OLDNAVYMCPO
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
I'm an old man and just like many of you on this forum, I'm not just fascinated by firearms but for most of my life, I've been interested in the history of the western expansion.
This morning, I'm sitting in front of a blazing fireplace, drinking coffee, and gazing out over a panoramic view of the Mimbres River Valley and the Gila Wilderness. This is a high desert and mountainous area of undulating hills and mountains of rocky soil, and sparse vegetation, mostly pine, mesquite and juniper. Along the river are dense thickets of willow and cottonwood.
This is part of the ancestral home of the free roaming Apache people. Others before them lived here for thousands of years. Wildlife, although not abundant is plentiful enough to support a nomadic population of hunter/gatherers.
Following this country's Civil War as white settlers moved into this area under the protection of Black Calvary troops, the Apache and to some degree the Mexicans were pushed aside. The uprooted Apache, a warrior society, didn't take kindly to this invasion and resistance was fierce with many deaths on both sides of the equation.
Settlers lived a rugged existence, often on the knife edge of survival, constantly at odds with nature, disease, renegades, Indians and starvation.
Not very far from where I'm sitting writing this, was the ranch of a early Irish immigrant, married to a Mexican wife and father to two sons. Like most ranch kids, the boys had to assume adult responsibilities at an early age. On a particular Sept day in 1885, ten year old Jimmy McKinn and his older brother, Martin, were sent to round-up the family's livestock. Not readily finding the cattle, they were forced to expand their search. They were soon separated and later, Jimmy heard the terrified screams of his brother. He ran to his brother's aid but discovered Martin surrounded by hostile Indians.
Jimmy watched in horror as his brother was murdered and his body mutilated. Jimmy sought to hide in the brush but was discovered and captured. Jimmy soon learned that he was the captive of a band of Apache, led by Geronimo who were fleeing from a reservation in Arizona Territory. Their destination was the mountains of northern Mexico.
Along their route, the Apache committed whatever atrocities and mischief that they could. They stole some cattle to butcher for food but were discovered by the cowboys of the ranch and were driven off.The Indians had to resort to eating their own ponies.
Near Deming (NM), they raided a mercantile store and stole flour, sugar, bacon and other food stuffs. Nearby they killed a teamster and stole his wagon load of hard candy.
In the mountains of Mexico, the band was under constant duress and pursuit by both the Mexican military and the American army under Gen'l George Crook, who had crossed the border.
Geronimo was finally forced to surrender. Even-though he refused to speak anything other than Apache, concealed his red hair under a bandanna and tried to escape, Jimmy was forced to admit to being a white captive. Against his will, he was reunited with his family. Later, he refused to give testimony against his Indian family at their trial. In later life, Jimmy became a blacksmith in Silver City and died in Phoenix in the mid-1950's.
This morning, I'm sitting in front of a blazing fireplace, drinking coffee, and gazing out over a panoramic view of the Mimbres River Valley and the Gila Wilderness. This is a high desert and mountainous area of undulating hills and mountains of rocky soil, and sparse vegetation, mostly pine, mesquite and juniper. Along the river are dense thickets of willow and cottonwood.
This is part of the ancestral home of the free roaming Apache people. Others before them lived here for thousands of years. Wildlife, although not abundant is plentiful enough to support a nomadic population of hunter/gatherers.
Following this country's Civil War as white settlers moved into this area under the protection of Black Calvary troops, the Apache and to some degree the Mexicans were pushed aside. The uprooted Apache, a warrior society, didn't take kindly to this invasion and resistance was fierce with many deaths on both sides of the equation.
Settlers lived a rugged existence, often on the knife edge of survival, constantly at odds with nature, disease, renegades, Indians and starvation.
Not very far from where I'm sitting writing this, was the ranch of a early Irish immigrant, married to a Mexican wife and father to two sons. Like most ranch kids, the boys had to assume adult responsibilities at an early age. On a particular Sept day in 1885, ten year old Jimmy McKinn and his older brother, Martin, were sent to round-up the family's livestock. Not readily finding the cattle, they were forced to expand their search. They were soon separated and later, Jimmy heard the terrified screams of his brother. He ran to his brother's aid but discovered Martin surrounded by hostile Indians.
Jimmy watched in horror as his brother was murdered and his body mutilated. Jimmy sought to hide in the brush but was discovered and captured. Jimmy soon learned that he was the captive of a band of Apache, led by Geronimo who were fleeing from a reservation in Arizona Territory. Their destination was the mountains of northern Mexico.
Along their route, the Apache committed whatever atrocities and mischief that they could. They stole some cattle to butcher for food but were discovered by the cowboys of the ranch and were driven off.The Indians had to resort to eating their own ponies.
Near Deming (NM), they raided a mercantile store and stole flour, sugar, bacon and other food stuffs. Nearby they killed a teamster and stole his wagon load of hard candy.
In the mountains of Mexico, the band was under constant duress and pursuit by both the Mexican military and the American army under Gen'l George Crook, who had crossed the border.
Geronimo was finally forced to surrender. Even-though he refused to speak anything other than Apache, concealed his red hair under a bandanna and tried to escape, Jimmy was forced to admit to being a white captive. Against his will, he was reunited with his family. Later, he refused to give testimony against his Indian family at their trial. In later life, Jimmy became a blacksmith in Silver City and died in Phoenix in the mid-1950's.
