The canal, which became known as "Swilling's Ditch," was successful. In 1884, the Joint Head Dam was built in the location where Jack Swilling began to build his ditch and where the Salt River is located.Swilling-Schu8macher The Swillings claimed 160 aces in what currently is 32nd Street and Van Buren in Phoenix. There they established a farm which included an orchard and a vineyard and the Swillings became economically prosperous.
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Mr. Swilling continued prospecting in the Bradshaw Mountains. The family moved to Gillett where they owned various businesses. Among the businesses that the Swillings had an active interest in was the "Gillett Real Estate" where they sold lots ranging from $100 to $250 depending on the location, a cattle and horse ranch and a vegetable farm in partnership with L.A. Stephens. The Swillings later moved to Black Canyon City where they built a stone house and established a farm.
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Jack Swilling, the founder of Phoenix, and his wife Trinidad Swilling had various business interests in Gillett. The Swillings owned the "Gillett Real Estate" where they sold lots ranging from $100 to $250 depending on the location, a cattle and horse ranch and a vegetable farm in partnership with L.A. Stephens.Gillett, Arizona In the spring of 1878, word reached the Swillings that Colonel Jacob Snively, a family friend, had been killed by the Apaches in the Wickenburg Mountains near the peak called White Picacho. Mrs. Swilling suggested that Mr. Swilling and two companions, which included Andrew Kirby and George Monroe, founder of Castle Hot Springs, go on a trip to recover and rebury the remains of their old friend.
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John William (Jack) Swilling & Trinidad Escalante Swilling - TIME LINE In 1867, the Swillings moved once more, this time to the Salt River Valley where Black Canyon City is currently located. Mr. Swilling built a small "Rock House" which Mrs. Swilling described as her "1st House". According to an oral history account made by Mrs.
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Swilling, her husband was released from the federal prison because of his health. He was released to the Hodges family, friends of the Swillings, and died in their home. The Hodges family owned two lots in the Yuma Cemetery behind the old Catholic Church, and Swilling was buried in one of them. A headstone now marks what was once an unmarked grave.
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He organized a party which built an irrigation ditch from the Aqua Fria River to their property. This provided the water he needed to raise cattle. Their house became a popular stagecoach stop and resting place for those who traveled from Prescott to Phoenix. In the spring of 1878, word reached the Swillings that Colonel Jacob Snively, a family friend, had been killed by the Apaches in the Wickenburg Mountains near the peak called White Picacho. Mrs.
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According to the written documents provided by Swillings' wife, Trinidad Swilling, her husband was released to their friends, the Hodges family, who resided in Yuma. She also stated that Swilling died in the Hodges family house. The Hodges family owned two lots in the Yuma Pioneer Cemetery behind the old Catholic Church, and Swilling was buried in one of lots before his family could be notified. A headstone once marked his grave, however for some unknown reason the headstone is no longer there.
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Grave of Trinidad Swilling Schumaker After Mr. Swilling died, Mrs. Swilling returned to Gillett for a few months and subsequently sold her holdings in that town and moved to Phoenix in 1879. She was in a bad financial situation after Mr. Swillings' death and was destitute when she arrived in Phoenix. She found work as a seamstress to support her children. She met Henry Schumaker, a German immigrant and on September 28, 1887, she married him (she was then referred to as Mrs. Schumaker).
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Deputy U.S. Marshal Joseph W. Evans brought warrants for the two men to Prescott, where they were turned over to him, and Evans escorted them to the federal jail in Yuma. The sanitary conditions inside the prison at Yuma were very poor and, combined with the August heat plus the fact of his usage of a combination of narcotics and liquor to relieve the pain caused by old injuries ruined Jack Swilling's health further and eventually led to his death. He was released to the Hodges family, friends of the Swillings, and died in their home. The real culprits of the massacre were caught proving his innocence too late.
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It was a time when there were few White women on the southwestern frontier. It was not unusual for White men to marry Mexican or Native American women for companionship. During the course of their marriage the couple had seven children: Georgia, 1865; Matilda, 1867; Leila (Lilly), 1871; Elizabeth, 1873; Berry, 1874; Matilda Adeline, 1876; and John William Jr., 1878. The Swillings moved to Yavapai County and established a farm at Walnut Grove where he had a claim on Weaver's Mountains. They lived there for a year and then moved to the town of Wickenburg where they established a farm close to the Hassayampa River which was next to Henry Wickenburg’s place. Mrs.
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