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Grand Canyon Pioneers Society - Monthly Bulletin |
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| Vol 5, No 5 | May 2001 |
Hopi Mesa Tour
Pioneers Bob and Marcy Matthias, Bill and Fran Ruppert, Ruth Stephens Baker, and Betty Leavengood along with guests Ed and Chris Zalewski, braved the elements to tour the Hopi Mesas on April 21. The weather forecast was not promising for the northern part of the state, but we bundled up and met our guide, Gary Tso, at the Hopi Cultural Center on Second Mesa, some 60 miles north of Winslow.
Gary, a well-known kachina carver and owner of Left Handed Tours, explained the day's itinerary. We divided into three vehicles and headed for the village of Walpi on First Mesa. Here we met a local guide for a walking tour of the village. The cold wind nearly blew us off the mesa as we walked past ancient dwellings, of which many are still inhabited. This portion of the village still does not have running water or electricity. Our guide showed us one of the kivas that was used for Hopi ceremonies, and explained the meaning of the four traditional colors: blue (the color of pika bread) is for nutrition and digestion; white is for babies; red represents moisture; and yellow is the color of prayers.
After the tour we stood in the shelter of a building as Gary explained the origin of the Hopi. They came from the first world, through the second and third worlds to this world, the fourth world. Some clans say that the Hopi entered this world in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but Gary's clan believes that they entered in South America. Here, according to Gary, they split into four directions, searching for their home. It was not until they reached the Hopi Mesas that they knew they had reached their home and here is where the Hopi people gathered.
Next we went to the village of Polacca, home of Gloria Kahe, a well-known potter. Gloria demonstrated how she makes her pottery using the coil method. Her clay and dyes are gathered locally. Gloria also showed us pictures of some of her pottery. She had one pot in progress and another nearly finished. Her pots sell for as much as $4,500 and are on display at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.
Our next stop was at the home of Clark Tenakhongva, also in the village of Polacca. Clark is one of the best known of the Hopi Kachina carvers. His works are exhibited in the Heard Museum in Phoenix and in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and are in the homes of private collectors nationwide. Kachinas are traditionally given to young girls at special times in their lives. Hanging on the walls of his dining room were the kachinas he had carved for his daughters. Clark is a leader in the traditional method of making kachinas. They are hand-carved from the root of the cottonwood tree and colored only with natural pigments found on Hopi land. Clark explained the methods he uses in carving and offered us hot coffee, which was especially welcomed since the weather was getting progressively worse.
Back at the Hopi Cultural Center for lunch, Gary had arranged for us to have a delicious buffet of traditional Hopi foods including fry bread, mutton stew, and pinto beans.
After lunch we went to the home of Duane Tawahongva in Musunguvi Village. Duane specializes in Hopi overlay jewelry, using gold and silver. He demonstrated his skill by making a gold turtle overlaid onto silver. We enjoyed standing around his warm stove and watching him work. Finally, we went to Third Mesa to the village of Old Oraibi, the oldest continuously inhabited village in the United States. Gary said that people had been living on this mesa since 1500 A.D. He pointed out that there were homes on top of homes. He discussed the conflict between the Spanish and the Hopi as we walked to the end of the Mesa to see the ruins of a Catholic Church built by the Spanish.
As we walked back to our vehicles, it began to snow. We left the Hopi Mesas in a snowstorm, awed by the spectacular scenery and with a respect for the people that choose to live in this barren, beautiful land.
GCPS Outings for 2001
| May 19: |
Images of Glen Canyon from trips taken between 1953 and 1959 by Gus
Scott , an ol' boatman showing some slides of vanished canyon walls,
beautiful glens, and the remnants of ghosts.
Lunch and presentation will be in one of the rooms upstairs. The Grill is one block west of the Courthouse on Gurley Street (north side). | ||||||
| June 16: | Annual Picnic at Shoshone Point, Grand Canyon South Rim. (Organized by Fred and Jeanne Schick.) | ||||||
| July 21: | Flights over Grand Canyon - Jim McCarthy will talk about flights over the Grand Canyon. He did his Master's Degree thesis on flights over the Canyon. | ||||||
| August 18: | Glen Canyon, the early fight, by GCPS member Harvey Leake. | ||||||
| September 15: | Rock Art Ranch tour with owner Brantley Baird. | ||||||
| October 20: | Board Meeting and a talk about "Sunk Without A Sound: The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde" by Brad Dimock. | ||||||
| November 17: | Backpacking remote areas of Grand Canyon - a slide program by Carol Castleman. Carol has lead Sierra Club trips around the world -- including many, many Grand Canyon backpacks to remote areas as well as about two dozen rafting trips. | ||||||
| December: | No Meeting |
Fred Harvey Program
On April 19 and 21 from 8:30 to 4 p.m., Fred Harvey and Santa Fe employees and their descendants were invited to a reunion at the Phoenix Museum of History. The events featured 10 speakers, book signings, display of Fred Harvey and Santa Fe memorabilia and Native American arts and crafts from the Pinon Trading Post.
Fred Harvey girls wore their uniforms and many old acquaintances were renewed at the event. It was emphasized that Harvey Girls were highly trained and highly regarded waitress employed at Harvey Houses and many married local men to found the first families of Arizona. Between l887 and the end of WWII, the Santa Fe transported a steady stream of young unmarried women to work at the Fred Harvey along the Santa Fe line.
Lunch was provided and guests enjoyed the beautiful eating area at Heritage Square and continued renewing old acquaintances.
For those who lived at the Canyon in the early days, a special treat was the presence of Joe Ernst. Joe used to be manager of the Hopi House and later was the buyer of Indian artifacts for all the Fred Harvey Houses. Joe's deceased wife, Alberta, was a Harvey girl.
All the speakers emphasized that it was the first time that high quality food was available along the railroad lines in the West. Fred Harvey demanded clean facilities, excellent food, and fast service. Members of the GCPS, Fred and Jeanne Schick, attended this program.
Grand Canyon History Symposium
Here is something to look forward to in January 2002:
There will be a Grand Canyon History Symposium held at the Grand Canyon that will attract scholars and teachers as well as the general public from the Plateau Area who have a keen interest in the history of the Grand Canyon.
The meeting will take place January 24-27 at various locations on the South Rim. There will be papers read by academic scholars from various states, and invited guest speakers. Talks on various aspects of Canyon history in a round table format will be given by some old timers who lived at the Canyon during the 1930s.
The Grand Canyon Pioneers Society will be a cosponsor of this affair and members are invited to take part in any of these activities where they feel competent. As a cosponsor, our main contribution will be helping out at the registration desk and any other positions where we might lend a hand.
So mark your calendar for those days and plan to attend.
June Outing: Annual Picnic
Join the Pioneers for the biggest event of the year at the Annual Picnic at Shoshone Point on June 16.
From the main entrance, take the Desert View Drive, continue east about 1.5 miles beyond the road to Yaki Point, and turn left into a parking area and look for the yellow gate, which will be unlocked by 11:00 AM.
Everyone should bring a dish to share (i.e. casserole or desert), their own drinks, individual table service and, if desired, some meat to barbecue. Table cloths and briquettes for the barbecue will be provided. Fred will have the fire ready by 12:00 Noon.
Elizabeth "Susie" Reilly
by Dave Mortenson
Susie Reilly, one of the first dozen women to run the Colorado River, died on April 20 in Sun City, Arizona.
Elizabeth M. MacLean, UCLA alum, went by the name of Susie. She married P.T. "Pat" Reilly on New Year's eve in 1937 and they were devoted to each other until Pat's death in 1996. They lived much of their married life in Studio City, California, until Pat retired from Lockheed Aircraft. They then moved to Sun City.
In 1947, Pat and Susie both went on a Norm Nevills trip from Mexican Hat to Lees Ferry and began their lifetime devotion to the Colorado River. Susie ran the Colorado in 1951 making her number 126 on Doc Marston's list and one of only a dozen women to have run Big Red from Lees Ferry to Grand Wash. She ran again in 1953, 1955, and 1956. In 1957 when the river crested at 126,000 cfs she was once more running the river. Susie ran the river a few more times, but after Glen Canyon changed the river she and Pat turned to research. She was Pat's research assistant, typist, editor and proofreader. After Pat's death she made it possible for his book on Lees Ferry to be published.
Susie Reilly was never one to seek attention or notice, but when you view photos of 1950s and early 1960s Colorado River activities she was there. Susie's legacy will live on in the many canyoneers whose love and involvement in the Grand Canyon were motivated by her encouragement. Those who knew her will never forget her joy and excitement in hearing or seeing about river running or hiking in the Grand Canyon. Susie Reilly was a pioneer who demonstrated that women as well as men could devote their life's interest in this amazing place we call The Grand Canyon.
New Members
Fran Joseph - Flagstaff, AZ
Outings Contacts Information
Outings Coordinator:
Betty Leavengood
6045 Edison St.
Tucson AZ 85712
520-885-3570
HikerBetty@aol.com
The Bulletin welcomes comments, stories, or Reflections and Remembrances.
Please send them to
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Diane Cassidy
PO Box 9870 Phoenix, AZ 85068 |
or e-mail them to GCPioneers@yahoo.com
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