Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Guadalupe Canyon Massacre was an incident that occurred on August 13, 1881 in the Guadalupe Canyon area of the southern Peloncillo Mountains
– Guadalupe Mountains
. The canyon straddles the modern Arizona
and New Mexico
state line and connects the Animas Valley
of New Mexico with the San Bernardino Valley
of Arizona. During the American Old West
, the canyon was a key route for smugglers into and out of Mexico. Five men including "Old Man" Clanton, the alleged leader of the group, were killed in the ambush.
Cowboys
had on numerous occasions crossed the border into Mexico where they stole cattle and re-sold them to the booming mining camps. The Mexican government at the time placed high tariffs on goods transported across the border, making smuggling a profitable enterprise.
In July 1881, several Mexican
smugglers headed for Tucson or Tombstone carrying silver were ambushed and killed in an area called Skeleton Canyon
. The killers were never positively identified, but Mexicans just across the border always suspected that those murders were committed by outlaw
Cowboys
. A ranch owned by "Old Man" Clanton was used at times by the smugglers as a way station for selling the stolen cattle. Old Man Clanton was suspected of directly participating in the smuggling. Although his ranch did not own a brand, required for cattle operations, it was one of the most profitable cattle ranches in that part of the country.
Felipe Neri dispatched troops to the border. Some researchers theorize that Mexican Rurales
led by Captain Alfredo Carrillo, who had survived the Skeleton Canyon Massacre
in 1879, led the ambush of the Cowboys. The Mexicans found "Old Man" Clanton and six others bedded down for the night in Guadalupe Canyon with a herd of cattle. The Mexicans waited until dawn and killed five of the Cowboys.
The dead included Old Man Clanton; Charley Snow, a ranch hand who thought he had heard a bear and was the first killed; Jim Crane
, who was wanted for a March, 1881 stagecoach robbery near Tombstone
during which two men had been murdered; Dick Gray, son of Col. Mike Gray; and Billy Lang, a cattle rancher. Clanton, Crane, and Gray were either still in their bedrolls or in the act of getting dressed when killed. Lang was the only one who had a chance to fight back. Harry Ernshaw, a milk farmer, was grazed by a bullet on the nose; Billy Byers feigned death until the perpetrators left.
Ernshaw found his way to the ranch of John Pleasant Gray (Dick's brother), who enlisted help from a mining camp 20 miles (32.2 km) away. At Guadalupe Canyon they found the dead men stripped naked and a dazed Billy Byers five miles away. Snow was buried where he fell due to decomposition. The others were taken back by wagon and buried about ten miles east of Cloverdale, New Mexico. In 1882 Ike and Phin Clanton exhumed their father's body and moved it to the Boot Hill
cemetery in Tombstone, where he was re-interred alongside his son Billy Clanton, who had been killed two months after his father's death, in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
.
had murdered his younger brothers Frank and Tom during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
. He was a member of the prosecution team which was presenting evidence during the preliminary hearing before Judge Wells Spicer
that month. The rumor of the Earps' involvement has been repeated in a number of publications based solely on William McLaury's assertion.
However, Ernshaw, Byers and Dick Gray all said that the attackers were Mexican. The Byers family also received from Ike and Phin a picture of Old Man Clanton on the back of which they had written, "Mr. Clanton killed on Aug 13—81 by Mexicans with 4 other Americans in Guadalupe Canon[sic] New Mexico." Both men signed the inscription. Another photograph of Will G. Lang bears a similar inscription: "Will G. Lang killed by Mexicans—Animas Valley New Mexico Aug 13, 1881 together with Gray, Cranton, Clanton and Snow and Byers wounded."
Peloncillo Mountains (Hidalgo County)
The Peloncillo Mountains of Hidalgo County, , is a major 35-mi long mountain range of southwest New Mexico's Hidalgo County, and also part of the New Mexico Bootheel region. The range continues to the northwest into Arizona as the Peloncillo Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona...
– Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains (Hidalgo County)
The Guadalupe Mountains of Hidalgo County are a 13 mi long, sub– range in southwest Hidalgo County, New Mexico, adjacent the southeast border of Arizona's Cochise County. A small portion of the range is in Cochise County, namely the outlet of Guadalupe Canyon, famous for the Guadalupe...
. The canyon straddles the modern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
state line and connects the Animas Valley
Animas Valley
The Animas Valley is a lengthy and narrow, north-south 85 mi long, valley located in western Hidalgo County, New Mexico in the Bootheel Region; the extreme south of the valley lies in Chihuahua, in the northwest of the Chihuahuan Desert, the large desert region of the north-central Mexican...
of New Mexico with the San Bernardino Valley
San Bernardino Valley (Arizona)
The San Bernardino Valley of Arizona is a northeast by southwest trending valley in extreme southeast Cochise County, Arizona.The north end of the valley merges into the northwest by southeast trending San Simon Valley; both merge in western Hidaldgo County, New Mexico...
of Arizona. During the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, the canyon was a key route for smugglers into and out of Mexico. Five men including "Old Man" Clanton, the alleged leader of the group, were killed in the ambush.
Background
A number of outlawOutlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
Cowboys
The Cowboys (Cochise County)
The Cowboys were a loosely associated group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. They were cattle rustlers and robbers who rode across the border into Mexico and rounded up cattle that they then sold in the United States...
had on numerous occasions crossed the border into Mexico where they stole cattle and re-sold them to the booming mining camps. The Mexican government at the time placed high tariffs on goods transported across the border, making smuggling a profitable enterprise.
In July 1881, several Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
smugglers headed for Tucson or Tombstone carrying silver were ambushed and killed in an area called Skeleton Canyon
Skeleton Canyon
Skeleton Canyon is located northeast of the town of Douglas, Arizona, in the Peloncillo Mountains, which straddle the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line, in the New Mexico Bootheel region. This canyon connects the Animas Valley of New Mexico with the San Simon Valley of Arizona.Geronimo's...
. The killers were never positively identified, but Mexicans just across the border always suspected that those murders were committed by outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
Cowboys
The Cowboys (Cochise County)
The Cowboys were a loosely associated group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. They were cattle rustlers and robbers who rode across the border into Mexico and rounded up cattle that they then sold in the United States...
. A ranch owned by "Old Man" Clanton was used at times by the smugglers as a way station for selling the stolen cattle. Old Man Clanton was suspected of directly participating in the smuggling. Although his ranch did not own a brand, required for cattle operations, it was one of the most profitable cattle ranches in that part of the country.
Ambush
In August, 1881, Mexican CommandantCommandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
Felipe Neri dispatched troops to the border. Some researchers theorize that Mexican Rurales
Rurales
Rurales was the name commonly used to designate the Mexican Guardia Rural : a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914...
led by Captain Alfredo Carrillo, who had survived the Skeleton Canyon Massacre
Skeleton Canyon Massacre
The Skeleton Canyon Massacres refer to two separate attacks on Mexican citizens in 1879 and 1881. Skeleton Canyon is located in the Peloncillo Mountains , which straddles the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line border...
in 1879, led the ambush of the Cowboys. The Mexicans found "Old Man" Clanton and six others bedded down for the night in Guadalupe Canyon with a herd of cattle. The Mexicans waited until dawn and killed five of the Cowboys.
The dead included Old Man Clanton; Charley Snow, a ranch hand who thought he had heard a bear and was the first killed; Jim Crane
Jim Crane
James Robert "Jim" Crane is a businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group and he is also the owner and chairman of the MLB team Houston Astros -Early life and education:...
, who was wanted for a March, 1881 stagecoach robbery near Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
during which two men had been murdered; Dick Gray, son of Col. Mike Gray; and Billy Lang, a cattle rancher. Clanton, Crane, and Gray were either still in their bedrolls or in the act of getting dressed when killed. Lang was the only one who had a chance to fight back. Harry Ernshaw, a milk farmer, was grazed by a bullet on the nose; Billy Byers feigned death until the perpetrators left.
Ernshaw found his way to the ranch of John Pleasant Gray (Dick's brother), who enlisted help from a mining camp 20 miles (32.2 km) away. At Guadalupe Canyon they found the dead men stripped naked and a dazed Billy Byers five miles away. Snow was buried where he fell due to decomposition. The others were taken back by wagon and buried about ten miles east of Cloverdale, New Mexico. In 1882 Ike and Phin Clanton exhumed their father's body and moved it to the Boot Hill
Boot Hill
Boot Hill is the name for any number of cemeteries, chiefly in the American West. During the 19th century it was a common name for the burial grounds of gunfighters, or those who "died with their boots on" ....
cemetery in Tombstone, where he was re-interred alongside his son Billy Clanton, who had been killed two months after his father's death, in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
.
Identity of the attackers
Rumors surfaced later in 1881 that Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt Earp were responsible for Old Man Clanton's death. This was first reported in a letter from William R. McLaury to his brother-in-law, David D. Appelgate on November 19, 1881. McLaury was an attorney who was passionately convinced the Earps and Doc HollidayDoc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
had murdered his younger brothers Frank and Tom during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
. He was a member of the prosecution team which was presenting evidence during the preliminary hearing before Judge Wells Spicer
Wells Spicer
Wells W. Spicer was an American journalist, prospector, politician, lawyer and judge whose legal career immersed him in two significant events in frontier history: the Mountain Meadows massacre in the Utah Territory in 1857; and the 1881 shootout commonly known as the Gunfight at the O.K...
that month. The rumor of the Earps' involvement has been repeated in a number of publications based solely on William McLaury's assertion.
However, Ernshaw, Byers and Dick Gray all said that the attackers were Mexican. The Byers family also received from Ike and Phin a picture of Old Man Clanton on the back of which they had written, "Mr. Clanton killed on Aug 13—81 by Mexicans with 4 other Americans in Guadalupe Canon