Albert Franklin Banta (December 18, 1843 – June 21, 1924) was an American newspaperman, politician, jurist, and army scout. As a scout, he was a member of the Wheeler Survey and assisted General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...

during the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

. Banta was influential in the creation of

Apache County, Arizona Apache County is in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county seat is St. Johns. Most of the county is occupied by part ...

and later represented the county in the Arizona Territorial Legislature. As a newspaperman, he started and operated a number of papers throughout

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

. For roughly two decades he used the assumed name Charles A. Franklin instead of his birth name.

Biography

Banta was born to John and Phydelia (or Fidelia) Banta on December 19, 1845, in Warrick County, Indiana. His family moved to Wisconsin in 1848. His formal education ended at age 11. There is no record he ever married. At the beginning of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Banta served as a "Three Month Volunteer" in the Missouri State Militia. Following his enlistment, he went to work for the ''Kansas Tribune''. On a trip to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, he was arrested by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers and accused of being a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

spy in the service of William Quantrill. Though released, he apparently took umbrage at the treatment he had received. He left his job and worked as a bullwacker from

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

to Santa Fe. About this time he began using the name Charles A. Franklin. Franklin arrived in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

on June 20, 1863. He worked briefly for the ''Rio Abajo Press'', then joined the 1st California Volunteers. In this role he served as a teamster escorting Governor

John Noble Goodwin John Noble Goodwin (October 18, 1824 – April 29, 1887) was a United States attorney and politician who served as the first Governor of Arizona Territory. He was also a Congressman from Maine and served as Arizona Territory's delegate to the Un ...

party to the newly formed

. Shortly after his arrival in the Chino Valley, he assisted Editor Tisdale A. Hand in producing two editions of the ''Arizona Miner'', on a press brought to the territory by Richard C. McCormick. He also worked as a cowboy for R.E. Farrington and traveled extensively through the territory, keeping a record of his wanderings in a personal journal. His knowledge of the region prompted the military to employ him as a scout. Though a Democrat, Franklin served as an aid to Governor McCormick with the rank of colonel. In the late 1860, lacking funds for a new set of boots, he acquired the nickname "Buckskin Charley" after making himself a set of moccasins and a buckskin suit. In 1869, Franklin was a

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

Wickenburg Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 7,474, up from 6,363 in 2010. History The Wickenburg area, along with much of the Southwest, became part of ...

. He moved to Tucson in January 1871, working there for the '' Arizona Citizen''. He continued to serve as a scout and guide, assisting General

during the

. In 1871 he was a member of the Wheeler Survey, and served as its chief guide in 1873. In 1873 he was credited with the discovery of

Meteor Crater Meteor Crater, or Barringer Crater, is a meteorite impact crater about east of Flagstaff and west of Winslow in the desert of northern Arizona, United States. The site had several earlier names, and fragments of the meteorite are official ...

for a time called "Franklin's Hole". After leaving Tucson, Franklin was a sub-Indian Agent at Fort Grant. His work as a guide led him to Yuma, and from there he took a steamer to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. There he worked for a short time at the ''San Diego Union'' before returning to Arizona Territory. During his travels, Franklin

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

and earned admission to the Arizona bar. He became

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

St. Johns, Arizona Saint Johns ( nv, , )Wilson, A. ''Navajo Place Names'' Audio Forum 1995 is the county seat of Apache County, Arizona, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 180, mostly west of where that highway intersects with U.S. Route 191. As of t ...

, in 1876. The next year he moved to Springerville, where he again was justice of the peace. He then lived briefly in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

before returning to Tucson. He began a three-week prospecting trip in the Santa Catarina (now called Santa Catalina) mountains with Johnny B. Hart on October 31, 1877. The two men located what the ''Arizona Citizen'' called "some very rich strikes of gold and silver.". Franklin was a deputy sheriff under Pima County Sheriff

Charles A. Shibell Charles A. Shibell (August 14, 1841 – October 21, 1908) was a teamster, miner, hotel owner, customs inspector, recorder, and Pima County, Arizona County Sheriff and a contemporary of Wyatt Earp and his brothers. Shibell promised a job as Depu ...

in late 1877. Franklin returned to Springerville in 1879, becoming the town's first postmaster. He was instrumental in convincing the territorial legislature to create

Apache County Apache County is in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county seat is St. Johns. Most of the county is occupied by part ...

, and served as county attorney for the new county from 1879 to 1881, and county probate judge from 1881 to 1883. He was

County assessor Tax assessment, or assessment, is the job of determining the value, and sometimes determining the use, of property, usually to calculate a property tax. This is usually done by an office called the assessor or tax assessor. Governments need to ...

for Apache county in 1880, represented Apache County during the

12th Arizona Territorial Legislature The 12th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 8, 1883, in Prescott, Arizona Territory. Background Lawlessness was rampant across sections of the territory. While ...

. Following his service in the legislature, Franklin legally changed his name back to Alfred Franklin Banta. Banta served a second term as Apache County attorney from 188991. He also returned to the newspaper business, founding several new papers. He founded the ''Orion Era'' in St. Johns and later sold the paper to a group of Mormons. In 1895, he founded the ''Holbrook Argus''. In 1896, founded the ''Arizona Populist''. The ''Populist'' was renamed the ''Pick and Drill'' following a suggestion by

Buckey O'Neill William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill (February 2, 1860 – July 1, 1898) was a sheriff, newspaper editor, miner, politician, Georgist, gambler and lawyer, mainly in Arizona. His nickname came from his tendency to "buck the tiger" (play contrary to t ...

. O'neill also convinced Banta to move to Prescott in 1896. Banta had an opportunity to purchase the ''Arizona Gazette'', but felt the $6,000 offering price to be excessive. In 1902, Banta founded the ''Douglas Dispatch''. A 1900 fire that damaged Prescott's Whiskey Row destroyed the ''Pick and Drill'' and dealt Banta a serious financial setback. After the fire, Banta traveled extensively while working a variety of odd jobs. Places visited included

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. In 1914, he settled in Wickenburg. Two years later he moved into the

Arizona Pioneers' Home The Arizona Pioneers' Home, also known as the Home for Arizona Pioneers and State Hospital for Disabled Miners, is a retirement home in Prescott, Arizona, established to provide housing for early Arizona pioneers. The home is operated and funded b ...

. During his retirement, Banta spent time at the offices of the ''Prescott Courier'' chronicling his life. A copy of the document he produced was kept at the

Sharlot Hall Museum The Sharlot Hall Museum is an open-air museum and heritage site located in Prescott, Arizona. Opened in 1928 by Sharlot M. Hall as the Gubernatorial Mansion Museum, the museum that now bears her name is dedicated to preserving the history and ...

until its publication in 1952 under the title ''Albert Franklin Banta: Arizona Pioneer''. Banta died in Prescott on June 21, 1924, after several months of declining health. He was buried at the Pioneers' Home Cemetery. The

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

"Banta Point" is named in Banta's honor. Tucson's "Franklin Street" was named after his work on a surveying crew led by Solomon W. Foreman in March 1872.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banta, Albert Franklin 1845 births 1924 deaths Members of the Arizona Territorial Legislature 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American newspaper founders Editors of Arizona newspapers Arizona pioneers People from Warrick County, Indiana People from Apache County, Arizona Politicians from Prescott, Arizona Politicians from Tucson, Arizona People of Missouri in the American Civil War American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Lawyers from Tucson, Arizona 19th-century American lawyers