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The Padre Canyon incident was a skirmish in November 1899 between a group of Navajo hunters and a posse of Arizona lawmen. Among other things, it was significant in that it nearly started a large-scale Indian war in Coconino County and it led to the expansion of the Navajo Reservation. It was also the final armed conflict during a land dispute between the Navajo and American settlers, as well as one of the bloodiest.〔 〕 ==Background== In the 1880s and 1890s, the Navajo band of Chief B'ugoettin were fighting a minor, undeclared war with local cattlemen for control of what was later known as the Leupp Extension, a large area of rangeland between Flagstaff, the Hopi Reservation, and the Colorado River, which would later become part of the Navajo Reservation. When the trouble began, the Leupp Extension was owned by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, which acquired the land from the federal government through a grant. Like other railroads in the Old West, the Atlantic and Pacific sold unused land to pioneers, but, due to the Navajo presence in the Leupp Extension, pioneers were reluctant to buy land from them.〔〔 Eventually, cattlemen began moving their herds into the area, which only added tension to an already uneasy situation. Initially, the Navajo pleaded to the federal government for their help, but when that failed they retaliated by raiding for livestock. The cattlemen responded in a like manner, but for the most part the violence was minimal. Usually, when the Navajo captured a thief they would beat him up and then send him on his way. As was the case in 1899.〔〔〔 William Henry Montgomery was a nineteen-year-old cowboy employed by William Roden, Jr. According to some accounts, on November 6, Montgomery was caught trying to steal some ponies from a group of Navajo hunters so three of the natives assaulted him in the usual manner. Wanting revenge, Montgomery went to Flagstaff and persuaded the county to have warrants issued for the arrest of the three natives. Other accounts say that the posse was responding to allegations of deer poaching and the theft of horses from William Roden's ranch, but the exact cause for the issuing of the warrants remains uncertain.〔〔〔 To serve the warrants, Deputy Sheriff Dan Hogan formed a posse consisting of himself, William Montgomery, William Roden and Walter Durham, who was another cowboy from the Roden Ranch.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Padre Canyon incident」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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