Show Name Bill Canyon For or Pioneer Two prospectors one a mulatto Negro and the other a French French- Canadian came into the Moab valley In 1877 and planted a garden that summer Faun McConkie McConkle Tanners Tanner's history His Ills tory ory of Moab and other sources tell of the pair The Negro was wasl William Granstaff who came to tobe tobe be known as Bill The French Canadian was known only I as Frenchie History does docs not record re record re- re cord his name re-I. re Mrs Tanners Tanner's book says the two came in with one burro and set setup setup setup up housekeeping in the old fort lort which had been abandoned by the Billings Dillings party in 1855 Nearly starving ing ug when they arrived they were saved when they found a cow that had lad belonged to the Green brothers broth broth- ers era ers who were believed to have been killed earlier In the year by Indians Then they raised a garden of corn melons and squash Granstaff and Frenchie ap apparently ap apparently didn't get along well at times J J. J II H. H Shafer Shaler one of the themen themen themen men who came into the valley in 1878 1678 and stopped at the old fort started said the French Canadian to shoot the Negro Shafer saved Bills Bill's life perhaps by knocking the gun away Frenc Frenchie ie later traded his land to Walt Me Ware More ore says Mrs Tanner and vanished down the river on a trapping expedition urn Dill Granstaff stayed in the valley val ley until the time of the Indian in 1881 in which Mr Alfred and Isodore Isadore Wilson were killed There was suspicion that Gramt Grans Granstaff taft taff had sold liquor to the Indian jand and and he left the country No one knew where he had lone jone and nothing more more was heard of f him for some time says Mrs fanner in tn her book But in 1884 Arthur A A. A Taylor I taw law him in n Salida Colo where ic r. ran a bootblack stand Mr Taylor talked to him and the Negro told him that when he be left leftIe Ie IB went up Cane Springs and andas andas as forced to shoot hl his horse then hen the animal broke its Us leg ig I Ie walked from there to Salida lie told Mr 1 Taylor that he eft because be he was afraid the people eople would kill kUl him for selling ay y to the Before Defore be he eft he told Mr Gibson to Gibson to whom had rented hl his land The land The men are gathering up guns uns to go on the to bunt hun Indians but I 1 think Im I'm the Indian they are titer It U wa was for lor Bill DW Granstaff that BUI Canyon up the Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado from Moab was named e ethere catt used to range hit bis cattle there Today much of the canyon canyons s flaked for uranium |