Hassayampa River lore steeped in 'beautiful' mythology

leslie payne/special to viewLegends surrounding the Hassayampa River are alive and well, as noted on a visitor center?s sign or in the memories of living descendents of Arizona pioneers.

Sleek and lazy and a little sluggish, Arizona's Hassayampa River stretches from the Bradshaw Mountains to the Gila (pronounced Heela) River. Upon joining he Gila near its big bend, a long, writhing serpent of green among the tawny sands and vermilion buttes of the desert -- the rivers merge and flow to the Colorado, making the Hassayampa part of the network that is inseparably linked with the early pioneers of Arizona history.

These frontiersmen and women were known as Hassayampers, and wherever Arizona is known, the word suggests the strenuous activities of intrepid explorers, prospectors and adventurers.

Also brought to mind are the peculiar properties of the stream itself, which are alleged to cause vivid dreams, alluring visions, mythical illusions and utter disregard for the truth.

There is a poem by an unknown author that reads: "You've heard about the wondrous stream they call the Hassayamp; They say it will turn a truthful guy into a lying scamp. And if you quaff its waters once, it's sure to prove your bane -- You'll ne'er forsake the blasted steam nor tell the truth again."

A trapper from Tennessee, Pauline Weaver was the first white man to visit the Hassayampa, having reached the rippling watercourse in 1832, after a trip to the Casa Grande Ruins. There, he placed his name high up on the crumbling walls and for years lived among the American Indians, learning their language and becoming acquainted with their version of what the word "Hassayampa" signified.

Weaver called the stream "beautiful water," but could not give a literal translation of the word. However, he said the name was of American Indian origin and was first know as "Haviamp" and implied something associated with water, such as running water, swift water or spirit water.

After his many years among the American Indians, who were known as the Apache-Mojaves, Weaver visited Yuma in the spring of 1863 in an effort to effect peace between the Pimas, the Maricopas and the Apache-Mojaves. While there, he led an expedition organized by A.H. Peeples, a follower of the "Pathfinder," and with six others, set out to explore the Hassayampa section near the Bradshaw Mountains. The expedition was independent of the Walker Party, which arrived later. Weaver and his companions located the celebrated Antelope Peak and Rich Hill placer mines in the summer of 1863. These were the richest gold placers ever discovered in Arizona.

All along the famous stream and its tributaries are still to be seen the crude and long-abandoned workings of the early pioneers and occasionally one that is being reworked by modern prospectors who are washing the golden sands of the notorious, but beautiful, Hassayampa.

Legends without number have been created, wherein the tumbling waters are referred to as being shunned by the American Indians of early days due to the accidental killing of an American Indian maiden near its source. After that incident, the waters were considered polluted. But among the Arizona Indians, many streams and sporings were known by suggestive names such as "Talking Waters," "Laughing Waters," "Spirit Waters," and the like, all predicated upon beautiful myths.

Due to the reputed influence of the Hassayampa waters, the legend of the youth who drank copiously and thereafter spoke with a forked tongue, and the reputation given the old-time white prospectors -- who drove the Indians from its beautiful banks, drank the satisfying waters and at once bean to boast and lie -- any name suggesting indifference to the truth would be appropriate.

Several years ago, I attended a meeting of Arizona Pioneer descendants and had the extreme pleasure of speaking with several members who had heard stories of the famed river directly from their grandparents or great-grandparents. These original discoverers had as many versions of the stories, as did the American Indians.

Today, the Hassayampa is part of a wilderness preservation area around Wickenburg, Ariz. The Nature Conservancy has a visitors center that is open for summer hours between May 16 and Sept. 14 from 7 tot 11 a.m. The preserve charges an entry fee of $5 per person.

Take binoculars, for the entire area is filled with interesting places to visit. I particularly enjoyed the Casa Grande Ruins visited by Weaver in 1832. Now a national monument, the ruins were built by the Hohokam Indians more than 600 years ago.

Florine Lawlor is a native Las Vegan and a former writer for the Las Vegas Sun and Senior Press.