Larcena Pennington Page

Larcena Pennington Page (January 10, 1837 – March 31, 1913), born Larcena Ann Pennington, was an American pioneer known for surviving a kidnapping by Apache as a young married woman of 23 years old in present-day Arizona. Left for dead and unable to stand, she crawled over the next sixteen days to reach safety.

After her kidnapping, Larcena was indirectly involved in several other incidents with Apache. Much of her family died during her life as a result of native attacks or from infectious disease on the frontier.

Early life Born Larcena Ann Pennington, in Nashville, Tennessee, she was the daughter of Elias and Julia Ann Pennington. One of 12 children, she had seven sisters and four brothers. Her father, Elias, was the son of Elijah Pennington, a soldier who served under General George Washington at Valley Forge during the American Revolutionary War. Her mother Julia Ann Pennington died within a year after the birth of her twelfth child while her husband was away. After that, the father took the surviving Penningtons to an area near Keechi, Texas.

Leaves Texas In 1857, in hopes of economic prosperity, the Pennington family traveled west, originally with the intention of settling in California. From Keechi they headed west with three wagons pulled by oxen and mules, and a herd of cattle. The wagon train forded the Pecos River, where several of the cows drowned; it continued to Paso del Norte. From there they followed the Rio Grande north to Mesilla and then moved west toward Tucson. They passed through several canyons where Apache were known to spring surprise attacks, including Doubtful Canyon, Apache Pass, and Cooke's Canyon. (A wagon train was later attacked there in the Battle of Cookes Canyon in 1861.) They passed through the San Simon Valley, Sulphur Springs Valley, the San Pedro and Dragoon Springs on their way west.

In June 1857, the Penningtons temporarily stopped at Sonoita Creek, next to Fort Buchanan, because their animals were either exhausted, or had been stolen by Apache, and Larcena had contracted malaria. The men obtained a contract from the government to supply the fort with hay and the women sewed soldiers' uniforms for pay. When they completed the contract, the Penningtons moved west to Calabasas, along the Santa Cruz River. Before September 1859 they moved into the former residence of Governor Manuel Maria Gandara, who was displaced after the United States victory in the Mexican–American War.

The Apache were armed with lances and bows. Four were young men but the fifth was older and spoke a little Spanish. The older Apache told Mercedes that he had killed Page; and Larcena screamed after the girl told her. One of the Apache put his lance to Larcena and threatened to kill her if she didn't stop. After stealing "whatever they could" and cutting open the Pages' sacks of food, the Apache took the two women northeast, who walked roughly along the base of the Santa Rita Mountains, toward one of their strongholds along the San Pedro River.

In 1867 Larcena's sister died of malaria and in 1868 her brother, Jim Pennington, was killed during attacks against the Apache. In June 1869, her father and another brother were both murdered while working at a farm by Apaches. The remaining members of the Pennington family left for Tucson and then decided to move to California. About outside Tucson, they had to return when Larcena's sister Ellen became gravely ill with pneumonia. Despite seeking medical help, Ellen died. Larcena and her brother were the only two remaining family members. Jack moved to Texas and Larcena decided to remain in Tucson. Larcena refused to leave Arizona, despite all the hardships she went through there. Larcena became a Christian and was one of the first members of the Congregational Church in Tucson. She was also named president of the Arizona Historical Society. Larcena lived a relatively quiet life from then until her death.

Legacy Pennington Street in downtown Tucson is named after Larcena Pennington and her family. Scott Avenue is named for her second husband William F. Scott. In the early 2000s, a residential community named Stone House was built southeast of Sahuarita, Arizona. It was named after the Penningtons' stone house along the Santa Cruz River.