JEREMIAH SULLIVAN
History of Arizona, 1896

Jeremiah W. Sullivan is not only a prominent stock man of 
this section but was also a successful contractor and 
builder for many years, and was also engaged in various 
other enterprises. He was born in Canada, Northumberland, 
County, November 28, 1843, and is of Irish origin, his 
father, Timothy Sullivan, being a native of that country.  
The elder Sullivan first settled in Ashtabula County, Ohio 
but being an expert carpenter and contractor was engaged in 
bridge building, lumbering and saw milling in Canada for 
some time.  

After reaching mature years our subject came to the United 
States in the employ of Robertson and Worthington, railroad 
contractors, who were building the Ashtabula and Jamestown 
Railroad and was soon afterward made foreman in clearing 
the right of way.  He spent the summer on the ill-fated 
Ashtabula Bridge but in the fall of 1865 went to Oil City 
and other places in Pennsylvania and spent two seasons in 
the Susquehanna country, engaged in lumbering.  During the 
winter  he was foreman in a lumbering camp, but thinking 
to better his financial condition he started West. Making 
his way to Junction City, Kansas he remained there four 
days and then with two boys started back, but meeting with 
some men who joked them about being discouraged, our 
subject turned his face again toward the West. 

He found employment in Fort Leavenworth and later in St. 
Louis and later contracted with the Government to drive a 
team to Ft. Union, New Mexico which place he reached 
October 13, 1867, remaining there in the employ of the 
Government until 1868.  He then started with fifteen other 
men, for Prescott, Arizona.  They arrived in that city 
December 3rd and although they came there to mine they 
turned their attention to other enterprises. Part of the 
time Mr. Sullivan was engaged in carpentering and 
contracting and one winter he took the contract for 
1,500,000 shingles. In the spring of 1871 he started for 
Washington Territory and got as far as San Francisco when 
he met a party going to South America and he decided to
make the trip also.  He first went to Bolivia, later to the 
Sandwich Islands and from there to Portland, Oregon.  After 
a short stay in the latter place, Mr. Sullivan went to the 
Puget Sound country where he spent one season engaged in 
farming and then in 1872 went to Sitka Alaska, on the 
revenue cutter "Lincoln" in the employ of the Government 
to look after smuggling Indians, timber cutters, etc.  
That winter he had charge of pile driving on the Oregon 
Short Line, running from Portland to Sacramento but which 
is now called the "Shasta Route."

In the spring of 1873 Mr. Sullivan embarked in the cattle 
business in Wasco County, Oregon in the John Day country, 
but during the fall of that year came to Arizona to collect 
some outstanding debts.  Here he remained until 1876, during 
which time he contracted for the Government. Later he settled 
in this Territory permanently and engaged quite actively in 
the cattle business which he has conducted since. His 
headquarters are now at Seligman, near the line of the A & 
PRR and his large ranch is in Williamson and Chino Valleys.

He also has a very large horse ranch and is one of the 
prosperous men of the Territory.  He ships his stock 
principally to California but considerable is sent to 
Denver and Kansas City.  Mr. Sullivan is a director in 
the Bank of Arizona at Prescott.

It must not be supposed that during his many trips across 
the plains that Mr. Sullivan escaped having trouble with 
the Indians.  In 1869 he was employed for three months by 
a man by the name of Johnson, who had a contract for 
cutting shingles.  Indians were numerous and dangerous 
at that time; every man went armed, and while in the woods 
chopping Mr. Sullivan and his companions generally had their 
guns handy. One day they were chased to the camp by about 
twenty five Indians, who fired at them as they ran, but no 
one was hit.  Hastily collecting about seven men they 
followed after the Indians, and while examining the tracks 
made by the Indians, were fired upon by them from a large 
juniper tree.  They returned the fire with interest and 
reaching the tree saw where one of the Indians had been 
wounded.  The Indians succeeded in making their escape.  
The next day Mr. Sullivan went to Prescott and found that 
the same party of Indians had killed General Osborn two 
days before and another man by the name of Tex.  The latter 
was bald headed but had long whiskers and they scalped his 
chin.

One day Mr. Sullivan started to go to Prescott for mail, 
on foot, and when within three and a half miles of that 
place discovered moccasin tracks and soon after six Indians. 
These men commenced firing at him and he returned their fire 
with his navy revolver, sending eleven shots at them from 
behind a stump.  They came closer and Mr. Sullivan was 
struck in the neck by an arrow. He broke the arrow off up 
by the skin and then concluding that it was getting too 
hot for him, started on a run for camp.  He felt a shot 
pass through his side as he ran and another whistled 
dangerously close to his head.  He reached the camp with 
no more wounds, but pulled out of his neck about an inch 
and a half of the arrow. He had just been grazed in the 
side, but his hat had been shot through.

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