Journal of a trip from Fort Defiance to the Villages of Moqui

A manuscript map of the region that Ten Broeck traveled through and described, drawn by Ernest Backus and inscribed to his wife, accompanies the report. The map also displays the route finally settled on for the wagon route.

Manuscript copy of an account kept by Peter G. Stuyvesant Ten Broeck, 1852 Mar 25-Apr 7, during his exploration of the northeast Arizona region where the Hopi live, transcribed and annotated by Major Backus on April 23, 1852. The report describes the six day journey by Ten Broeck and his military party to the Hopi village, Ten Broeck's first impressions of the Hopi village, and his observations of a Hopi dance ceremony intended to encourage rain for recently planted crops. Ten Broeck records the government, customs, beliefs, dress, family structure, and agricultural practices of the Hopi as well as their creation story. The account includes a description of the trip back to Fort Defiance as well events which occurred upon the party's return, including an apparent theft from two Mexican boys by a band of Indians, and the military's subsequent violent attempt to find the accused. Five pages of the account analyze a Navajo creation story, and discuss beliefs gleaned from the fort's Navajo interpreter, Santiago. A note from Backus appended to the manuscript indicates that the account was prepared for Backus's family and friends as entertainment.