What does the word "altadick" mean?

Question

This word was used by a man in history named Sylvester Mowry(he was the founding father of Arizona) in 1855 in a letter he wrote. Bill Goetzman wrote a dissertation while at Yale in the mid 50's and had the letter Mowry wrote with this word in it as a footnote.

Answer 1

What was the letter about? Where was it written and who was he writing it to? Providing the context of where the word was used, might help identify its meaning.

Was it actually written while he was in Arizona? Sylvester Mowry did not come to Arizona until October of 1855 when he arrived at Fort Yuma on the Colorado River (and technically still in California) as a 2nd Lieutenant. I can't think of any words or places associated with the Yuma area that sound like that.

If the word is associated with Arizona or California (where he was stationed for most of 1855), than it might be derived from a Spanish word (alta something - 'alta' meaning 'high' or 'tall' in Spanish).

As you probably know, Mowry ended up leaving the army to work a lead-silver mine in the Patagonia mountains southeast of Tucson. When the Union soldiers of the California Column arrived during the Civil War, he was jailed under charges that he has supplied the Confederacy with lead for bullets. He was never tried, but he lost his mine as a result and spent the rest of his short life trying to get it back.

Although he was a major promoter of Arizona and elected a delegate to Congress several times (largely all for the purpose of promoting his mine), the title of 'Father of Arizona' usually goes to his contemporary and fellow mine owner, Charles D. Poston who ran mines near Tubac and Arivaca and (together with his backer General Samuel Heintzelman) was a major advocate for the formation of the Arizona territory in 1863. Poston was also a major business and political figure in the pre-territorial and early territorial days.

Answer 2

i would suggest that it is either a typo or a word Mowry made up as a term or slang for something. i would do some research on Mowry to perhaps find out what he was meaning.

Answer 3

no such word.