By Edward and Diane Stasack 

Liar or Legend? No one has said that Captain William F. Drannan (1832-1913), Chief of Scouts, was a fictional character, just that he was a liar. So suggests Harvey L. Carter, author of one of the most authoritative books on Kit Carson. In his book Dear Old Kit, Carter asserts, "what was narrated as fact by [this man] was actually a tissue of lies."

Maybe not. A message engraved on stone, KILLED INDIANS HERE 1849 WILLIE DRANNAN, recently found east of Prescott amidst some ancient petroglyphs, may belie the claim that Drannan was a total fraud. It seems to push back the date of the appearance of the earliest Anglo visitors, other than the Spanish, in Yavapai County. The exact location is being withheld until the site is scientifically recorded. 

Who was Willie Drannan? According to Drannan himself, he became a companion to Kit Carson in 1847 when Carson befriended the youngster, traveled with the famous explorer Colonel John C. Fremont and, in time, became an accomplished scout. According to Carter and other historians he was a self-serving opportunistic scoundrel who invented his associations with Carson and Fremont, never was where he said he was, and never did what he said he did. Much of the criticism is based on inconsistent events and dates. The rock inscription suggests otherwise. 

Fremont states he was with Carson in Taos in 1849, the same year his forth expedition reached the Gila River. Was Willie with any of these men? There is no independent documentation that Drannan was with either except for his own word, but the Fremont roster is incomplete. No matter what his critics say, Willie's epitaph to "KILLED INDIANS" lies on a flat rock an easy ride from the route to the Gila River. It is unimaginable that anyone would fake this message from an obscure person in a totally remote gulch where it might never be seen. 

At worst, it seems that Drannan may be guilty of mixing fact and fiction in his books, Thirty-one Years on the Plains and in the Mountains and Capt. William F. Drannan, Chief of Scouts. At best, he may be a chronicler who, in the tradition of recent 'historical' novels, attempted to add color to the gray of his reconstructed memories. The books were published late in his life, in 1899 and 1910, a time when recollections of exact details fade. 

Either way, the inscription transcends the man, and it demonstrates the historical and cultural value of all rock art (i.e. petroglyphs, pictographs and geoglyphs). Willie Drannan's words embody his values and the values of his culture at the time the message was cut in stone. So, too, do the prehistoric petroglyphs embody the values of the petroglyph maker and his/her culture at the time these images were created. 

Of the two epochs, Drannan's message is easier to decode because we understand his words, and it is associated with a period of history which is fairly well documented. The Indian rock art, which is itself a form of history, is just beginning to release to researchers the information it contains. 

What do Willie's words reveal about his culture and his values in the time period, 1849? Apparently, he had a personal motive and an expectation of cultural approval for killing Indians. His mind set led him to write in stone of his pride and triumph as a seventeen-year-old who "KILLED INDIANS HERE." He may well have endured the ridicule of experienced hunters and scouts, or needed the approval of someone like Kit Carson. Carson was notorious as an Indian killer, albeit he claimed he killed only when attacked or in anticipation of attack. 1849 was the time of the gold rush, pioneering, and a time in which Whites killed Indians and Indians killed Whites. 

An important aspect to this scenario is often overlooked; the others' point of view. In a recent meeting with an Elder from an Arizona Indian Tribe, the authors presented a replica of the Willie Drannan inscription. The Elder asked, "What do you make of this?" We said it was a record of a chilling event, yet, a part of history. 

He replied, "Well, I call it murder." 

Drannan's brief inscription (only three words, a date, and his name) commemorates an event in the life of a very young scout. Nevertheless, it contains a wealth of information...but no more than does the ancient Indian rock art in Arizona. 

Unfortunately, many rock art sites are being lost to us through natural erosion, vandalism, and the disregard of some developers. These vandals, and some custodians of public lands, invariably view the presence of petroglyphs as a problem, rather than as an opportunity for the preservation of this historical legacy. 

The sites themselves cannot always be preserved, but they can be scientifically recorded and documented, which is a form of preservation. Prehistoric rock art is a priceless archive and library of information about ancient Indian culture, religion, and history. However, so is the later historic rock art created by Native Americans, explorers, pioneers, and others. 

Only public support and awareness of their value can save these icons for future generations to study and enjoy. 

(Edward A. Stasack is Emeritus Professor, University of Hawaii Manoa and Diane S. Stasack has a Ph.D. in epidemiology. They live in Prescott.) 


Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(inscription drawing by author) Reuse only by permission.
Besides potentially being the oldest non-Spanish White inscription in the area, the above proclamation demonstrates a culture and value system from pre-territorial Arizona. At age 17, Drannan, flushed with the youthful triumph of a Biblical David, chipped the above message in granite. The weathered appearance of the inscription is consistent with one hundred forty-eight years of exposure to the elements, and contributes to its authenticity.