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 The Wheeler Survey, carried out in 1872-1879, was one of the "Four Great Surveys" conducted by the United States government after the Civil War primarily to document the geology and natural resources of the American West. Supervised by First Lieu ...

and assisted General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...

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 Southwestern United States, southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as l ...

. Banta was influential in the creation of

Apache County, Arizona Apache County is a County (United States), county in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county ...

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, commonly known as the 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 ...

. 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 Warrick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 63,898. The county seat is Boonville. It was organized in 1813 and was named for Captain Jacob Warrick, an Indiana militia company commander kill ...

. 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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, 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, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, 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 ** ''Unio ...

soldiers and accused of being a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

spy in the service of

William Quantrill William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate States of America, Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Quantrill experienced a turbulent childhood, became a schoolteacher, and joined a group ...

. 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 ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

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 law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

Wickenburg Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa and Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 7,920 in 2022. H ...

. He moved to

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The 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

, 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 an 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 officially called ...

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 that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 primary 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 un ...

and earned admission to the Arizona bar. He became justice of the peace in St. Johns, Arizona, in 1876. The next year he moved to Springerville, where he again was justice of the peace. He then lived briefly in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

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 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 a county 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 occupie ...

, and served as

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

for the new county from 1879 to 1881, and county

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as orphans' courts o ...

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. 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 the ...

. O'neill also convinced Banta to move to

Prescott Prescott may refer to: People Given name * Prescott E. Bloom, American lawyer and politician * Prescott Bush, American banker and politician * Samuel Prescott Bush, American industrialist * Prescott F. Hall, American lawyer, author and eugenicist ...

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 (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. In 1914, he settled in Wickenburg. Two years later he moved into the Arizona Pioneers' Home. 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 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 mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

"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 1843 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