Farming by Early White; Settlers ^^7 



of ceremonial costumes. With the advance of civilization the wild 

 turkeys were largely killed out, and, primarily to supply feathers 

 rather than for any other purpose, the Indians recently have raised 

 quite a number of domesticated turkeys. 



HOME LIFE OF THE INDIANS 



Tradition and old ceremonies are greatly cherished by the In- 

 dians and carefully taught to each rising generation. Usually, they 

 have an abiding faith in the "Great Spirit," and, while the concep- 

 tion of the deity varies greatly with different tribes, they all are 

 assured that he is watching over and helping them in their daily 

 life. They often worship things of nature and utilize natural re- 

 sources to the fullest extent. 



Their home life is simple, and usually they are contented, hon- 

 est, and true to their friends. The women build and own most of 

 the homes. Within some tribes marriage is an important ceremony 

 while in others men and women live together by common consent 

 until they become dissatisfied, whereupon the "husband" moves his 

 belongings, usually consisting of a horse, saddle, bridle, and blanket, 

 to a new abode. 



Ordinarily Indians do not care to take up the ways of white 

 men, nor does it seem best that they should be forced to do so. 



FARMING BY EARLY WHITE SETTLERS 



Captain Weaver, a hunter and traveller along the Hassayampa 

 River, cultivated a little garden patch about 1830, probably the first 

 crop planted in Arizona by an American. His garden included 

 melons, corn, and beans, the latter two being varieties which he 

 secured from Indians. 



Early settlers who engaged in farming on Sonoita Creek, a 

 tributary of the Santa Cruz River, included E. G. Pennington, Tom 

 Gardner, William Kirkland, Tom Hughes, and John Cady, who 

 located in the order named between 1857 and 1872. These pioneers 

 principally grew corn, beans, and wheat with the use of occasional 

 floodwaters, after the example of Pima and Papago Indians. 



In the fall of 1864, about seven years after the first attempts at 

 farming on the Sonoita, Joseph Eagle and others put land in culti- 

 vation in Skull Valley, an old battleground of the Indians so named 

 because of the large number of human skeletons found there. In 



