By David Brugge - Arizona Department of Water Resources

the land dispute were Navajos. (3owman to CIA, 19 Nov 1884, FD-6,
p. 260)
In 1885, the Mormon population reached 230. (Eist. of the L.
C. blission, pp. 275 & 279) Thcy continued to have disputes with the
local Indian population, over irrigation water with the Hopis (c.L.
Christensen Diary, p. 73) and with the Navajos over livestock. (Ibid.,
p. 75) Nusher was living at Tokesjei, the month of Cow Spring Wash
in Blue Canyon in 1886. His wife, a sister of Goina' a Yazhi, died that
year. Christensen had a goo2 deal of contact with the Navdjos that
year. (Ibid., pp. 91-95)
In June 1888, H.S. ~elt,"\~~ecial Indian Agent, visiteZ ~oenkopi
to investigate reported troubZe between the Hopis and the ~ornons.
His report is quite lengthy, only the more important portions being reproduced
here:
At a small Oraibi Village on a sanstone bluff, at the
junction of ~esevob Canon with the Moer. Copie Wash, (Shown
on the map of 1887) as "~oencopie") there is 16 Oraibi
Indians Viz. 4 men 6 women 5 boys and one girl. Several
others formerly came from the Oraibi Pueblo (40 miles east)
and planted here in summer. But since the Mormons have taken
nearly all the land and Water, they come no more.
While the Indians are still permitted to retain a small
piece of land they are deprived of water sufficient to irri-
gate it. Hence 1 found the men at work for one Snith who had
taken their land from them. He had also told them that he
had bought the land their village stands on and last spring
ordered them off, but finally did not insist upon it, though
he took some doors from their Adobe Houses.
These Indians tell me they have been here 8 years before
the Mormon (Jno. C. Young) (Son of ~righan) came here, and
built the now dismantled woolen mill (that was in 1875) and
their ancestors had planted here long before that, - - -
The Mormons, having improved the water supply now claim
it all.
In 1875, John D. Young came ta this point bringing sew-
ral Mormon families with him, built a woolen Mill to buy wool
from the Indians. But being cverbearing and tyranical one
Mormon found a smaller spring where Tuba City now is, and moved