PowerPoint Presentation

Copyright 2009-2015 Monty Webb. All rights reserved.

It all started with Uncle Gilbert

Gilbert Webb was a rancher, a store owner, a railroad builder, and a beef contractor to the US Army at various times in his life. He was also the mayor of Pima Arizona.

Gilbert was a distant cousin once removed to my grandfather Frank, but everyone called him Uncle Gilbert.

James Webb Jr. joined the LDS Church in 1835James and his boys ran the Webb Blacksmith shop in Nauvoo, Illinois

Chauncey

Frank

Gilbert

Edward Milo Jr.

Carlyle Farr Webb

Monty Webb

Edward Milo Sr.

James Levi (Lee)

Melva

Painting, "Holding Up the Pay Escort" by Frederic Remington.Was drawn from the accounts of eye witnesses.

Painting, "Holding Up the Pay Escort" by Frederic Remington.Was drawn from the accounts of eye witnesses.

Uncle Gilbert?

It all started with Uncle Gilbert

Gilbert Webb was the prime suspect in the Wham Payroll robbery in Arizona, 1889 . He allegedly made off with over 280 lbs. of gold and silver coins worth almost $1,000,000 today. He was found innocent after a long trial in Tucson. Some called him and his gang the Latter-Day Robin Hoods. because he was always providing beef and jobs to the residents of Pima Arizona. Some say the beef was rustled from the Army just after being sold and distributed to the town to dispose of the evidence. He left Arizona and went to Texas and then to Mexico. The money was never recovered.

Grandpa Frank Webb's trail to the Mormon Colonies

Born 1879

At age 16Goes to El Paso to learn railroading from Gilbert

At age 10

At age 22 visitshis folks Pima O

The Mormon Colonies were many miles north of Chihuahua

Married at 24

In Sierra Madre at 26Working for Gilbert

Now how did Uncle Gilbert convince The Mexican Government to grant him contracts to build railroads in Mexico?

Area near Creel, about 100 miles Southwest of Chihuahua where my Grandpa blasted through the Canyon

A young Francisco Villa on his white horse

"He [Pancho Villa] had legitimate ventures, as well, including that of being a labor contractor on the Copper Canyon railroad"....from the Texas Cowboy Gazette

Pancho Villa was a natural leader and was very successful as a bandit .... He was also involved in more legitimate ventures, including being a contractor on the Copper Canyon railroad....From The California Native Newsletter:

... organized the K.C., Mexico and Orient Railroad Co. An interesting anecdote is that Pancho Villa worked as contractor in this line.Ferromex Chepe Railroad: Railroad History

Supplies had to be brought up to where the work was going on by pack animals. Aunt Melva at 3 or 4 years of age would sometimes get to ride in front of Pancho Villa on his horse as they hauled freight to the railroad camp. He teased her about her accent, but was impressed that the little girl could speak Spanish so well.

Pancho Villa's real name was Doroteo Arango. His duties for the railroad were to replace any workers quitting with fresh men { and their wives and children if any} from Chihuahua, and to haul all the supplies for the railroad camp out to and up the mountains. He had a lot of free time between trips.

Pancho Webb ( All the workers called Grandpa Frank Webb,Pancho Webb) was in charge of both the work crew provided by Doroteo, and also a group of nearby Tarahumara Indians. They did the pick and shovel work, he did the nitroglycerin- later replaced by the nifty invention dynamite.

Melva in front of a tent at the camp up in the Sierra Madre about 1907.

...thunder and lightning all around us in the dark. The wind was wild and whipping.Lightning might have hit one of the mules- it kicked and sent all the trunks flying. That scared Mama's horse and it ran away up the side of the mountain. Mama fell- but her foot caught in the stirrup and she was dragged along...all the men tried to rescue her. Finally the horse got stuck in some rocks and she was safe.

Papa put Mama on his horse and walked the rest of the way. He put me into Villa's lap. Villa was the best horseman. That ride was very uncomfortable... the saddlehorn bumped me in the ribs on one side and on the other side I could feel the bullets Villa had in his bandalero. The handle of his pistol punched my back as we all travelled slowly on....

From The Harps on the Willows by Melvina Webb Herbert

Melva on white horse, Pancho in sombrero, Grandma Edith on left. - Frank Webb took photo

Frank is 26, Pancho is 27

The Copper Canyon Railroad today in the area worked by Frank Webb.

After a few years, Pancho Villa quit working on the railroad and with his gang, joined the revolution. All during the time he worked on the railroad, he would disappear for a few weeks at a time during which various cattle rustling, and mine robbing skills were honed. When he did not return, Grandpa Webb was happy because Pancho Villa used to make all the Mexican crew play poker with him and win all their money on pay day, then Grandma Webb would hear all the sad stories from the wives of the poor men. Grandpa had to speak to Pancho Villa after Grandma heard of this, and shamed him for using his intelligence to take advantage of the poor. Pancho later became a great defender and provider for the poor and only stole from the well off and some called him the modern-day Robin Hood.

Grandma Edith Farr Webb

Grandma Webb was very popular at the camp. She became the de-facto doctor. She had a beginning Spanish text book and was teaching herself how to read and write Spanish. She started a little school for the wives and children of the workers who would never had been able to go to school.

In the evenings, some of the workers including Doroteo, also learned reading and writing Spanish from Grandma Webb. Some years later, Villa kidnapped Lee Webb and was going to kill him because the ransom was not paid, no one ever got the ransom note, but that's another story. At least we know Villa picked up something useful from his time with the Webb's, he could write!

Lee (James Levi) Webb in Chihuahua

Pancho Villa

About the time of Lee's kidnapping

General Pascual Orozco heard of the kidnapping and as he was a friend of Uncle Gilbert's, he and his army took charge of Lee and escorted him to safety. This, and many more problems created by the Revolution convinced Frank Webb to get back to the states. He ran a successful dairy for many years in Tucson and was in the presidency of the Binghampton branch, later Bishop of the Tucson First Ward for many years. He was in the Tucson City Band with Linda Ronstadts Grandfather, and in his last years was back in road building driving a Caterpillar.