After the Civil War
After the Civil War, what drove men and women westward? To seek out their fortunes in the gold and silver mines, or to become farmers, ranchers, and business owners? For the Southerners, after a devastating defeat, their plantations and farms ravaged by the war, they turned to the west to start new lives along the frontier. For the victorious North, they looked to expand their fortunes. The California gold rush had come and gone, so many of them looked to the desert southwest for their fortunes. There had been stories, gleaned from the Indians, about gold and silver in the Arizona desert.
Many of the Civil War vets, both Union and Confederate survivors, upon hearing these stories, decided to forgo California for the hot, dusty, barren lands of Arizona. Determined to hit it rich, one way or another, they headed west with their families. Still others headed west for the dry climate to battle an assortment of health issues, such as the dreaded “Lunger disease”, known as Tuberculosis. Among the pioneers were shopkeepers, saloon owners, as well as ranchers and cattlemen. Heading into the vast wilderness, Apache warriors around them on all sides, North and South came together to become neighbors to combat the Indian hordes. Still not totally friends with each other, they had to band together to survive.
Whether fighting the Indians, or the elements, or even each other, the ones that settled in Arizona were a tough group. And being veterans of the great war, they were indeed tough. And the women that came west with them were every bit as tough….they had to be to survive. They took care of the plantations, farms, ranches, and even businesses while their husbands were off fighting the war.. They stood side by side with the men when they moved westward. Some found gold or silver, others found their fortunes in and around the towns that sprung up everywhere. But what mattered to them all, was a new life, a new beginning, in the vast Arizona territory.
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