The Pleasant Valley War was Arizona’s version of the Hatfields and McCoys. Most of it took place near a sleepy little community near Payson, but it ended with a murder in Tempe, and a trial in Phoenix that played out like a Hollywood movie. The feud began in Pleasant Valley, known today as Young.
Who started the Pleasant Valley War?
One of the Old West’s most notorious feuds occurred in a remote area in Arizona called Pleasant Valley. Roots of the feud began in 1879, when a widower named James Dunning Tewksbury and his sons Ed, Frank, Jim, and John arrived from California and settled in the beautiful valley.
What was the cause of the Pleasant Valley War?
Pleasant Valley War | |
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Date | 1882–1892 |
Location | Tonto Basin, Arizona Territory, United States |
Caused by | Family feud and introduction of sheep into the valley |
When was the Pleasant Valley War?
The Pleasant Valley War, sometimes called the Tonto Basin Feud, or Tonto Basin War, or Tewksbury-Graham Feud, was a range war fought in Pleasant Valley, Arizona in the years 1882-1892.