Pathfinder Press – September 2015
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Newsletter of Arizona Pathfinders, Inc. A Volunteer Support Organization for the Southern Division of the Arizona Historical Society, founded 1976 Sepember 2015 W.D. Kalt III, President [email protected] PATHFINDERS’ BROWN BAG STUDENT CURATOR PROGRAM Thursday – October 15, 2015 This summer, with support from the Pioneer Photographer C. S. Fly: Pathfinders, the Library and Archives An Illustrated Story of his Life launched the Student Curator Our speaker is Craig McEwan, Program. The program is designed President of the Chiricahua-Peloncillo Historical to offer high school students the Society and Secretary of the Cochise County opportunity to design their own Historical Society. He is the author of “The Last exhibit using archival materials. Fifteen Years of C. S. Fly: From a Chiricahua Mountain Through this internship the student Perspective,” published in the 2013 fall/winter edition is able to gain valuable experience of The Cochise County Historical Journal. in archival research, exhibit design, writing, public speaking, following a budget, as well C. S. (Camillus Sidney) Fly is perhaps best known as the only photographer of American Indians as as accountability and time management. enemy in the field, specifically Geronimo, Naiche and The student curator for AHS in Tucson this their Chiricahua Apache followers, both in camp summer was 15-year-old Nicolas Rios. Nicolas and negotiating with General George Crook. Fly’s decided to research the development of 15 of life continues to draw McEwan’s interest, resulting Tucson’s barrios and districts. Upon conducting in numerous revisions to his slide show on one of research in the archives, Nicolas discovered southern Arizona’s most famous early photographers. that some neighborhoods weren’t very well Like his Tombstone subject, McEwan was born in documented yet in the archives. Missouri where he grew up working on his family’s Instead of giving up or going in a different cattle farm. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies with an emphasis on American History. His direction, Nicolas decided to reach out to current research has culminated in a presentation and neighborhood associations and residents to article entitled “The Siberian Doughboys of Cochise interview them and collect more ephemera for County: The Men Who Went to Russia, 1918-1920.” the files in the archives. Not only did he plan and This is a Brown Bag meeting. Bring your own meal. execute an elaborate and Coffee, water and dessert will be provided by continued on page 3 Pathfinders. The meeting is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and introduce them to ABLE OF ONTENTS Arizona’s history. T C For more information contact Arizona Pathfinders at Fort Apache Song & Dance Festival . 2 [email protected] or on Facebook. History of Fort Apache . 3 Free parking is available in the Arizona Historical Pathfinders Dues Reminder . 4 Society garage. It is one block west of the Museum, May Picnic . 4 at the northeast corner of East Second Street and Pathfinders’ Tour of the Rustic Border North Euclid Avenue. Enter using the East Second of Arizona and New Mexico . 4 Street entrance. Newsletter design and layout – Kamper & Kamper LLC FORT APACHE SONG & DANCE FESTIVAL “SIXTEENTH ANNUAL GATHERING OF THE APACHE PEOPLE SONG AND DANCE COMPETITION.” Pathfinders Tour, May 8 – 9, 2015 Our first stop is at Besh-Ba-Gowah Archeological with respect to your auntie and don’t spend all your Park outside Globe. This Salado site was a trade hub time texting but rather get out and exercise. which flourished from about 1225–1400 A.D. Their The celebration officially begins with two veterans culture was influenced by both the desert Hohokam carrying the American and Apache Nation flags and the Pueblo Anasazi. followed by a long line of men, women and children The park consists of partially reconstructed ruins and the ga’an dancers with painted bodies and with good interpretive signs and an ethno-botanical elaborate wooden headdresses. garden. There is also a small museum with fine examples of excavated cultural artifacts. Showlow has a small but very well done history museum where several of the rooms are sponsored by and filled with artifacts from local families who have been in the area for generations. There is also the “never to be finished” train room with Opening Parade logging, freight and passenger trains making their Youth solo singing and group singing contests are chuff-chuffing rounds through model reproductions interspersed with opportunities for social dance – of Winslow (guitar player “standin’ on the corner”), any and all welcome – and several “food scrambles” McNary and Holbrook with the famous Wigwam wherein the royalty from the various tribal branches Motel. scatter bottles of water, apples, oranges, melons, We spend the night at Hon-Dah casino and resort, bananas and energy bars across the grass until the where once a gas station and little store known as plaza appears to be strewn with jewels. At a word “Indian Pine”” used to sit at the fork in the road. We from the judges all the little children run in and wake to one-half inch of snow on grass and cars retrieve as much as they can. outside our window. After lunch at the food trucks in the parking lot On arriving in Fort Apache we are greeted by very we meet our guide, Karl Hoerig, who gives us a melodic song and drumming coming from the plaza. tour of what’s left of the original Fort Apache and The exhibit in the small museum/cultural center the Theodore Roosevelt BIA School. Initially Col. highlights the Sunrise Dance, the four-day ceremony John Green was intent on extermination, but the in which girls, tutored and assisted by an elder, enter hospitality of the villagers and the political acumen young womanhood. of the elders averted this tragedy and resulted in an arrangement benefiting both sides. The fort was then established as a camp in 1870. The long drive back to Tucson is broken by a brief stop at the bottom of Salt River Canyon, spectacular no matter how many times you’ve been through it, and enlivened by a geography quiz in which we learn that Social Dance fourteen states have the cardinal as their A new emphasis on physical health is reflected in state bird. an exhibit room devoted entirely to lessons about Kudos and many thanks are due to the trip avoiding diabetes. Graphic novel art posters cover committee for another successful adventure with the walls, obviously intended to appeal to teens. The never a dull moment. opening parade is preceded by admonitions to act —Charity Everitt 2 — Pathfinders Press — September 2015 HISTORY OF FORT APACHE This camp was called “Camp Ord” and was built in Entrance Sign the spring of 1870. The name was changed to “Camp Mogollon” in August, then to “Camp Thomas “in September of the same year. The post was finally designated as “Camp Apache” on February 2, 1871 as a token of friendship to the very Indians the fort soldiers would soon spend so many years at war with. On April 5, 1879, Camp Apache had gained enough significance that it was renamed “Fort Apache.” The fort’s initial purpose was to guard the nearby Crook, as well as the stone officers’ quarters, are White Mountain Reservation and Indian agency. The today the residences of teachers and other Bureau Fort consists of 288 acres with 27 historic buildings. of Indian Affairs employees. One of the officers’ houses is now used as a café. The cemetery no longer contains soldier dead, but does contain the bodies of Indian scouts. On January 24, 1923 an act was passed by Congress authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to establish and maintain an Indian boarding school to be known New Theodore Roosevelt School Building as the Theodore Roosevelt School. The first students Fort Apache AZ (1912-1953) were Navajo children; however the school was Source: The Burke Library Archives @ Columbia University eventually attended by Apache students exclusively. Fort Apache continued as an active post until 1924 Theodore Roosevelt then became a boarding school when the Fort was turned over to the Bureau of for children of many tribes. The school remains open Indian Affairs. The Sutler’s store and commissary today, teaching grades three through eight. building, cavalry barns and guard house have not been —Bob Stuart significantly altered. One of the original four barracks –an adobe building in bad disrepair–houses the farm Student Curator Program, continued from page 1 shop for the Indian school. thoughtful exhibit, he also added to the archival The parade ground provides a recreational area. record and made connections throughout the The Fort Apache Post Office occupies the adobe community. Adjutant’s building. A log building, one of the oldest AHS hosted an exhibit opening in Tucson at which structures and reputedly the residence of General Nicolas gave a great talk to introduce the exhibit. Over 70 people attended and we heard many comments from visitors about how impressive Nicolas was as a speaker and curator. I think Nicolas learned a lot from this program and had a great experience and we, the archivists, were also so privileged to get to work with such a smart, driven student! Thank you to the Pathfinders for making this program possible! If you’d like to see the exhibit, it will be up until November 7th in the reading room. The reading room hours are M-F 9AM to 4PM. Museum Entrance —Laura Hoff, MA, MLIS September 2015 — Pathfinders Press —2 MAY PICNIC PATHFINDER DUES To end a very successful year with many speakers Our membership chair has pointed out that quite a and outings, Pathfinders held their annual picnic in few of our members have not paid their 2015 dues.