John Elden
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
John Elden | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo | |
| Born | 19 Mar 1845 Bradford, Penobscot County, Maine, USA |
| Died | 18 Jan 1929 (aged 83) San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA |
| Occupation | Civil War Veterans |
John Elden, originally from Maine, was a wounded civil war veteran, early Flagstaff pioneer[1], and Alaska pioneer who settled for a while at the base of Mount Elden, just north of Flagstaff, Arizona, and is the individual in which Mount Eldon takes its name from.[2]
John Elden settled at the base of what is today Mount Elden north of Flagstaff with his wife in February,1877.[3] They built their log home at what is the today the base of Mt Elden from the abundant Ponderosa pines in the area using only hand tools and horses. The Elden's chose this home-site because a small spring nearby provided water for both domestic use and for their sheep and cattle.[4][5] Today this spring is known as Elden Spring. This location is also sheltered from cold north winds and warmed by the winter sun. Their three children, Helena, Eloise Felicia, and John were born at the settlement.[5] The John Eldon home-site sits just off the Pipeline Trail that runs along the side of Mt Elden, and is identified with a historical marker.
The murder of little John Elden
According to a story by Helena Elden Lindsey, the oldest daughter of John Elden, her six year old brother John is buried in a grave near the settlement. Legend has it that one day in 1887, a teamster named Bob Roberts attempted to water his head of mules at the nearby spring. Mrs. Elden confronted Roberts and insisted he water his stock elsewhere. Roberts was infuriated as he left ans fired a random shot, which struck and killed little John Elden. A citizens' posse was formed to track down and catch Roberts, who led them on a long hard chase, eventually leading to the discovery of Robert's body was found in a wash. It has never been determined who killed Roberts. John Elden's then left Flagstaff and moved his family to California.[6]
A wooden cross and picket fence originally marked the little John Elden grave, but has since been enclosed with stones and a cross made of pipe. The little John Elden grave is located adjacent to the John Elden home-site and is marked with a historical marker. The grave-site is located at 35.227270857419114, -111.60131051824222[7]
Although the story of the little Jon Elden murder is well documented at the historical grave site and in historical literature, no obituary records of either little John Elden or Bob Roberts were ever found. No deaths were recorded in the mid 1880's at the Coconino County courthouse that matched the circumstances of little John Elden or Bob Robert's deaths, and the Coconino Sun did not document the murder.[8] Some believe the story to be pure fiction.[9]
Portrait of John Eldon in his American Civil War uniform Here:[10]
Portrait of John Elden shown in March 1927 after his return to California from Alaska Here[11]
References
- ↑ Wilson, Randy (2 July 2017). "Elden descendants, historian have new story to tell". Arizona Daily Sun. Page 5, third paragraph.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Elden Mountain". peakvisor.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Westerlund, John (5 August 2014). "Ask A Ranger: Murder at Mount Elden". Arizona Daily Sun. Page 1, Paragraph 2.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Cline, Pratt (1976). They came to the mountain: the story of Flagstaff's beginnings. Northern Arizona University. p. 210. ISBN 0-87358-153-9.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 National Forest John Eldon Home-site Historical Marker
- ↑ National Forest Little John Elden Grave-site Historical Marker
- ↑ Google Maps
- ↑ Wilson, Randy (2 July 2017). "Elden descendants, historian have new story to tell". Arizona Daily Sun. page 4, paragraphs 1 and 2.
- ↑ Vallejo, Alexandria (5 November 2018). "The Mysterious Elden Family Murder". Lumber Jack. Page 1, Paragraph 3.
- ↑ Wilson, Randy (2 July 2017). "Elden descendants, historian have new story to tell". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 1.
- ↑ Wilson, Randy (2 July 2017). "Elden descendants, historian have new story to tell". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 7.
External links
This article "John Elden" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.