Draft:John Elden

John Elden
John Elden, born on March 19, 1845 and originally from Bradford, Maine. , was a wounded civil war veteran, early Flagstaff, Arizona pioneer , and Alaska pioneer who settled for a while at the base of Mount Elden, just north of Flagstaff , but never files a homestead claim , and is the individual in which Mount Elden takes its name from. . Elden is also credited with discovering a prehistoric Sinagua Native American Pueblo, according to the citation, renamed Elden Pueblo in 1926, just two miles north of his cabin



Mount Elden homestead site
John Elden settled at the base of what is today Mount Elden north of Flagstaff with his wife in February,1877. They built their log home at what is the today the base of Mt Elden from the abundant Ponderosa pines in the area using only hand tools and horses. The Elden's chose this home-site because a small spring nearby provided water for both domestic use and for their sheep and cattle. The settlement was very successful, with sheep numbering 2000 to 2500 or more. Today this spring is known as Elden Spring. This location is also sheltered from cold north winds and warmed by the winter sun. Their three children, Helena, Eloise Felicia, and John were born at the settlement. The John Eldon home-site sits just off the Pipeline Trail that runs along the side of Mt Elden, and is identified with a historical marker.

Later years
After the death of John Elden's youngest child, John Elden moved on to California, and his unclaimed homestead was sold to the Arizona Territory for $118.68 in a tax lien sale for delinquent 1884 taxes that Elden owed but never paid. In Cloverdale, California, Elden purchased a dairy farm for $5000 despite failing to pay his 1884 taxes, and became a dairyman. When the Klondike Gold Rush peaked in 1898, he departed for the Alaska gold fields, where he spent most of the next 24 years. He returned to San Francisco around 1922, and died there, in Letterman Hospital, on Jan. 18, 1929. Elden is buried in San Francisco’s Presidio Cemetery.

The legend of little John Elden's murder
According to a story by Helena Elden Lindsey, the oldest daughter of John Elden, her six-year-old brother John is buried in a grave near the settlement. According to legend, one day in 1887, a teamster named Bob Roberts attempted to water his head of mules at the nearby spring. Mrs. Elden confronted Roberts and insisted he water his stock elsewhere. Roberts was infuriated as he left ans fired a random shot, which struck and killed little John Elden. A citizens' posse was formed to track down and catch Roberts, who led them on a long hard chase, eventually leading to the discovery of Robert's body was found in a wash. It has never been determined who killed Roberts. John Elden's then left Flagstaff and moved his family to California. A wooden cross and picket fence originally marked the little John Elden grave, but has since been enclosed with stones and a cross made of pipe. The little John Elden grave is located adjacent to the John Elden home-site and is marked with a historical marker. The grave-site is located at 35.2273577!4, -111.6021812!16 { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ {     "type": "Feature", "properties": {}, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ -111.602196, 35.227361 ] }   }  ] } Although the story of the little Jon Elden murder is well documented at the historical grave site and in historical literature, no obituary records of either little John Elden or Bob Roberts were ever found. No deaths were recorded in the mid 1880's at the Coconino County courthouse that matched the circumstances of little John Elden or Bob Robert's deaths, and the Coconino Sun did not document the murder. Some believe the story to be pure fiction.

Portrait of John Eldon in his American Civil War uniform Here:

Portrait of John Elden shown in March 1927 after his return to California from Alaska Here

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