The Wild West in the Rim Country

A recent article in The Arizona Republic opened with these words, “When the Colt Single Action Army revolver officially became Arizona’s state gun … it was more than just a symbolic nod to the past.”[1] The article continued, affirming that firearms are part of Arizona’s politics and economy as well as its legend and lore. This seems like a fitting introduction to a series of stories about violence in the Rim Country. The final 20 years of the 19th century were decades of violence, and during that time Gila County had the second highest homicide rate in western America. There was “the presence of a regional culture of violence … in Gila County, Arizona.”[2] Several factors contributed to this culture of violence. The sparse, far-flung population made law enforcement slow and difficult. Bandits and robbers felt these areas had opportunities that more populated settlements did not offer. At times, to speed up the process of “justice,” mobs of citizens would take the law into their own hands and lynch offenders. Secondly, there was the inevitable clash between settlers and the Native Americans...more