. <br> <br>The vast majority of popular works dealing with the Apache are centered around the Chiricahua: Cochise, Geronimo,Victorio and Mangus Coloradas. <br>The Amerindians involved in the Superstitions (from a military perspective) were the Yavapais (under Nanni-Chaddi) and bands of Western Apaches (Tonto, White Mtn and Pinal) under chiefs like Bylas. The Chiricahua <br>(with the exception of the Bedonkohe band)visited the Superstitions infrequently, and then mainly for religous practices or to bury a family member who took his "power: from those particular mountains. <br> <br>I have found some good source material in the works of Grenville Goodwin. He was an ethnologist who lived with the Western Apaches for three years in the early 1930s, studying and preserving their history and culture. A well edited <br>version of his notes is WESTERN APACHE RAIDING AND WARFARE; edited by Keith H Basso, (University of Arizona Press, 1971). The book is still in print. You might want to start there. <br> <br>I beleive this particular subject is ripe for exploration...and I have begun <br>digging myself. I will let you know what else I turn up.
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Post by count »

Finding any detailed account of military activity within the Superstition Mountains is difficult. A book titled " The Struggle for Apacheria 1865 - 1890" by Peter Cozzens is an excellent work that explains the military and Indian perspective. Many references to activity in and around the Superstition's are given however the reader must use his knowledge of geography in most cases to pinpoint the area being discussed. At the time of these campaigns almost no locations in the mountains were officially named. The Indians who frequented the Superstitions were predominantly the Yavapai. A much overlooked fact is that several prominant Yavapai leaders ; Nanni-Chadi, Delshay, Wa-poe-eta, Chalipun, Cochinay and Na-ti-o-tish all owed their heritage to the Western Apache and in particular the Bedonkohe sub-group. Western Apache influence was as present in the Superstition Mountains as was the Yavapai who were themselves a seperate people both linguisticaly and culturaly. <br>Several military groups were involved in and around the Superstition's at different times. A few of the notable groups were the 7th California Infantry, the 1st Arizona Volunteers, the 23rd. US Infantry, the 5th, 6th and 10th US Cavalry.
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Post by count »

Hello Peaches, <br> <br>Excellent post. <br> <br>Cozzens book tells the <br>story of the Apache Wars from a first <br>person perspective and indeed the entire book is composed of narratives told by those who experienced those troubles. I highly recommend it. <br> <br>P
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Post by count »

Tsoe (peaches) is the adopted Cibique name, Pah-na-yo-tisn is the given Apache name. Very astute. <br>Senor X is correct, there just isn't much written about the Superstition Mountain's campaigns. A good place to find accounts are in the Arizona Indian depredation dockets beginning around Docket # 6300. They are housed at the war department library in Washington DC. Copies of these reports may also be here in Arizona somewhere.
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Post by count »

Try Apache, by Will Comfort, <br> <br> Apaches at War and Peace, byWilliam Griffen, <br> <br> Nana,s Raid-Apache Warfare in Souterh New Mexico <br> <br> Apache Land Charles Poston <br> <br> <br> It has been awhile since I read any of them,but as I remember these were quite informative.Especially check Poston's book. He was not what met the eye.
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Post by count »

Thanks for all the suggested reading. <br> <br>I kind of suspected that the sketchy details in the books I've read was because of the lack of agreed upon place names. Even the exact locations of more well known battles seems to be up for debate; for example the battle of bloody tanks. <br> <br>I did ask someone once where the background info on the Garden Valley battle came from (the one that's described in a display in Superstition Mtn museum). His guess was that Tom Kollenborn had found a reference in military archives somewhere. The part I was never too sure about was how definitive the placing of the battle in Garden Valley was, or whether it was his best guess given hazy details.
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Post by count »

Tom Kollenborn has a great article on military operations in the Superstitions on the Superstition Mountain Historical Society Museum's website. I believe you scroll down to the bottom of the page, then click on "Superstition Mountains" and you will get a number of excellent and informative articles written by Mr. Kollenborn.
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