Francisco "Pancho" Monroy - Salt River Recreation Area

My favorite place for strolling around in the desert is along the Salt River near the junction with the Verde River in the Tonto National Forest.  The area was much busier in the early 20th century when it was still open range and before Tonto National Forest was created.  Old maps show locations of abandoned mines and ranches that are no longer visible on modern maps.  One such site called Monroy's Ranch is shown on a 1904 U.S. Geological Survey map. The ranch is shown west of Blue Point on the south side of the Salt River. The Tonto National Forest Foxtail Administrative Site (located just east of the Usery Rd./Bush Hwy. intersection) is presently at the approximate Monroy Ranch location. Some initial research identified the ranch with Francisco "Pancho" Monroy.

Portion of 1904 USGS Map Showing Monroy Ranch Location

Francisco "Pancho" Monroy is mentioned in Dana Coolidge's book (reference 1), "Arizona Cowboys" as an uncle of Johnny Jones who was the son of Dr. W.W. Jones (an Arizona pioneer and one-time business associate of the Goldwater brothers). He is described in the book as an old-time Mexican cowman originally from Caborca, Sonora. Coolidge had visited the ranch with Johnny Jones prior to publishing his book. Coolidge maintained that visitors were always welcome at Monroy's home.

According to Coolidge, Monroy had been at the ranch for 30 years and had fought off Apaches and lived through droughts and disasters.  However at the time of the author’s visit in 1904, his pastures had been decimated by sheep due to his close proximity to the main sheep crossing on the Salt River. It’s reported that ninety thousand sheep crossed the Salt River near Blue Point and Monroy's Ranch twice a year during the early 1900's.  By 1904, the only stock remaining on the ranch consisted of a few goats.  

The book contains a couple of photos of Monroy.  One of which shows him looking upriver from a high bluff along the Salt River.  If you climb the bluff to the west of the ranch site, the view still looks much the same (see below).

Looking East through Salt River Valley (Monroy Ranch area below bluff)

Reference 1: Arizona Cowboys, Dane Coolidge, University of Arizona Press, Tucson Arizona, 1984.

There is also a photo of Pancho Monroy sitting at his ranch stored in the Arizona State Archive photo collection.

A search for Monroy Ranch in the Chronicling America newspaper search site brings up several Arizona Republican articles mentioning the site over the years 1910 to 1918 (search Monroy Ranch or Francisco Monroy).  Some of these articles relate to local folks camping at the ranch on fishing and hunting trips and others refer to the ranch as a geographical reference point. However, another Arizona Republican article in the August 11, 1918 edition page 10 describes Francisco as being tortured and robbed by heavily armed bandits at his ranch near Blue Point. The article describes five heavily armed men riding up to the ranch and requesting water. When Francisco attempted to get the water they jumped him and tied him up. The bandits suspected that he had hidden money and tortured him with knives trying to get him to tell them the location. Finally, Francisco's wife gave the locations to the bandits and they got off with around $1,500 worth of gold hidden in the house.
Reference link:  http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

According to the book, “Mexicans in Tempe”, Francisco was born in the mid 1880’s and worked as a vaquero on Dr. W.W. Jones’s Blue Point Ranch. It's evident that Dr. Jones ranched in the area considering the location of "Jone's Ford" of the Salt River located just downstream from Monroy's Ranch (see 1904 map).

Monroy is also mentioned in the book "Images of America, Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains". There is also a photo of him included in the book. Monroy is mentioned in this book and in Lost Dutchman discussion forums as having been a host to Jacob Waltz (Lost Dutchman) as Jacob traveled along the Salt River on prospecting trips. Monroy Ranch is also mentioned as being near the Government Trail river ford that is mentioned in some Lost Dutchman discussions.

Things must have been very interesting during those times.

This summer, when its too hot to for outdoor exploring, I'll explore the library for more material and update this blog.

Adios

Photos of landscape at location of Monroy Ranch.

Clearing near ranch area

Clearing near ranch area

Clearing near ranch area

Road to the river

View over ranch area towards west

Dr. W.W. Jones & Family - Salt River Recreation Area

Lately I've been snooping around in a website called Chronicling America set up by the Library of Congress. I ran into the site by following the Google+ site "Phoenix, Arizona Historical Images".  The Google+ site posts lots of interesting historical images and notes.  I decided to do some research on some East Valley pioneers who didn't fit into the typical history book profile.  The following accounts are mostly taken from newspaper articles found in Chronicling America.

Several of the old and existing landmarks around the East Valley are named after folks from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  One of these pioneers was Dr. W.W. Jones.  He was born and educated as a doctor back east in Maryland and then migrated to Los Angeles, California. For several years around 1870, he and a partner operated a freighting business between California and Arizona.  During that period, he married 18 year old Alcaria Montoya in Yuma. They built a home at 1008 E. Buckeye in Phoenix in 1879. His connection to the East Valley is through accounts of his having a ranch near Coon Bluff.  The landmark "Jones Ford" is shown on a 1904 topo map near Coon's Bluff in what is now the Salt River Recreation Area. In addition to Jones Ford, "Monroy's Ranch" is also shown on the map.  It probably belonged to Alcaria's Tio Poncho. Jones is also reported to have operated another ranch near Hidden Water Spring on Cottonwood Creek north of what is now Saguaro Lake (Butcher Jones Beach).

Remnants of ranch life east of Coon Bluff

In addition to ranching, dabbling in politics and occasionally practicing emergency medicine (bullet wounds & such), he was a prospector and mining speculator. He, from time to time, owned shares in several mines from Prescott to Florence including the famous Vulture Mine. In some circles, it's hinted that he may have known Jacob Waltz of the Lost Dutchman Mine legend.  

Dr. Jones is buried in Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe, AZ.

After the Dr's death in 1896, Colonel Alonzo Ridley acted on the behalf of his estate in probate court. The Colonel was a long-time friend of the Dr's.  He was a confederate in the civil war, refused to agree to surrender, emigrated to Mexico, fought on the side of Maximilian in the Mexican Civil War and worked on the Vera Cruz to Mexico City Railroad before returning to Arizona. Colonel Ridley is another character worth exploring.  (I'll write something of the Colonel later).  After the Colonel's return to the states, he lived on the Jones ranch for several years.  Deputy Sheriff G.G. Gonzales (a well known Tempe lawman, at least back then) was initially assigned as guardian of Jone's children until the Dr's son John could take responsibility.  

The son of Dr. Jones, Johnny Jones, ran the Jones ranching business after the Dr.'s death in 1896. According to Dane Coolidge's book "Arizona Cowboys", Johnny worked very hard to collect and sell enough cattle to provide his sisters with an inheritance. Johnny ran cattle in the western foothills of the Four Peaks Range around the Cottonwood Canyon drainage. 

Western Foothills of the Four Peaks Range

Along with other cattlemen in the early 1900's, he had serious issues with sheep traveling through the range. Between the sheep and cattle, the range became badly overgrazed leading to lack of ground cover and increased erosion. The Salt River dams were being built during that time and there was concern by downstream farmers and the government that the erosion could cause increased sediment at the lakes and dams. The overgrazing ultimately led to the formation of the Tonto National Forest. Sadly, Johnny died of the flu while still in his late 30's.

Abandoned Stock Tank and Cattle Pens along Cottonwood Creek

It's been fun researching this stuff.  I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can find.

Adios

Some History Lessons - Salt River Recreation Area

The wife has traveled back to Columbus Ohio to visit friends and family.  I'm not really alone though, I've had my youngest grand-daughter to keep me company this weekend.  She's stayed both nights (have I become so old that I require a babysitter?).  Although she mostly has her nose in the Ipad, it's nice to have company for dinner.  She and I have different tastes regarding meals so we compromised and had Taco Bell Friday night and KFC last night.  I'll probably cook breakfast this morning (assuming she gets up before lunch).

I recently read Dane Coolidge's book "Arizona Cowboys".  It was originally published in 1938.  He was a photographer who traveled the West recording flora, fauna and frontier life.  "Arizona Cowboys" is a narrative of his times spent with cowboys and cattlemen in the Arizona of the early 1900's.  It gives a good description of the times and certainly redefines some of the Hollywood notions of rodeo and sheep-cattle conflicts.  The book also explains how overgrazing by sheep and cattle were destroying the grasslands around the Tonto Basin and Salt River watershed leading to erosion problems that could threaten the water projects being developed.  The Tonto National Forest was a direct result.

It turns out that a rodeo was work not sport in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  It was a time when cattle owners got together to gather up their stock.  Not all cattlemen were ranchers, some were just individuals who branded a few head of stock and turned them loose on the open range.  A rodeo was arranged so that all owners could participate in the roundup and be available to identify their branded stock and to claim any new calves belonging to their stock.  By the way, there's still at least one bovine roaming around near Coon Bluff.  I've seen it's tracks and spoor but haven't been around early enough to see it.  By the time I get out, it's probably laying in cover chewing its cud.

The proof may be clearer to those of us who have spent time cleaning up after cattle and also recognize the split hoof print.

One series of the Coolidge stories were recorded in the area along Cottonwood Creek north of what is now Saguaro Lake (the lake appeared 1930).  There were several ranches between Mesa and the Tonto Basin (Roosevelt Lake now).  I believe that the largest was probably the Stewart Ranch (under the lake now at Butcher Jones Beach) but Dr. W.W. Jones and his brother-in-law Francisco "Pancho" Monroy also had ranches in the area.  The Monroy Ranch is shown on 1904 topo maps at a bend in the River near the present day Usery Rd. intersection. I'm not sure of the details yet but Dr. Jones is said to have had a couple places along the river.  There's a Jone's Ford (river crossing, not car showroom) shown near the Verde River, Jones Canyon and Butcher Jones Beach near Saguaro Lake and a Jone's Creek near Cottonwood Creek, these could be clues the locations of Dr' Jone's places.  There are several signs of ranching near this area. The most extensive are near Jone's Ford north of the Forest Service Goldfield admin site.

The Monroy Ranch is shown on the topos as being Southeast of Jone's Ford and it's ranch house is described in "Results_of_Spirit_Leveling_in_Arizona_1899-1909" as being 600' NE of BM1382 PHNX.  I haven't been able to find the benchmark or any sign of a ranch house. Here's what the nearby area looks like.  It's mostly mesquite bosque with a few scattered clearings.

I drove out to Cottonwood Creek via FR104 to see what was left of Stewart's Camp (1907 Roosevelt topo).  It was a locale described in a rodeo story in the Coolidge book.  I took the Beeline Highway east to the turnoff to Four Peaks then drove on to the intersection with FR401.  On the way to Stewart's Camp, not too far along FR401, there's a cattleguard in the roadway and soon afterward a stockyard with an old scales.

Stockyard with scales in background

Stockyards with Superstition Mtn in background

Surprisingly, FR401 was a good road all the way to Cottonwood Creek.  It was, of course, dirt but there were very few potholes and not much washboarding.  There's still a lot remaining of the old stock camp.  The most evident are corrals, a large water tank and some scattered stone/cement foundations.

Sadly, the area hasn't been treated very gently.  Folks had used the rear of the water tank for a toilet and there was graffiti sprayed all over it.  There also appeared to be someone homesteading in their mini-van.  Driving down here I was reminded why I don't do much hiking near Forest Service roads.  As usual, there was a lot of target shooting going on.  Good or bad, it's pretty disconcerting for hikers.

I've been doing a bit of research on some characters of the era and will try and post stuff as I get more info.

Adios