[sideways text]
A. E. Hinckley.
Hackberry
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For President John Taylor.
Hackbery, .
President Woodruff.
Dear Brother,
I sit down
to drop you a few lines. You will excuse the bad gram-
mar, spelling, without any punctuation, passing over
all, until we come to this place. On the 26th of Dec.
last we arrived at this place, and found a portion of the
Wallapais tribe of Indians here, and added to their low
and filthy condition, the corruption and diseases of civ-
ilization and, in looking forward to the time when the
Lord would fulfil his promises upon them, I realized
that it was the Lord's work, and that He would have to
work by his power, manifest in their midst, to bring it
about. I learned that this nation had no place to gather
to, to farm and till the earth. The whites have taken up
the watering places, and the Indians, in many places where
they used to be the lords of the soil, have to pay to water
their horses now. The government has stopped giving them
rations and they are in a bad condition. Still, the chief
refuses to accept of our going to any place with them, to
learn them to farm, or school their children. He says that
they were on the reservation a few years, their children to
school, many of them died, and he would rather they would
live, hunt rabbits, work for the Americans, cut wood, wash
dishes, and so forth, than gather together, be sick and die,
and he does not want us to come there with anything of the
and have not done so. They appear always to remember a
promise. Our promise is to write to the Mormon Chief,
and he will do as he thinks best, and Brother Harris is
to meet them and report to them whether there is any one comes
or not, and, if not, to tell them the reason why. There is large
tracts of good land on the Colorado River, above and below Fort
Mojave. The Shemojaves are situated in their valley about
60 miles below the Fort. There is some good land in their
valley, but most of the tribe is below there, on the reservation
on the California side, 50 miles below their valley, and a
portion of the Mojave tribe is on this side the river, oppo-
site them, on their reservation. The location is good to reach
them and the Wallapais in the Mojave Valley, and this Chief
that can read and write we think will be of great benefit to
the cause, if he obeys the Gospel. The promises made to them,
the Mojaves, was 20 years ago, or more, yet they told us of it.
This shows that they never forget, so that we made ours con-
ditional, as I said. Told them that the Lord had told our
Chief to send us out to tell them to be at peace with all,
to become one with us, to learn to do good, be brothers together.
I guess that I have written enough in my wandering way
this time. Hope that I shall be able to say more in less words
in the future.
With love and peace to all,
We remain, your brothers in the Gospel,
A. E. Hinckley.
kind at present. He says that he may know better after
a while, but until then this is his decision positive now.
The tribe is fast wasting away with venereal diseases.
There appears to be no place to commence with them, but
to work with their neighbors. We have been to the Mojave
tribe. They wish you to send some families to come and
work with them, teach them better how to farm and school their
children. They make two propositions—one, to go with some
of them and clear some land, 20 miles below St. Mojave;
another, on a piece of land above the fort, about four miles,
which is cleared, which the River overflows, and is sure of
making a crop. The land below is not safe or sure without
digging wells and putting up windmills. The land in both
places is very rich. The land below belongs to government and
the Railroad. That above is at present occupied by the head
Chief. The chiefs are very anxious, and also the people, to
have some of our people to come, and we think that it is
one of the best chances of bringing about the work with them.
Brother Harris has promised to be back there in four months.
He expresses himself that he would like to go and settle
there, as he says that they are the finest tribe in this Territory.
They are a very industrious people, but they have become very
much diseased and are somewhat under the control of the
whites, but there is no denomination or sect among them.
The second chief can read and write. We left with him the
Voice of Warning and promised to send to him the Book
of Mormon. His name is Mariman. If you can send
him the book, address it to him, Mariman, a Chief of
Mojave Indians, Fort Mojave. He is a well disposed
man. He says that he wants to do right when he knows
what right is. We think that he will be a very useful
man in the future. We think that 2 or 3 families at
each place could do great good. Brother Harris will
be there about the first of May, and if you think that
it is wise to send some Elders to meet him there, either
with or without their families, to commence work with
them, you will please let us know at Mesa. Direct in
care of Pres. A. F. MacDonald. If they come, the most
direct road will be by St. George, Pearce's Ferry, from thence
to Mineral Park, from there to Fort Mojave. We send this
by way of suggestion. Brother Harris will meet them, the
Chiefs, whether anyone is sent or not. It will be as you,
the Council say, whether he stops with them or not. He
has said as much, that he would like to do so, if he could
be as useful there as otherwise. He is a very zealous
man. As to myself, to be a travelling missionary than to be
located in a tribe, and indeed I believe with such a
man as Ephraim Hanks, if we were as well united
in faith and feelings as we were when we were out
to meet the hand-cart company, that we would be will-
ing to keep on south among the Lamanites until we
come to the end of them, if we could live faithful enough
to do so. The Mojaves say that the Mormons have
been to their tribe twice and promised to come back,