By Terry Munderloh

The Homestead Act of 1862 gave the privilege of obtaining a quarter section (160 acres) of land, free of charge, to any person who was head of a family or was at least 21 years old and a U.S. citizen, or had filed declaration to become such.

In the Sept. 21, 1864 edition of the Journal-Miner, the following notice dated Aug. 15, 1864, was published: “Know all men of these presents that the undersigned have this day taken up and squatted on the tract of land situated at and near the old site of Fort Whipple, consisting of about 500 acres.” The notice was signed by Postle, Brown & Co.

Robert Postle is listed in the census of 1860 at Tucson, age 23, born in England. After the outbreak of the Civil War, he went to Santa Fe to enlist with the Union Army. He was mustered in as a second lieutenant, First New Mexico Cavalry, on Feb. 7, 1863, when he was dismissed and thereupon made his way to Chino Valley.

It’s believed that J.M. Brown was a merchant of Tucson and the other company partners, Andres Montaques and Jose Delgado, were possibly descendants of Spanish settlers or reliable, hard-working men whom Postle thought he could depend upon to jointly preempt land with the intent of returning their rights to him.

Although Robert Postle’s brief military career was not particularly noteworthy, he appears to have been quite successful as a farmer. The Miner reported on Sept. 21, 1864: “Messrs Postle, Brown and Co. have taken up for ranching purposes the old site of Ft. Whipple. The ranch consists of about 500 acres. They are now cutting some 200 tons of hay, which they expect to offer for sale in Prescott this winter. Next season, they will have under cultivation about 200 acres of wheat, corn, etc.”

On Nov. 30, 1866, the Miner further reported on what was now known simply as Postle’s ranch: “During the past season, Mr. Postle has cultivated about 300 acres which have produced crops of corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables; all of which have matured finely and fully and are now being sold in our market for satisfactory prices. The result, we are credibly informed, promises a net profit of near $20,000 and shows what an industrious and energetic man can do in this country by cultivating the soil under true principles.”

The article additionally commented on the farm: “Among the additions to this valuable ranch is a very fine grist mill of modern construction, run by water. This improvement is a very important one, not only to the enterprising proprietor, but the surrounding community. But there is another addition soon to be made to the established of the proprietor, looked upon by certain parties interested as of the utmost importance to the prosperity of the concern.” To what could that last remark have been referring to?

Another early pioneer family to arrive at Del Rio was George Washington Banghart with his wife Mary and their four daughters and Mary’s brother, Ed G. Beck. George and Ed homesteaded parcels of land contiguous to Postle’s claims.

Here the Banghart family owned and operated a stagecoach station for many years.

David Wesley Shivers, his wife Sarah, and their four daughters left Missouri in the late 1850s for Kansas and then moved on to California. They moved again and eventually arrived in Prescott in 1864. David also recognized the ranching and farming potential of Del Rio and on April 2, 1867, Robert Postle’s partner, Jose Delgado, quitclaimed his tract of land to Shivers.

So now there were eight attractive young ladies living within the vicinity of Postle’s ranch and that successful and eligible bachelor was surely subjected to much competition for his affections.

It was Hannah, David Shivers’ daughter, whom Robert chose for his wife. The Yavapai County Record of Marriages registers that Hannah Shivers, age 15, became the wife of Robert Postle at Prescott on Sept. 10, 1867.

Hannah and Robert had three children: Rosinda Ann (who died in infancy), Robert David, and Alice. Their estate continued to flourish and their influence in the community grew until, on April 9, 1871, at the age of 34, Robert died, leaving 18-year-old Hannah a widow with a 3-year-old son and an infant daughter dependent on her.

Hannah remained on the homestead, no doubt with the assistance of her father, and continued to operate the farm determined to establish a permanent home for her children on the Del Rio land their father had seen as the promise of security. She lived out the requisite period of time there to provide title to the land (as Robert’s widow) in her own name and was issued a patent from the United States. It’s quite possible she is the first woman in Yavapai County to receive a land patent.

In 1875, a four-year veteran of the Civil War sought adventure in the far west and traveled with a group of cavalry en route to Prescott. His name was Samuel Rees. His roving days were over when he met, fell in love with and married Hannah Postle.

Samuel and Hannah remained on the Postle ranch and became the parents of three sons: David, Samuel, and Carl, known as Tod. Hannah’s tenacious devotion to her home continued to reward her and her young soldier-husband and her children with a comfortable living and a tranquil life.

When Robert David Postle was 15, he contracted a severe fever and Hannah nursed him through this life-threatening siege. Hannah’s health had become weak with the strain and anxiety of Robert’s illness, and during his convalescence she succumbed to the same fever, dying in 1885 at the age of 32.

Without Hannah, Samuel did not fare well as a farmer and single parent. Hannah’s sons went to live with friends and relatives. Alice was raised by her mother’s sister.

The Postle/Rees ranch ran into debt and as the result of a mortgage foreclosure in 1886, was acquired by John G. Campbell and his partner, James Baker.

Campbell and Baker had previously purchased in 1868 the tract of land originally held by Postle’s partner, J.M. Brown. In 1877, they bought from Rafael Acuma his patented homestead on which the main source of the Del Rio Springs was located.

Water rights were already becoming a hot issue in the late 1800s and the old school of a gentleman’s agreement to use water based on who was there first was constantly being contended.

The first claim and location notice for the right to Del Rio Springs’ water was made by John Campbell on April 8, 1892, and recorded with the Yavapai County recorder on Feb. 15, 1893, in book two of Mill Sites and Water Rights. The use of the Springs was claimed for all purposes.

By this time, the Baker-Campbell ranch was one of the largest spreads in Central Arizona, extending from Del Rio northeast to the Verde River. Jim Baker and his wife Sarah Ehle Baker lived on the ranch and ran the cattle and horse business of the partnership. The Bakers had no children of their own but when Sarah’s sister, Amy Saunders, died in childbirth, they adopted and raised her daughter, Dolly.

John Campbell, the financing partner, lived in Prescott. When Jim Baker found the business alarmingly in debt, allegedly due to John’s weakness for gambling, Jim filed a lawsuit against Campbell. He prevailed and was awarded a large settlement against Campbell. He also acquired all of Campbell’s property, water rights and interests at a sale in 1896 which specifically included the Del Rio tract.

With the advent of the 20^th century and the coming of the railroads, two major but unrelated events were to occur in Arizona. These would extend the use of natural resources of Del Rio far beyond the boundaries of the original homestead claims.

(Terry Munderloh is a volunteer at the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives).