538 BuivivETiN 84 



the spring of 1865 they planted corn, beans, and other garden vege- 

 tables, and in the succeeding fall harvested the first crops of pro- 

 duce raised without irrigation by Americans in Arizona. 



About the same time other Americans settled in Williamson 

 Valley, and a little later in Peeples' Valley. The main crop in these 

 settlements was corn, the surplus being sold at Fort Whipple, near 

 Prescott, for about twenty-five cents a pound. 



In the Del Rio and Little Chino Valleys, land was put in culti- 

 vation in 1865 by George Bangheart and others. With irrigation 

 these men produced mostly corn, root crops, garden vegetables, and 

 potatoes. 



The first farming by white men in the Verde Valley probably 

 began in 1866, at the junction of Clear Creek and the Rio Verde. 

 With irrigation the rich, alluvial soil produced good crops of corn. 

 Considerable trouble with Indians was experienced in all of the 

 earlier settlements, especially in the Verde Valley. 



Because of reported possibilities for successful mining, the 

 United States Government established a military post in 1863, at 

 Del Rio, for the protection of prospectors against Indians. The 

 following year this post was moved to Fort Whipple near Prescott. 

 Most of the early settlers being interested in mining, only a few 

 farmers persisted in following their vocation. High prices paid by 

 miners and military authorities for farm produce, however, caused 

 the establishment of a number of other ranches in Skull, William- 

 son, Peeples', and Verde Valleys as the mining population grew. 



Attempts at dry-farming were made about 1870 in Navajo 

 County, the early settlers following generally the example of Hopi 

 Indians. In March, 1876, four colonies of Mormons arrived from 

 Utah and settled on the Little Colorado River at Sunset, Brigham 

 City, St. Joseph, and Obed. Their inability to cope successfully 

 with the alkaline soil, and depredations by hostile Indians caused 

 the settlements at Sunset, Brigham, and Obed to be abandoned. 

 Most of the people removed to the vicinity of St. John, Woodrufif, 

 Snowflake, and Heber. They were able to produce good crops 

 of corn, beans, and potatoes at Heber without irrigation, but at 

 the other settlements irrigation has been practiced from the begin- 

 ning. About three hundred acres were farmed at Heber for four 

 years when the settlement was almost entirely abandoned because 

 of depredations by Indians and white cattle "rustlers." 



About this time Pinedale, Pinetop, Fort Apache, and Tuba City 



