Specifically from Yuma? Reason I ask is that I heard the tragic, yet touching, story of how the city acquired its name.
It was during the wild and wooly days of the Old West, the days of Tombstone and Wyatt Earp, when Arizona was a rough and tumble territory and badmen roamed the streets. One small town had only a single sheriff, no deputy, and the town lived in fear that one of these lawless bandits would arrive and destroy their lives.
One name that struck fear into people more than most any other, more than Jesse James or even Billy the Kid, was John Wesley Hardin. He was a vicious killer with no mercy whatsoever, who would kill as soon breathe, and whose name and likeness were on wanted posters all over the west and, of course, in this small Arizona town. News came of Hardin's crimes from many places, and when the word arrived that he had been spotted in Arizona the town shuddered.
One day, a stranger was seen in town and the word was passed to the sheriff. He nervously went to confront the stranger, deathly afraid that it was Hardin. He pulled down on the stranger from behind and shouted for him to turn slowly but when the stranger turned too quickly, the sheriff opened fire and the stranger collapsed in a pool of blood.
You're already way ahead of me. Tragically, the stranger was not John Wesley Hardin but simply an innocent traveler looking for a new life. He was immediately taken to the doctor, who could not save him. The stranger died in the presence of the sheriff, who was disconsolant over what he had done.
As a feeble but heartfelt attempt to make up for what had happened, the townspeople chose to rename the town for the final words the stranger had said to the sheriff.
"Youuu... muhhhhh...."
Posted by Ken S at May 2, 2006 08:03 PM | TrackBack (0) |No, "Darth" is your father. "Daarrrtthhh"
Posted by: Mr. Bingley, Xenu's Rootin' Tootin' Varmit at May 3, 2006 05:54 AMHell+Handbasket=Ken
Posted by: Brian B, Church of Xenu Potluck Coordinator at May 3, 2006 06:06 AMBrian, I guess you missed this one. It's been well known for some time.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 3, 2006 06:15 AMWhat happened to the shaggy dog?
Johnny Yuma, now he's a rebel, by the way.
Posted by: Angie Schultz at May 3, 2006 08:07 AMHe ended up here.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 3, 2006 08:12 AMJohnny Yuma was played by Tommy Kirk?? Dang, did he age quickly!
Posted by: JFH at May 3, 2006 08:17 AMI can vouch for Yuma once being a great place for being drunk Marines, but choose to live there? I think not. Especially since they closed my favorite dives down. (We saw Sylvester Stallone playing pinball at Don's ~ it was an oddly deflating experience ~ he's very short and wears very tall heels...)
And it's no mistake they put the Territorial Prison there, for the same reason they stuck Marines there a hundred years later...once you get to the edge of town, that's all there is.
Posted by: tree hugging sister at May 4, 2006 08:05 PMGood story...
My father was born in Yuma (1919), and my great-grandfather is in the old cemetery there.
Posted by: David Hardy at May 7, 2006 05:16 PM