The Pleasant Valley War: Arizona's Deadliest Range Feud, 1882 to 1892

What was the Pleasant Valley War?

The Pleasant Valley War, also called the Tonto Basin Feud or the Graham-Tewksbury feud, was a ten-year conflict in Arizona Territory. The Wikipedia article on the Pleasant Valley War gives an estimated 35 to 50 killed, the highest toll of any U.S. range conflict, and says the male members of the Graham family and their allies were nearly wiped out.

It is usually told as a cattle and sheep war. The record is more mixed, and that mix is the point of this entry.

Who were the Grahams and the Tewksburys?

The Graham family were ranchers led by Samuel Graham, whose sons John and Thomas staked claims in Arizona in 1881. The Tewksbury family were led by James D. Tewksbury's sons, including John D., Jim, Ed and Frank, who started as cattle ranchers before moving into sheep, and the article says they were partly Native American.

Allied groups included the Blevins family, the Hashknife Outfit, a branch of the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, and the Daggs Outfit, a major sheep company. Cattleman James Stinson, Arizona lawmen and hired guns also took part.

Causes: cattle, sheep or family?

The feud began around 1882, after Stinson's herd crowded the valley's grazing land and disputes over rustling arose. The Tewksburys brought in sheep in 1885, which many cattlemen opposed.

Sources differ on the cause. Local newspapers such as the Arizona Silver Belt blamed sheep. Historian Tim Ehrhardt argued that family enmity was the main cause, since the feud predated the sheep. The Wikipedia article sets out both views and treats the question as unsettled.

Timeline of the killings

In 1884 Stinson made a deal with the Grahams, who testified against the Tewksburys, and Frank Tewksbury died of pneumonia after the case was dismissed. In February 1887 Tom Graham killed a Navajo sheep worker. In August 1887 Mart Blevins disappeared, and his sons pursued the Tewksburys. Hamp Blevins and John Payne died in a shootout at George Newton's ranch.

In September 1887 John Tewksbury Jr. and William Jacobs were killed and a siege of the Tewksbury cabin followed. Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens killed Andy Blevins, Mose Roberts and Sam Houston Blevins in Holbrook, and coroner's juries ruled the killings self-defense. A posse led by Sheriff William Mulvenon killed John Graham and Charles Blevins at the Perkins Store in Young. In August 1888 three suspected rustlers were lynched.

Where sources differ

The article is frank about disputed points. Deputy James Houck confessed to mistaking William Graham for John Graham, but many believed this was a ruse to shield Ed Tewksbury. Ed reportedly confessed to his stepmother that he killed Tom Graham, but the jury found he was not present at the killing. Tom Horn's autobiography describes his involvement, but which side hired him, if any, is unknown. Frederick Burnham's role is doubted, and reports credit the Apache Kid with Yost's killing, but this is not confirmed.

The last known killing was on August 2, 1892, when Tom Graham was shot in the back in Tempe. Edwin Tewksbury died in Globe, Arizona, in 1904, the last surviving male participant.

Legacy and further reading

The feud inspired books, films and documentaries, including Zane Grey's To the Last Man. A Legends of America article on the war is a popular retelling, and the Wikiwand cattle drives overview covers the cattle trade around it. For the wider story of the sheep and cattle disputes of the era, see the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about a range feud in Arizona.