Big Bug Canyon Country News
Volume 8, Number 4, January 24, 2007
Historians like to portray Jack Swilling as a bad guy
By Bruce Colbert BB/CC News
It turns out that Arizona legend Jack Swilling isn't quite as bad a fellow as some historians portray him.
"He was a soldier, kind hearted, loved his family, generous to a fault, a hard worker and a true gentleman," said Neal Du Shane, guest speaker during the Black Canyon Historical Society Open House Jan. 15. "Besides his involvement in Arizona politics, and his mining and farming interests, he also helped build the first irrigation canal in Phoenix."
Salt River Project historians credit "Swilling's Ditch" with being the first canal to bring water from the Salt River to irrigate crop fields for the rapidly growing town of Phoenix. Around 1868, Swilling built a stone house and stage stop along the banks of the Agua Fria River. He moved there in 1871 with his family. The little settlement later became to day's Black Canyon City.
"You just can't believe how happy we were to finally find out the truth about my great-grandfather," said Joe Bejarano. "We grew up hearing all these rumors about what kind of person Jack Swilling was. Everything we heard was a myth."
Bejarano and his family live in Bakersfield, Calif. Four years ago Joe and his wife Molly traveled to Phoenix on a genealogy research trip.
"We came to find the graves of my family," Joe said. "We had directions to the cemetery but we couldn't find the graves. We'd been searching the Internet for information when we got the e-mail from Kay."
At the same time the Bejarano's were researching family history, Kay Beckman,
Black Canyon City resident and amateur historian, and Du Shane were doing their own research about Jack Swilling.
"I found Linda Swilling Regan and she introduced me to Joe's Internet bulletin board," Beckman said. "Once we discovered Joe, everything started falling into place when we realized that Joe was Jack's great-grandson."
A flurry of correspondence erupted between Beckman, Du Shane and the Bejaranos.
"I just couldn't believe it when we got Kay's e-mail," Molly said. "Joe was so thrilled he couldn't wait to e-mail her back."
"They (Beckman and Du Shane) knew more about my family than" I did," Joe said.
At Beckman's and Du Shane's invitation, the Bejaranos and several other relatives traveled from Bakersfield to attend the BCHS open house. They toured the remains of Swilling's stone house and saw the five headstones recently placed there by Du Shane and BCHS president Bob Nilles.
Du Shane is a grave dowser and founder of Arizona Pioneer Cemetery Research Project. After discovering the unmarked graves at the Swilling ruins, Du Shane, Beckman and Nilles eventually identified four of the graves.
One grave is identified as Swilling's long-time friend Col. Jacob Snively. It was his loyalty to Snively that eventually led to Swilling's arrest and imprisonment in 1878.
In 1854 Swilling was shot and his skull cracked open during a barroom fight. He became addicted to Perry Davis Pain Killer advertised as "The Joy of Life." When Swilling drank alcohol with the medicine he was not always the joy of life to have around, according to documents attributed to his wife Trinidad Escalante.
In April 1878, in an effort to "dry him out," Trinidad sent Swilling and two friends on a lengthy trip to White Picacho to retrieve Snively's bones and bring them back to re-bury at Swilling's house along the Agua Fria River.
White Picacho Mountain is located in the Buchhorn Mountains about 20 miles east of Wickenburg. After returning from the trip, Yavapai County deputies arrested Swilling for a robbery committed in Wickenburg.
After a jurisdiction dispute between Yavapai and Maricopa counties, Swilling found himself awaiting trial in Yuma County Jail in 1878. He died Aug. 12 of that year while still in jail. Evidence released after his death indicates Swilling's innocence.
"He did so much for this state and he is so enter twined with so many historical events, that what I'm doing is giving a living presentation because every day we learn more about him and are discovering living relatives of his," Du Shane said during his presentation.
"I'm proud to know the truth about him," Joe Bejarano said. "Growing up and hearing all the myths about him, I just had no idea how many good things' he actually did."
Transcribed by Neal Du Shane 013107