Riordan Mansion Lunchtime Lecture: Murder & Mystery, Myth & History: The 1887 Little Johnny Elden Story

Join presenter John Westerlund for the story of the best-known and perhaps most-visited gravesite in northern Arizona belongs to little Johnny Elden, Jr.

Join presenter John Westerlund for the story of the best-known and perhaps most-visited gravesite in northern Arizona belongs to little Johnny Elden, Jr. His murder in 1887 remains one of the most infamous in Arizona Territorial history. Today, Johnny rests alone in a rock-covered forest grave at the base of the Flagstaff mountain named for his father and family. Johnny was just six years old when he was shot and killed by itinerant mule skinner Bob Roberts in a dispute over water. The murder has haunted Flagstaff for well over a century, nurtured by many articles in the local newspaper. The ghastly crime weighs heavily on gravesite visitors at the base of Elden Mountain where they often leave small toys and plastic flowers next to the gas-pipe cross that rests in concrete on top of the grave of stones. This presentation will look at the story of Flagstaff pioneer John Elden, the violence and prosperity that rolled in with the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1882, the horrible shooting of Elden’s young son Johnny, and the contribution of myth to history. The presentation will be free thanks to Riordan Action Network.