Descendants of Edwin L. Mansfield claim that he was only White River Indian Agency employee to escape with his life. That statement was not entirely correct as we shall see later. All during the summer of 1879, Agent Meeker had urged military intervention to enforce his ideals of a Ute society sustained only by farming on the White River. He had sent letters to Governor Pitkin, post commanders, General Pope, Indian Affairs Commissioner, Front Range newspapers, anyone who might listen. Although Meeker found sympathetic ears, none would go as far as risking a military conflict. That changed on Sept. 10, 1879, when Meeker reported that he had been physically attacked and shots fired at his plowman. Meeker pleaded his case saying that he feared for his life, his employees, and their families.
I want to take a moment and try to understand Nathan Meeker’s mindset. If he truly felt threatened, why didn’t he just pack up his family and leave? He knew already he was not winning any popularity contests among the Utes. In fact, the Utes had sent their own letters asking that Meeker be replaced as Agent. One could accuse Meeker of exaggerating the threat to get what he always wanted, military backing for his authority as Agent. I am sure that Meeker believed that in the presence of soldiers, the Ute would back down and do things his way. They would be forced to give up their ponies, their hunting, and become “civilized.”
Meeker sent out two letters. The first one was carried by John W. Steele, the contractor of the mail route between Rawlins and the White River Agency. It was then telegraphed to Indian Affairs Commissioner Hayt, who forwarded it up the military chain of command in Washington and orders came back down the chain to Wyoming and Colorado.
The second letter from Agent Meeker was carried to Captain Dodge who had been around Steamboat Springs since August. Dodge and his troop of Buffalo Soldiers were tasked with keeping the peace between settlers and roaming Ute in the North Park area. The second letter was carried by Edwin Lyman Mansfield who was employed at the agency as a herder. Mansfield caught up to Captain Dodge at Peck’s somewhere between Peck’s crossing and Steamboat. Dodge had already been alerted and ordered to the Agency to assist with the arrest of Indians under the authority of Meeker. I am very fuzzy on the timeline. Why had Thornburg’s force reached the road to White River Agency before Captain Dodge? Was there a time delay as Dodge’s Buffalo Soldiers turned back East to pick up supplies. He was out of rations and probably didn’t know about the quartermaster train at Fortification Creek to the Northwest. Whatever the delay, Dodge’s calvary raced to the rescue upon receiving news of the Milk Creek engagement from the messenger John Gordon. Mansfield, Edgar E. Clark [ex Agency employee], two scouts*, and Gordon “an old freighter,” accompanied Dodge as far as Fortification Creek. John Gordon continued to guide the troops back to Milk Creek. John survived the battle, twice, and lived to return to Rawlins. I was unable to track what happened to him later in life. Edwin L. Mansfield went back to Greeley and sold books and stationery at his brother LeRoy’s store. Edwin Lyman Mansfield married in 1882 and later moved with his family to San Jose, California, where he died in 1928. Edgar E. Clark returned to his family in Greeley and was buried there in 1898.
*According to the book “Red Twilight” by Val Fitzpatrick, the scouts were two soldiers, Ed Murphy and George Moquin, who volunteered along with Joe Rankin and John Gordon slipped out at night to summon relief forces. George Moquin earned a Medal of Honor for his actions.
By ED PECK