Pecos War
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| Pecos War | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Range Wars and American Indian Wars | ||||
.jpg) The Pecos River as seen in the 1880s, where the conflict took its name | ||||
| Date | 1876 - 1877 | |||
| Location | ||||
| Caused by | Stock and grazing dispute | |||
| Resulted in | Inconclusive | |||
| Parties | ||||
| Lead figures | ||||
| Number | ||||
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| Casualties and losses | ||||
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The Pecos War, also known as the War of the Pecos and the Chisum War, was a range war fought by cattle baron John Chisum against neighboring small ranchers, farmers, and Native Americans from 1876-1877 along the Pecos River in New Mexico.[2][3] The conflict was caused primarily by competition: Chisum believed that his livestock and other resources were being depleted by people he alleged to be rustlers.[1] At the same time, Chisum was also fighting Mescalero Apaches from the nearby reservations who were said to prey on his herds.
In 1876, John Chisum left Roswell to stake a claim over the wide grasslands along the Pecos River for his cattle business. His claim, however, placed him in odds with several smaller ranching families who had settled from Texas at the same year as him, as well as the Apache at the nearby Mescalero Indian Reservation.[4][1] During that time, much of the frontier was in public domain, and the land was free to whoever staked a claim first. Herds of cattle were allowed to roam and graze around the frontier. And these cattle were identified through the use of special brands that belonged to different ranches. Much of the better lands for grazing was overtaken by Chisum and his Jinglebob Ranch.
Chisum would nickname these people as “little fellows”, and he believed many of them were rustlers who were stealing from his herd of cattle to sell as their own. This resulted in him recruiting and arming cowboys and ranch hands to protect his property, led by James M. Highsaw, who was described by a contemporary as “quick as lightning on the draw [and] cool under any circumstances.”[1] Many of these men, including Tabb and Charles Rankin, were fired upon by Chisum’s enemies.
Many of the smaller ranch communities, especially those with alleged criminal history, formed the Seven Rivers Warriors gang to defend against Chisum’s aggression. These included Buck Powell, Dick Smith, Andy Boyle, the Beckwith clan, W. H. Johnson, Jake Owen, Lewis Paxton, Nathan Underwood, Milo Pierce, Charlie Woltz, Charlie Perry, and Robert and Wallace Olinger.[1] Both the Seven Rivers Warriors and the Mescalero Indian Reservation, specifically Indian agent Frederick C. Godfrey, were allied to Chisum’s rivals, the House and the Santa Fe Ring.[2] Armed men from the opposing parties began patrolling the open range, especially several precious watering holes.[5]