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    Home » Sedona Lit: General George Crook, Soldier and Author
    Elizabeth Oakes

    Sedona Lit: General George Crook, Soldier and Author

    September 19, 2016Updated:September 17, 20162 Comments4 Mins Read
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    Sedona Lit is a series by Dr. Elizabeth Oakes, an award winning poet and former Shakespeare professor. A Sedonian of three years, she will highlight the literature, written or performed, of Sedona, past and present.

    photo_elizabethoakes_216By Elizabeth Oakes
    (September 19, 2016)

    President Ulysses S. Grant called General George Crook the “greatest Indian fighter” of the West. Knowing he was a pivotal figure in American history, Crook wrote what was called in the time a “rugged biography.” It is a tale of battles, maneuvers, brutality on both sides, physical hardship, infighting over promotions, betrayals galore, and greed on the part of the Indian agents, throughout Crook’s long career in several states.

    My column, however, concerns his time in the Arizona Territory generally and Camp Verde specifically. I leave it to the historians to analyze him as a soldier. I am interested in him as an author. He was not an introspective man, but he gave a vivid account of what life was like in this area in the early 1870s. It is our history –

    20160917_sedlit1We can get a good idea by the chapter heading, “Arizona Had a Bad Reputation.” When assigned here in 1871, Crook did his duty with trepidation, for the climate “made him fear for his health.” Let’s just say he was not overstating it!

    First, it was hard to get here. The intercontinental railroad was only a few years old, and there were no tracks into this area. From San Diego he took a stagecoach about 200 miles to Yuma in heat that was “like being in an oven,” even at night. From there to Tucson, the flies and dust added to the discomfort, with the temperature 116 at times. Imagine this wearing a wool Army uniform!

    Then there was the lack of water and food. One night, with the “men and animals nearly famished with thirst,” a providential thunder storm saved them. They survived another time by drinking “water standing in holes.” They avoided scurvy by finding a wild onion that evidently had some Vitamin C in it.

    As they neared Camp Verde, he and his men, on foot, were lost several times among the peaks of the Mogollon Rim. Perhaps we shouldn’t complain about the inconvenience of airline travel today!

    I wasn’t surprised at the battles, but the chopping off of heads did shock me. A Mr. Colyer, who had been sent by headquarters, Crook believed, to countermand his authority, was determined to “make peace with the Apaches by the grace of God.” This failed so miserably that there was a “trail of blood” of settlers, with Colyer becoming known as far away as the Pacific Coast for making “life and property unsafe.” Upon his return to “Washington his head was chopped off,” I assume literally!

    20160917_sedlit2In another skirmish, a group of Apaches had escaped to the mountains but then returned to surrender. Crook wouldn’t let them stay until they brought “in the heads of certain of the chiefs who were ringleaders.” A few days later, they “brought in seven heads” and were admitted into the camp.

    History is a mine field. It’s written by the victors, and the story is handed down to generations by those who have access to printing and distribution. We can, for the most part, trust names, dates, places, but what about motivations? What about the mind-set of the time? What about the difference in values? How can we judge the past on the limited information we have? What would be the point of view of Geronimo and Cochise? Can we ever see ourselves in history’s mirror?

    From what I read in his autobiography, Crook was conscious of the repercussions of the “Indian Campaign.” For examples, he spent the latter part of his life giving talks on the inhumane treatment of those he had conquered. He petitioned the government time and again to release from incarceration the Apache scouts who had worked for him, to no avail. When he returned to Arizona in the early 1880s, he reported that the Apaches “had displayed remarkable forbearance in remaining at peace,” given their treatment.

    Born in 1828 in Ohio, he spent his adult life in uniform, dying still in service, although not “with his boots on,” in 1890. Both his soldiers and his adversaries eulogized him. His men said, “In our hour of danger Crook would be found in the skirmish line, not in the telegraph office.” Upon hearing of his death, the Indians at Fort Apache are said to have “let their hair down, bent their heads forward on their bosoms, and wept and wailed like children.” He “never lied to us,” they said.

    It all seems like a long time ago, but I end with these two words – Standing Rock.

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    2 Comments

    1. Randall Reynolds on September 26, 2016 8:01 am

      Such a poignant article Libby which leaves me with such sadness. This ‘great’ country that we are so proud of rose out of the embers of such violence and disrespect for the people who already owned it. It brings shame to my heart as an American. I am well aware of the Native American history of the Verde Valley and Northern Arizona and always wonder if we as the ‘white man’ had not run so roughshod over the indigenous people– would we have been more welcomed?

    2. Elizabeth Oakes on September 27, 2016 4:44 pm

      Thanks, Randall! An upcoming column will be about women’s lives in early Arizona —

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    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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