Bluff War
Encyclopedia
The Bluff War, also known as Posey War of 1915, or the Polk and Posse War, was one of the last armed conflicts between the United States
and native Americans
. It began in March of 1914 and was the result of an incident between a Utah
shepherd
and Tse-ne-gat, the son of the Paiute Chief
Polk
. It was notable for involving Chief Posey
and his band of renegade
s who helped Polk fight a small guerrilla war against local Mormon
settlers and Navajo
policemen. The conflict centered around the town of Bluff
, Utah and ended in March of 1915 when Polk and Posey surrendered to the United States Army
.
but rather they lived near Bluff, around Allen and Montezuma Canyons. Ultimately Posey's struggle to keep Westward expansion away failed in 1905 when the town of Blanding
, then known as Grayson, was founded in the center of the Ute's last prominent hunting grounds. For the next ten years sporadic fighting occurred until March of 1914 when Tse-ne-gat, the son of Chief Polk, allegedly robbed and murdered an ethnic Mexican
shepherd named Juan Chacon on the Ute Mountain Reservation
in Colorado
. Chacon had camped with a group of Utes and Paiutes from Polk's band, among them Tse-ne-gat, also known as Everett Hatch. A few days later Chacon was found dead and witnesses claimed that Tse-ne-gat was responsible. Chief Polk defended his son's actions so when Navajo policemen attempted to arrest Tse-ne-gat, Polk drove them off with rifle fire. For the next six months, newspaper
s around the United States circulated reports of the incident. By that time Polk had taken his band, about eighty-five people, to the Navajo Mountain
area. Chief Posey and his warrior
s joined them, setting the stage for a battle. Local newspapers said that "Hatch [Tse-ne-gat] has a notorious reputation as a bad man" and that his group was "terrorizing" the settlers in the Bluff area, they also said that Tsa-na-gat was "strongly entrenched with fifty braves who will stand by him to the last man."
Aquila Nebeker organized a posse of twenty-six "cowboys" and three sheriff
s from Montezuma County
, Colorado to make arrests. The posse left Bluff and headed towards Navajo Mountain. Just after dawn, on the morning of February 25, 1915, Marshal Nebeker and the posse came across Chief Polk and fifty of his men encamped in Cottonwood Gulch. The weather was very cold and snow covered the ground. One of the natives in camp spotted the approaching possemen so he alarmed the others with "woops of warning" before opening fire with a rifle. Other accounts say that the posse achieved a surprise attack and began firing into the camp without warning. Either way, the posse implemented a type of "Indian strategy of the kind that one is accustomed to read in the histories of early life in the West" Chief Posey and his band were camped not far from the area, along the San Juan River, and when they heard the sound of the gunfire, Posey led his warriors to Polk's rescue. Posey's men, numbering about forty, maneuvered to the rear of the posse's position and then he gave the order to engage. Shortly thereafter Marshal Nebeker realized that he needed help so he sent a message back to Bluff requesting reinforcements. Over the next several hours, about fifty volunteers from Bluff, Blanding, Cortez
and Monticello
arrived in the battle area. The fight continued all night until the next day when a truce was called. During the fighting, five of the possemen got separated from the rest and had to hold off the attacking natives from the top of a rocky hill. At least one American was killed, Posseman http://www.odmp.org/officer/19859-posse-member-joseph-c-akin Joseph C. Akin of Colorado, and several others were wounded , though some accounts say two possemen died.
One native, known only as "Jacks Brother" was killed and two others received wounds. A second native women was also killed when she "ran into the line of battle." Two of the natives, named Howen and Jack, were captured by the posse and later described by The Day as being "choice warriors." When the truce was called, Nebeker retreated to Bluff while Chief Polk and Posey led their bands further into the desert. It was believed that after defeating the posse, the two renegade bands would besiege Bluff but this would never happen. According to newspapers, there were enough men in Bluff to defend the town but not enough to pursue the natives if and when they chose to escape. Sometime later, a force of about fifty Navajo policemen, from the Navajo Reservation, caught up with the hostiles but were repulsed in the following skirmish. After that the handling of the situation was turned over to Brigadier General
Hugh L. Scott
.
to Bluff, in order to negotiate an end to the war. Scott was genuinely uninterested in fighting the hostile Utes and Paiutes so on March 10, 1915 he left Bluff, unarmed, with just a few of his men to meet Polk and Posey at a place called Mexican Hat, near Navajo Mountain. General Scott described the journey; "We reached Bluff on March 10 and learned that the Indians had gone to the Navajo Mountains, 125 miles southwest of Bluff. We stayed a day in Bluff and then went on to Mexican Hat. Some friendly Navajos met me at Mexican Hat and went ahead of me to tell Poke's [Chief Polk] band of my coming. Among them was Bzoshe, the old Navajo chief with whom the government had so much trouble with a year ago and who is now our fast friend. I had sent for him to meet me at Bluff. Mr. Jenkins, Indian agent at Navajo Springs, Mr. Creel, Colonel Michie, and orderly accompanied me to Mexican Hat. None of us had a gun. Jim Boy, a friendly Paiute, was sent out to tell the Paiutes that I wanted to see them. Some of them came near where I was camped but it wasn't until the third day that anyone dared to come to the camp. Posey and four other Indians then came in. We talked a little through a Navajo interpreter. It was in the evening, and I just asked them how they were. I told them I did not feel very well and did not want to talk to them until the next day. They helped us kill a beef and we gave them a good meal, the first they had in weeks. We also gave them some blankets. Posey and his men didn't have any weapons, but I have reason to suspect that they had hidden them nearby. The next day Poke and Hatch [Tse-ne-gat] and about 25 others came to see me. I asked them to tell me their troubles. I said that I didn't think they would like to have their children chased by soldiers and cowboys all over the mountains and killed and that I wanted to help them. I didn't try to push the matter with them but asked them what they wanted to do. After they had talked among themselves, they said they would do anything I wanted them to do."
Polk and Posey agreed to surrender Tse-ne-gat so the three of them, as well as Posey's son Jess, were put into army custody to await trial. The four men were jailed in Salt Lake City but Polk, Posey and Jess were released soon after. Tse-ne-gat was not allowed to go though and he was sent to Denver
to face charges for the murder of Juan Chacon in 1914. In Denver the trial concluded that Tse-ne-gat would be freed, mainly because there was no evidence against him and partly because of a protest by the Indian Rights Association
and a pair of Mormons in Bluff, who said the boy was innocent. Tse-ne-gat was said to have been extremely happy after the verdict and he spent the remainder of his time in Denver staying at the finest hotels and dining at quality restaurants. The court's descision was of little consolation to Polk's and Posey's bands, between the beginning and end of the war, about 160 natives were captured and sent to live on the Ute Mountain Reservation, it wasn't until about 1920 that the natives began resettling in Allen and Montezuma Canyons.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. It began in March of 1914 and was the result of an incident between a Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
and Tse-ne-gat, the son of the Paiute Chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
Polk
Polk
- People :*Polk, Paiute chief*Albert Fawcett Polk , American lawyer and United States representative from Delaware*Aysia Polk , American actress*Carlos Polk , American football player*Charles Polk, Jr...
. It was notable for involving Chief Posey
Posey
A posey can be a small flower bouquet.As a surname it is of French and English origins, originating and or derived from the Greek word Desposyni.People whose surname is or was Posey include:*Posey - Paiute chief, lived 1860s to 1923...
and his band of renegade
Renegade
- Games :*Command & Conquer: Renegade, a 2002 first-person shooter video game*Renegade , a 1986 video game*Renegade Legion, a 1990 board game series including the video game Renegade: the Battle for Jacob's Star...
s who helped Polk fight a small guerrilla war against local Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
settlers and Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
policemen. The conflict centered around the town of Bluff
Bluff, Utah
Bluff is a census-designated place in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 320 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bluff is located at , in the scenic and very sparsely populated southeastern Utah canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau.According to the United States Census Bureau, the...
, Utah and ended in March of 1915 when Polk and Posey surrendered to the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Ute Mountain Incident
Chief Posey played a prominent role in the war as it was primarily his band who took up arms. Between 1881 and 1923 Posey led his braves in several skirmishes against the Navajo and the American settlers. His band, which included about 100 people, both Ute and Paiute, was feared and well known. Unlike most native American tribes, Polk's and Posey's followers did not reside on a reservationIndian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
but rather they lived near Bluff, around Allen and Montezuma Canyons. Ultimately Posey's struggle to keep Westward expansion away failed in 1905 when the town of Blanding
Blanding, Utah
Blanding is a city in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,162 at the 2000 census, making it the most populated city in San Juan County. It was settled in the late 19th century by Mormon settlers, predominantly from the famed Hole-In-The-Rock expedition...
, then known as Grayson, was founded in the center of the Ute's last prominent hunting grounds. For the next ten years sporadic fighting occurred until March of 1914 when Tse-ne-gat, the son of Chief Polk, allegedly robbed and murdered an ethnic Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
shepherd named Juan Chacon on the Ute Mountain Reservation
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of three federally recognized tribes of the Ute Nation, and are mostly descendants of the historic Weeminuche Band who moved to the Southern Ute reservation in 1897...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Chacon had camped with a group of Utes and Paiutes from Polk's band, among them Tse-ne-gat, also known as Everett Hatch. A few days later Chacon was found dead and witnesses claimed that Tse-ne-gat was responsible. Chief Polk defended his son's actions so when Navajo policemen attempted to arrest Tse-ne-gat, Polk drove them off with rifle fire. For the next six months, newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s around the United States circulated reports of the incident. By that time Polk had taken his band, about eighty-five people, to the Navajo Mountain
Navajo Mountain
Navajo Mountain is a peak in San Juan County, Utah, with its southern flank extending into Coconino County, Arizona. It holds an important place in the traditions of three local Native American tribes.-Geologic history:...
area. Chief Posey and his warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s joined them, setting the stage for a battle. Local newspapers said that "Hatch [Tse-ne-gat] has a notorious reputation as a bad man" and that his group was "terrorizing" the settlers in the Bluff area, they also said that Tsa-na-gat was "strongly entrenched with fifty braves who will stand by him to the last man."
Battle of Cottonwood Gulch
Ten months after the murder of Chacon, Tsa-na-gat still had not surrendered so MarshalUnited States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
Aquila Nebeker organized a posse of twenty-six "cowboys" and three sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
s from Montezuma County
Montezuma County, Colorado
Montezuma County is the southwesternmost of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,830 at U.S. Census 2000...
, Colorado to make arrests. The posse left Bluff and headed towards Navajo Mountain. Just after dawn, on the morning of February 25, 1915, Marshal Nebeker and the posse came across Chief Polk and fifty of his men encamped in Cottonwood Gulch. The weather was very cold and snow covered the ground. One of the natives in camp spotted the approaching possemen so he alarmed the others with "woops of warning" before opening fire with a rifle. Other accounts say that the posse achieved a surprise attack and began firing into the camp without warning. Either way, the posse implemented a type of "Indian strategy of the kind that one is accustomed to read in the histories of early life in the West" Chief Posey and his band were camped not far from the area, along the San Juan River, and when they heard the sound of the gunfire, Posey led his warriors to Polk's rescue. Posey's men, numbering about forty, maneuvered to the rear of the posse's position and then he gave the order to engage. Shortly thereafter Marshal Nebeker realized that he needed help so he sent a message back to Bluff requesting reinforcements. Over the next several hours, about fifty volunteers from Bluff, Blanding, Cortez
Cortez, Colorado
The city of Cortez is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 8,482 at the 2010 census...
and Monticello
Monticello, Utah
Monticello is a city located in San Juan County, Utah, and is the county seat. It is the second most populous city in San Juan County, with a population of 1,958 at the 2000 census. The Monticello area was settled in July 1887 by pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
arrived in the battle area. The fight continued all night until the next day when a truce was called. During the fighting, five of the possemen got separated from the rest and had to hold off the attacking natives from the top of a rocky hill. At least one American was killed, Posseman http://www.odmp.org/officer/19859-posse-member-joseph-c-akin Joseph C. Akin of Colorado, and several others were wounded , though some accounts say two possemen died.
One native, known only as "Jacks Brother" was killed and two others received wounds. A second native women was also killed when she "ran into the line of battle." Two of the natives, named Howen and Jack, were captured by the posse and later described by The Day as being "choice warriors." When the truce was called, Nebeker retreated to Bluff while Chief Polk and Posey led their bands further into the desert. It was believed that after defeating the posse, the two renegade bands would besiege Bluff but this would never happen. According to newspapers, there were enough men in Bluff to defend the town but not enough to pursue the natives if and when they chose to escape. Sometime later, a force of about fifty Navajo policemen, from the Navajo Reservation, caught up with the hostiles but were repulsed in the following skirmish. After that the handling of the situation was turned over to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Hugh L. Scott
Hugh L. Scott
Hugh Lenox Scott was a post-Civil War West Point graduate who served as superintendent of West Point from 1906 to 1910, and Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1914 to 1917, including the first few months of American involvement in World War I.-Biography:Born September 22, 1853 in...
.
Surrender at Mexican Hat
Upon receiving orders, General Scott traveled all the way from his post in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to Bluff, in order to negotiate an end to the war. Scott was genuinely uninterested in fighting the hostile Utes and Paiutes so on March 10, 1915 he left Bluff, unarmed, with just a few of his men to meet Polk and Posey at a place called Mexican Hat, near Navajo Mountain. General Scott described the journey; "We reached Bluff on March 10 and learned that the Indians had gone to the Navajo Mountains, 125 miles southwest of Bluff. We stayed a day in Bluff and then went on to Mexican Hat. Some friendly Navajos met me at Mexican Hat and went ahead of me to tell Poke's [Chief Polk] band of my coming. Among them was Bzoshe, the old Navajo chief with whom the government had so much trouble with a year ago and who is now our fast friend. I had sent for him to meet me at Bluff. Mr. Jenkins, Indian agent at Navajo Springs, Mr. Creel, Colonel Michie, and orderly accompanied me to Mexican Hat. None of us had a gun. Jim Boy, a friendly Paiute, was sent out to tell the Paiutes that I wanted to see them. Some of them came near where I was camped but it wasn't until the third day that anyone dared to come to the camp. Posey and four other Indians then came in. We talked a little through a Navajo interpreter. It was in the evening, and I just asked them how they were. I told them I did not feel very well and did not want to talk to them until the next day. They helped us kill a beef and we gave them a good meal, the first they had in weeks. We also gave them some blankets. Posey and his men didn't have any weapons, but I have reason to suspect that they had hidden them nearby. The next day Poke and Hatch [Tse-ne-gat] and about 25 others came to see me. I asked them to tell me their troubles. I said that I didn't think they would like to have their children chased by soldiers and cowboys all over the mountains and killed and that I wanted to help them. I didn't try to push the matter with them but asked them what they wanted to do. After they had talked among themselves, they said they would do anything I wanted them to do."
Polk and Posey agreed to surrender Tse-ne-gat so the three of them, as well as Posey's son Jess, were put into army custody to await trial. The four men were jailed in Salt Lake City but Polk, Posey and Jess were released soon after. Tse-ne-gat was not allowed to go though and he was sent to Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
to face charges for the murder of Juan Chacon in 1914. In Denver the trial concluded that Tse-ne-gat would be freed, mainly because there was no evidence against him and partly because of a protest by the Indian Rights Association
Indian Rights Association
The Indian Rights Association was an American social activist group dedicated to the well being and acculturation of Native Americans...
and a pair of Mormons in Bluff, who said the boy was innocent. Tse-ne-gat was said to have been extremely happy after the verdict and he spent the remainder of his time in Denver staying at the finest hotels and dining at quality restaurants. The court's descision was of little consolation to Polk's and Posey's bands, between the beginning and end of the war, about 160 natives were captured and sent to live on the Ute Mountain Reservation, it wasn't until about 1920 that the natives began resettling in Allen and Montezuma Canyons.