Noted as the first successful non-indigenous resident of the Moab valley, William Grandstaff was a cowboy, prospector, frontiersman, a veteran of the Union army, and a former African-American slave. Recent discoveries made by Genealogist Nick Sheedy from PBS’s Finding Your Roots have connected a lot of dots. However, a lot remains a mystery.

Early Life

According to census records and documentation, William Grandstaff was most likely born into slavery in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia around the early 1840s. Somehow attaining freedom, he enlisted in the Cincinnati Black Brigade for the Union Army during the American Civil War in the 1860s. He aided in protecting Cincinnati from Kentucky Confederate troops that were pressing the city. After the Civil War, Grandstaff appeared in the Nebraska census, most likely the place where he learned his cowboy trade. He arrived in the Moab valley in 1877.

Moab, Utah

When William Grandstaff came to the valley, he found it empty of Anglo people, with only traces of settlement attempts, including roaming cattle. He took up residence in the ruined remains of the old Elk Mountain Mission fort along with a mysterious character named “Frenchie,” a French-Canadian fur trapper. 

Grandstaff claimed several stray cattle and kept them in a spring-fed box canyon a few miles up the river that now bears his name. He built a couple of small wooden buildings along a natural spring that still stand today, making them the oldest buildings in Moab. These buildings can be seen at Moab Springs Ranch.

Grandstaff had a good relationship with the local indigenous people who remained in the valley. Oral history and local lore say he provided the local Utes with his homemade alcohol. Other stories say it was because he was a man of color, probably the first African American they had ever seen. The number of Utes in the region was substantially reduced due to depredation and disease throughout the 1860s and ’70s. Grandstaff and the settlers found a friendlier coexistence with the local Utes until the start of the Pinhook Battle of 1881 near Castle Valley.

Shortly after Grandstaff and Frenchie came to the valley and claimed large portions of land, others started to arrive as well. A couple in particular were A.G. Wilson and his son, Alfred. The senior Wilson came in the spring of 1878 and traded for Frenchie’s land with the intent of returning to settle. When they did, they found that the Frenchman had sold that same land out from under them to Walter Moore. They also learned that Frenchie had unsuccessfully attempted to murder Grandstaff at the old fort before fleeing down the Colorado River. 

In 1880, Moab officially received its name and a post office was built. Residents included about 24 large families. The Pinhook Battle of 1881 pitted settlers from Moab, Monticello, and Blanding against local Ute and Paiute clans. It started over cattle being moved onto agreed-upon indigenous land near the Abajo Mountains. It escalated and carried into the La Sal Mountains near Castle Valley. The battle lasted about three days with several fatalities on both sides. When the dust of the battle settled, William Grandstaff had vanished.

Life After Moab

Eventually, a local from Moab reported seeing Grandstaff in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, with Grandstaff claiming he left after the battle in fear that locals would “take arms up against me,” assuming his friendship with the local indigenous people made him a target. However, things worked out perfectly for Grandstaff in Glenwood Springs. He built a cabin on top of Red Mountain, opened a saloon called “Grandstaff Landing,” had some mining claims, and even owned a hot spring in the south canyon — a huge difference from his life in Moab.

After he was found deceased in his home in 1901, a large cross was built for him on top of his Red Mountain home site. It was later replaced by a metal one with lights that still illuminate today on special occasions and holidays.

Current Controversy

According to old locals and an inscription that is believed to have been etched by Grandstaff, he never called himself “William Grandstaff.” After the Civil War, a lot of freed African American slaves did not claim their owner’s last name, despite it being their government documented name. They say he referred to himself as “Negro Bill,” which is what his canyon was called until 2017, when it was changed to “Grandstaff Canyon,” ostensibly in an attempt at political correctness. 

Others speculate that “Negro Bill” was a nickname given to him by settlers who came to the valley during his time there, noting that he is called “William Grandstaff” in three newspapers from his time in Glenwood Springs, including his obituary.

Jeanetta Williams, President of the Salt Lake City Chapter of the NAACP, put out a public statement regarding the name change: “The NAACP received word this morning that the US Board of Geographic Names changed the name of Negro Bill Canyon to Grandstaff Canyon. Of course, we are disappointed, because our intent is to let people know that Negro is not an offensive word like some people were saying. What the NAACP wants to make sure is that the history of the Negro Bill Canyon is not lost. The NAACP would like to make sure that literature is provided to visitors that come into the canyon area, as well as the state of Utah, about the history of Negro Bill Canyon.”

Despite Williams’ statement, a lot of people see the name change as a step in the right direction and a necessary move away from politically incorrect terminology.

Moab is proud to share the impactful legacy of William Grandstaff, a story that powerfully illustrates the perseverance, overcoming of profound adversity, and success of African Americans throughout our nation’s history.

Feature image of Nat Love reflects the untold legacy of William Grandstaff. Both were Black Pioneers whose courage and kill helped shape life in the American West.