b'SILAS YOUNG RIDES INTOPLEASANT VALLEY WARPART 2 By Bill Roberts Reprinted from The TravelerD URING THE MID-1880S, cattle and horse thieves fromSome say he managed to do this by occasionally placing his lariat around the neck of horses belonging to both the Grahams and Tewksburys, showing his neutrality everywhere seemed to be preying on the wide opento both factions, neither of which was known for avoiding the stealing of horses of any ownership on ranges of Pleasant Valley and the rim. Ranchers andthe range. There is no evidence to support this charge, probably made in jest to explain Youngs mysterious role Mormons up on the rim in this remote, roadless, fencelessas a neutral, and no evidence that Silas Young ever was country were getting fed up with losing cattle and horses. charged with stealing a horse or anything else.As far as the Grahams and the Tewksburys were concerned,At any rate, despite his role as a Graham hand, Young held his reputation as a neutral and remained out of any stock that was missing was rustled by the other one. harms way during the bloody conflict. When Silas moved his family down from Payson in 1888, Tom Graham had left the valley and the war for Tempe and Jim Roberts came into this regionthe Tewksbury place, killing JohnSilas moved his family to the Graham ranch he had from Missouri, built a cabin andTewksbury and Bill Jacobs. Twoleased from Tom. The next year, 1889, he bought the set about raising prize horses. Hisdays later, Andy Blevins was inGraham place on a share basis. It wasnt long before horses were stolen and his cabinHolbrook, visiting his mother, theOla Young decided that since the old Graham ranch burned. This prompted him and hiswidow of old Mart, and reportedlywas about the center of habitation in Pleasant Valley, considerable skills with a gun to joinbragging about the killings at theit would be a good idea for mail to be deposited at the up with the Tewksbury family Tewksbury place. Another Apacheranch for distribution to all the families in the area. At County deputy, Commodore Perrythe same time, Ola started a petition for mail service in The Hashknife outfit of the AztecOwens went to the Blevins placePleasant Valley.Land & Cattle Co. of Texas hadwith a two-year-old warrant for started up in the area abovehorse stealing and in less than aOn June 25, 1890, the U.S. Postal Service opened the Holbrook and its cowboys beganminute, Andy Blevins, his 15-year- first post office in Pleasant Valley, in the Young house. taking time off to ride into Pleasantold brother Sam Houston andOn August 17, Ola Young was sworn in as postmaster Valley for adventure and perhaps aMoss Roberts, who reportedlyand her sister Betty was hired as her assistant, but there bit of horse stealing. Then, by 1887,was boarding at the house whilewas already was a Pleasant Valley Post Office at a place the Tewksburys made an agreementin Holbrook to buy horses for hisnear Flagstaff, so the new post office Ola had founded with the Daggs Brothers of Flagstafffamilys ranch near the Gila and Saltwas called Young. Miss Ola served as postmaster at the to herd sheep on the rim and inRiver Junction, were dead. OwensYoung Post Office for nearly 50 years, retiring January Pleasant Valley. When a NavajoAPACHE COUNTY DEPUTYwithering fire in the shootout also31, 1940. During her tenure, the postmaster had become sheepherder drove a band of sheepCOMMODORE PERRY OWENS left another of the Blevins boys,quite a rancher in her own right. When the valley was into the valley, he and the sheepJohn, seriously wounded. gripped in the claws of a severe drought in 1904 and were killed by unknown assailants.1905, cattle were dying by the thousands on the range in Now the pattern for war was set. The Hashknife outfitOn September 21, Yavapai County Sheriff Bill MulvenonPleasant Valley. People brought orphaned calves to Ola generally sided with the Grahams. So did those Pleasantof Prescott moved into the valley with a posse. At theand Betty and with these calves they started a herd.Valley ranchers who didnt want sheep on their rangePerkins store, Mulvenon and his posse set up an ambush and blamed the Tewksburys for bringing them in.and killed John Graham and Charlie Blevins. It was inSilas, like many pioneer ranchers, had already The Tewksbury clan had fewer supporters. But thethe aftermath of this killing, with two of his brothersregistered brands for all of his children. In 1905, Mrs. Tewksbury boys were known as some of the best shots innow dead, that Tom Graham left the valley. Young died. Silas moved to Globe into a small brick the Territory and they had Jim Roberts, John Rhodes andhouse where he would live out his life. Ola and Betty several others on their side to help level the odds. SILAS YOUNG RIDES IN remained in Pleasant Valley, now Young, and took over It was into this bloody fray that Silas W. Young arrivedoperations of the family ranch. They built their herd In July of 1887, Mart Blevins, father of Andy, Charlie,looking for a job and hired on with Tom Graham. Theand added to the old Graham homestead until they had Hampton, John and Sam Houston, widely suspected ofatmosphere was tense. Anybody associated with anysome 1,000 acres of prime grassland. They called the being master horse thieves, left his ranch to search forfaction was subject to being shot down from ambushspread the Young Sisters.some of his own horses that he claimed had been stolen.or in a shootout following the Middleton cabin open Nobody ever saw Mart Blevins again. A couple of weekswarfare. Somehow, in one of the many mysteries of theOla served as a school teacher during these years. They later, a couple of Marts sons and several HashknifePleasant Valley war, Silas Young managed to convince alldonated land for the Young Baptist Church and deeded cowboys turned up at the old Middleton ranch cabin,that he was neutral. land for the Young Cemetery. Miss Ola automatically claiming to be looking for Mart. Inside the old and abandoned cabin were several of the Tewksburys andMISS OLA YOUNG SERVED AS POSTMASTER AT THE YOUNG Jim Roberts. A gunfight erupted. Hampton Blevins was killed. So was Hashknife cowboy John Paye. TwoPOST OFFICE, A PETITION SHE STARTED HERSELF, FOR other Hashknife cowboys were wounded. None of the Tewksbury faction was hurt. The war was on. NEARLY 50 YEARS. SHE WAS ALSO A SCHOOL TEACHER, UNOFFICIAL HISTORIAN, AND AN AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER, In August, 18-year-old Billy Graham was cut down from ambush. A shady Apache County deputy J.D. HouckAMONG OTHER THINGS. SHE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE later claimed he killed the youngest Graham brother. In September, some of the Graham faction attackedARIZONA WOMENS HALL OF FAME IN 1991.30 June 2022'