Page 21 - Enclave Communities 8-5-2022

River Bend Ranch at St David Springs

Curtis – The Curtis Dam, built sometime between 1880 and 1883 by brothers Joseph N. and Sam
Curtis, was the first concrete dam to be built on the San Pedro River. What was thought to be odd-

looking rocks on the land, were dinosaur tusk tips attached to a 14-foot mastodon.
Patten – David Wyman Patten was an early leader in the Latter-Day Saint movement, and according to
tradition, St. David was originally named Patten. An original member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the town eventually being renamed St.
David.
Holliday – “Doc Holliday”, a close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp. At age 21, Holliday
earned a degree in dentistry from Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. However, he was soon after
diagnosed with tuberculosis, the disease that killed his mother. Hoping the climate in Arizona would
ease his symptoms, he moved west to become gambler, a reputable profession in Arizona in that day
and that is how the story began….

Reunion – US Army Captain James Allen worked with Brigham Young to recruit 500 volunteers for the
Mormon Battalion that would eventually pass through the San Pedro River valley, resulting in St. David
being established.

Tiffany – The area of Gleeson, Arizona was initially settled as a mining camp called Turquois after the
mineral which had been mined by Native Americans in the area. Tiffany & Company of New York
operated a turquoise mine here for a few years

Battalion – The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in US military history in federal service
and was recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation.
After following the San Pedro River north for about 50 miles, the Mormon Battalion camped on the
evening of Dec. 13, 1846. That site subsequently became the settlement of St. David, Arizona.

Wyatt – Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American law enforcement officer and businessman who
worked in several places in the American West, including Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in
the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cochise County
Cowboys.

San Pedro – The San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating south of the international
border. In the 1890s there was an earthquake south of the border that changed the flow of the river. It
is the last major, undammed desert river in the American Southwest. In Arizona it is unusual to find a
greenbelt as lush as you see along the San Pedro River.

Cottonwood – Native to the southwestern US, Cottonwood trees are massive shade trees that do
essential work anchoring riverbanks, stabilizing soil and filtering much of the West's water. The San
Pedro River's cottonwood-shaded corridor provides critical stopover habitat for millions of migrating
birds each year.
Enclave – An enclave is a portion of territory within or surrounded by a larger territory whose
inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct. St. David Springs is an Enclave and was once an
ancient lakebed. During that time alluvial and clay deposits at the bottom of the lake gave St. David the
artesian springs that add to the vitality of the area.

Livery – Livery in the Old West was essentially a parking garage or hotel for horses and sometimes
other animals. Today a Livery is a barn for horses and animals and a storage for farming equipment
and RVs.