Pinal Nugget
On Feb. 15, 1918 the Graham Guardian newspaper’s headline said “OFFICERS KILLED IN BATTLE WITH SLACKERS”. The front page told the story of a shootout in the rugged Galiuro Mountains where four men were killed, three of them local lawmen. The gun battle was deadlier than the gunfight at the OK Corral. It would become known as the Power Shootout.
The Power Shootout involved the Power family, brothers John and Tom, their father Jeff and a ranch hand and retired army scout Tom Sisson on one side and the four men who had come to arrest John and Tom on the charge of draft evasion. The four lawmen were Graham County Sheriff R. Frank McBride, Chief Deputy Sheriff Martin R. Kempton, Deputy Sheriff T. Kane Wootan and US Marshal and former Gila County Sheriff Frank Haynes. Jeff Power, McBride, Kempton, and Wootan would die that cold morning at the Power cabin in Kielberg Canyon.
The shootout would lead to the largest manhunt in Arizona history and create a controversy about what happened that February morning and why. Who fired first? Was the gunfight over the Power’s gold mine? Did the Power brothers and Sisson get a fair trial? What happened to the court transcripts that disappeared and prevented their appeal? Numerous books have been written about the shooting and its aftermath. The books have differed in opinion, delved into conspiracy theories and still leave many questions unanswered.
A new documentary film has been made which attempts to find out the truth about what happened that fateful day. Power’s War is the name of the film and has been three years in the making. It is directed and produced by Cameron Trejo. Heidi Osselaer is the lead historian for the film project. Heidi’s paper at the 2014 Arizona History Convention won the Barry M. Goldwater award for Best Presentation. Her presentation was given in Oracle recently at the Oracle Historical Society Acadia Ranch Museum and attracted a standing room only crowd. Cameron and Heidi have spent three years combing archives, interviewing family members and historians, and visiting the Power cabin which still stands today.
The film will be released soon and Cameron and Heidi will be traveling around the country screening the movie. Power’s has been officially selected to be screened at the 2015 Maryland Film Festival. The Oracle Historical Society is working with Cameron to have the film shown in Oracle. As soon as a date and venue is set up it will be announced. Through the power of Facebook and email, Cameron was interviewed and talked about the making of the film and gave his insight about the story without giving too much away. You can learn more about Power’s War and view the trailer at www.powerswar.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/powerswar.
The interview will be published in next month’sPinal Nugget.