Ghost riders of the Mogollon

This book was written by my uncle, Ivan Lee Kuykendall. Ivan was born in 1910 in Douglas, Arizona, to Dolph and Eva Maude Kuykendall. The family owned a ranch near Douglas. His father, Dolph owned horse and mule teams and freighted from Globe to Holbrook from the 20's through the mid 30's when trucks became the faster means of freighting. After spending his early years in Douglas, Ivan moved to Globe, Arizona. His father, Dolph, had a horse ranch in Young, known as Pleasant Valley. Young was the location of the most bloody sheep and cattle war in western history known as the Pleasant Valley War, or the Tewksbury-Graham Feud. Actual numbers are unknown, but it is estimated that up to 50 men were shot and killed during the war.

Roy, who had written articles in the local papers, decided to research the events of the feud between the sheep and cattle families and write a book about it. His grandfather Wills was a good friend and hunting companion of Zane Grey, who had a cabin near Payson, and Roy thought this might be his opportunity to find similar fame. When he conducted his research, it was only 30 years since the war had ended (1892). Many of the survivors were still alive. Since the survivors still living in the valley were cattlemen, his writing obviously took their slant.

He wrote the book as fiction based on fact, and used many of the actual names of those who took part in the feud. After years of research and writing he found a publisher and had the first edition printed. According to my uncle, it had gotten out that he was writing a book that favored the Tewksbury clan, and two sisters from the Tewksbury clan became upset and turned for help to their father, a Judge. He immediately slapped an injunction on the sale of the book and all of the books that had not yet been sold were seized as evidence. Ivan didn't have enough money to fight the legal battle, and so finally decided to just let it go. A few of the family had been given copies of the book, and the few others that were sold before the court order remained in circulation. He would have most likely won in court, but the cost of the battle would have been far greater than the proceeds from the book.

Ivan was a colorful man who had several careers, including a diesel mechanic in the local copper mine, and chief of Police of Globe. He died of a heart attack in 1961 with no children of his own. He was survived by his wife Skeet, and a step-daughter Beatrice. The value of the book is high due to the few editions that were actually released. It is unknown to me what happened to those that were seized by the court.