T H E LAST S Q U A W F I G H T By JESSIE K. E M P E Y
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Santa Clara, Utah, was settled by a call from Brigham Young for the purpose of establishing peace with the Indians and influencing them against disturbing freighters en route between Salt Lake and California. Jacob Hamblin, the "Great Leather Stocking of the Southwest ' and who might well be called "Father of Utah's Dixie," shouldered this responsibility. In the year 1854, he, with Samuel Knight, A. P. Hardy, Ira Hatch, and Thales Haskell built a log cabin on the banks of the Santa Clara Creek within a short distance of a Piute Indian camp ground. Stories of the experiences of these brave men as they battled courageously against a savage country in an effort to carry out the commands of their leader, still live in the memory of most Dixie people. The story of the last squaw fight has ranked for many years among the favorite fire-side tales of Dixie (Washington Co.). This fight occurred in 1861, just before the trek of the Great Cotton Mission to Southern Utah, by which time the Mormon missionaries had gained considerable influence among the Indians. The combat was a tribal fight between two suitors, and was carried out according to long standing rites. It was the custom among the Indians at that particular time to bargain off their squaws. Whenever an Indian brave was ready to take a maiden for his own, he was obliged, according to the Indian law to go to the girl's father and offer to purchase her. If, however, it happened that the girl had an accepted lover, the price must cover that already paid by the first lover, and the rivals were compelled to settle with a fist fight, providing they were physically equal. But when physical differences occurred and each aspirant was held high enough in the esteem of his fellow tribesmen, they were granted the right to institute a tribal mock war in order to win the girl. The aspirants in this particular battle were young men of influence in their respective bands. However, when Ankawakeets, a brave of Coal Creek John's band from Iron county made application for the hand of a beautiful, slender maiden of Tutse Gauvett's band at Santa Clara, he discovered she had already accepted a young brave of her own tribe. Ankawakeets, nevertheless, was dauntless in his desire for this particularly lovely girl and, producing the necessary purchase price, claimed her hand. Panimeto, the 1
The author, in presenting this story for "I am vitally interested in the unique My roots reach far down into the soil of great-grand-parents, who sacrificed much,
publication, writes: history of Utah—especiaUy Utah's 'Dixie.' this rugged country—as far down as my that I might call it home."
