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8 The Antagonists T HE ECONOMIC BOOM EXPECTED FROM MINING AND TOURISM ON THE Arizona Strip did not turn out to be what everyone envisioned. On January 5, 1900, Secretary of the Interior E. A. Hitchcock recommended to President McKinley that the Navajo Reservation be enlarged, and three days later the president signed an executive order extending the boundary south to the Little Colorado River and west to the Colorado River.! This placed land claims in the Tuba City area in jeopardy and halted plans for development along the left bank of the Colorado. Robert B. Stanton's new road was now on Indian land. Political leaders had protested reservation enlargement directly to Washington.2 Nevertheless, the enlargement was made; left-bank development plans came to a halt, and a quarter century of Mormon improvements faced a bleak future. For the Hopi, things looked even bleaker. That winter two prospectors found some copper-stained are near the mouth of Warm Springs Canyon at the western slope of Buckskin Mountain. In the ensuing rush, many claims were filed. The main camp was called "Coconino." One of the discoverers, Aquilla Nebeker, sold out to his partner, Ryan, who was said to have been the father of professional boxer Paddy Ryan. He renamed the camp after himself. Jim Emett carried news of the so-called "strike" into Flagstaff. The Coconino Sun gave the story its usual treatment in the issue of March 3, 1900, which had the effect of increasing ferry business as Arizonans rushed to the area. John Emett was visiting maternal relatives in Escalante when he made the acquaintance of pretty eighteen-year-old Sarah Ellen Wooley. He was relatively unknown here but the young people were attracted to each other and the interest was encouraged. His courtship was aggressive and the couple obtained a marriage license from Mahonri Steele, Garfield County clerk, in Panguitch on April 28, 1900. They were married in Escalante May 2 by Bishop Andrew I. Schow and started married life at the ferry a few days later.3 At first they lived in the fort, but later every able-bodied person at the ferry pitched in and raised a cabin for them by a cottonwood next to the Pahreah River, just above Lee's original damsite and beside the road leading to the upper crossing. 180 The Antagonists 181 In mid-April, a rather remarkable expedition departed from Provo en route to South America. A double column of horsemen was sandwiched around two covered wagons; the men were uniformed, carried rifles, and were headed by a member bearing a large American flag. A bugler sounded all commands of the leader, Benjamin Cluff, Jr., who was the president of Brigham Young Academy. He was one of the best educated men in Mormondom, having received a master's degree from the University of Michigan. He had been a member of the BYA faculty for over nineteen years and was president for eight. Officially known as "the Brigham Young Academy South American Exploring Expedition," Cluffs party hoped to discover archaeological evidence sustaining the claims of the Book of Mormon, gather scientific specimens for the school's museum, and assemble detail for future proselyting and colonizing efforts.4 The seriousness with which the Saints regarded the venture is emphasized by the fact that all members went through the temple, were set apart, and the trip was officially blessed. As it was a mission, the First Presidency advised Cluff to obtain the consent of the students' parents or release them from service." Every man carried a Bible and a copy of the Book of Mormon, and each day started and ended with prayers. Two of Cluff's more logical additions to the party were John B. Fairbanks and Roy B. Woolley. Fairbanks was Utah's version of artist Thomas Moran; he painted in the same style and almost as skillfully. On this occasion, however, he left his canvasses and paint tubes at home to rely on a camera, an instrument he had not fully mastered at this time. Roy was the son of Uncle Dee Woolley, Kanab stake president. Apparently Roy was included because of his competence with horses and his knowledge of the local area. He joined the company at Kanab, riding out from there with the others on May 5. Up to this point the company had spent each night dispersed in various Mormon homes, with meals and beds provided by supporting brethren. Now they were forced to camp...

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