The Bloody Pleasant Valley Feud: Arizona Territory: 1882 - 1892

The Pleasant Valley feud was fought in the 1880s and '90s in the Arizona Territory. It was the bloodiest feud in American history. It has been estimated that about fifty men lost their lives in the feud. Two families lost three brothers each. Another family lost three brothers and a father. The feud was among neighbors, but reached all the way to the governor's office. It was a time of opportunity to become wealthy in gold, livestock, and land. The sheriffs from four different counties try to calm the storm. None were successful. The bloody feud played out its course of hatred and vengence, until only three men ruled the range and the gold fields.