FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 THE DESERT SHAMROCK
Irish Tales from Arizona Territory
Rough and Tough Lawmen Gila County Sheriff Jerry Ryan
ARIZONA:
Did you know?
PHOTO COURTESY OF AZ HISTORICAL SOCIETY
86. The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in North America. 87. The Arizona Tree Frog is the state’s official amphibian. PHOTO BY RICHARD BON LICENSED BY CREATIV NETT E COMMONS
Along Sonoita Creek in Santa Cruz County, Arizona Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan
BY JANICE RYAN BRYSON
A
rizona Territory had a number of Irish sheriffs who handled their jobs well with overwhelming odds against them. Arizona was a tad wild in those days; our reputation kept us from statehood for a number of years. The job of sheriff in Territorial days wasn’t just taking care of outlaws. He had to obtain qualified bondsmen to support him and select deputies from among a sometimes-inadequate constituency. The sheriff also served as the tax collector for his county. The income for the office was always controversial as most of the elected men did not consider their income adequate while the taxpayers thought the salary was excessive. I have a friend who in her 80’s wore a t-shirt to her family reunion with the notation “Watch Out – I’m Jack O’Neil’s Granddaughter.” While serving as a Graham County Deputy Sheriff, Jack was taking a prisoner to Safford to be hung. Stopping for a rest, he started playing poker; then, had to leave on his journey. Jack returned to his card game within a very short time. He told his fellow poker players that he wanted to continue with the poker game, so he had gone ahead and hung the prisoner himself instead of taking him on to Safford. County Tipperary, Ireland is loaded with the name Ryan. Everyone there will tell you, “All Ryans are rogues, but not all rogues are Ryans.” Sheriff Jerry Ryan didn’t appear to be much of a rogue. However, he did have a strange experience when preparing two Apaches for their plunge to eternity. One of men turned to Jerry as he was putting a cap over his head and shouted, “Boo” much to the amusement of the onlookers. [Photo is from my
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great grandparent’s family album.] When Gila County was established in 1881, Governor Fremont appointed Billy Murphy as the new sheriff. Apparently, he was a bit of a rascal when he had previously served as a deputy in Pinal County. Gila County residents were none too happy with his appointment. Within a few weeks, an election was held, and Billy was out of a job. When his wife’s uncle, Patrick Shanley, ran for sheriff, his ads in the Arizona Silver Belt noted that he would not appoint Billy as a deputy if he was elected. Voters didn’t want to take a chance and Shanley lost the election. Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan’s role in the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone put him in the history books. Behan was not fond of Wyatt Earp, as his lady love Josephine Sadie Marcus left him and was happy to take up with Wyatt. Many Tombstone residents believed that Behan had not done enough to try to stop the gunfight because of his animosity against Wyatt. Although Behan was considered corrupt during his Tombstone years; time evidently made everyone think kindlier of him. When he died in 1912, his eulogy declared, “he held positions of public trust, and in all was active, faithful, and honest.” Janice Ryan Bryson is descended from pioneers who arrived in the Arizona Territory in the 1880s. She is co-founder of the Irish Arizona Project and coauthor of the book Irish Arizona. Janice was named an Arizona Culture Keeper for her research on the Irish in our state and is a recipient of the 2015 Anam Cara Award.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
88. The two largest manmade lakes in the U.S. are Lake Mead and Lake Powell—both located in Arizona. 89. The longest remaining intact section of Route 66 can be found in Arizona and runs from Seligman to Topock, a total of 157 unbroken miles. See Route 66 story page SG10 PHOTO BY GARY M. JOHNSON
HISTORY
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Marshall Trimble, called the “Will Rogers of Arizona,” is the official state historian and author of more than 20 books. His latest is Arizona Oddities: A Land of Anomalies and Tamales. Visiting the troops performing cowboy songs or TV appearances as a noted authority, honors include the ICC’s 2012 Anam Cara award; and in 2014, his appointment by the Governor to the Arizona Historical Society Board of Directors.