Grand Canyon Pioneers Society - Monthly Bulletin

Programs for 1999

January 16: The program will be presented by Richard Quartaroli, NAU Cline Library Special Collections Librarian, on the 1928 trip down the Colorado River by Glenn and Bessie Hyde. Richard will show us the Kolb video of the search for the Hydes, slides of photographs taken by Bessie, and a video of the Unsolved Mysteries interpretation of the Hyde's disappearance. Did both Glenn and Bessie drown in a boating accident? Or did Bessie murder Glenn and hike out, living the rest of her life in obscurity? A ballot will be taken of those in attendance. We'll meet at Furr's Cafeteria at 11:15AM for lunch and then convene from 1:00-2:30PM in Screening Room A in the Media Center at Cline Library for the talk.
February 13: The program will be presented by Brad Dimock, river runner and one of the co-authors of a book about Buzz Holstrom, "Doing of the Thing". We'll meet at Poco Diablo in Sedona for lunch and have the program in one of their conference rooms. Poco Diablo is located at 1736 Highway 179. Be there at 11:15 a.m. The program will be at 1:00 p.m.
March 13: Ride the Verde Canyon Train.
April 4: Easter Sunrise Service
April 17: A talk about NAU collections by Diane Grua at NAU Library. 10- 12AM, lunch at Furr's.
May 15: Mike Anderson reviews his new book "Living On the Edge" a story about Canyon pioneers.
June 12: Annual Picnic
July 17: Jim Tuck of the National Park Service will be doing a program on the Implementation of the Grand Canyon Master Plan.
August 17: To be announced
September 18: Program by John Westerlund at NAU on Navajo Depot
October 16: Annual Meeting
November 13: Possible Tucson meeting - Ruth Stephens Baker will give talk on Shiva Temple Climb, tour of Historical Society, and talk by Debbie Shelton, curator of photos about Bass Collection Photos.
December: No meeting


A Tribute to Buckey O'Neill

by
John Davison

Despite inclement weather..." A Tribute to Buckey O'Neill" was fulfilled, due to the support of the National Park Service and Grand Canyon National Park Lodges. The El Tovar Hotel graciously opened its doors to many who sought refuge from the wind and rain. Huddled in the lobby of the hotel, canyon visitors were rewarded with a glimpse of Grand Canyon history . . . as the Arizona Rough Riders - Troop A presented the colors and stood tall in their authentic uniforms.

They were accompanied by their wives and families, the ladies complimented the troopers as they were attired in hats and dresses of the 1890 era.

The intriguing legend of Buckey O€Neill was related by guest speakers- Deputy Superintendent J.T. Reynolds, representing Grand Canyon NP, Shirley Agnos on behalf of the Arizona Town Hall and the colorful Marshall Trimble, a renowned Arizona Historian.

Fortunately everyone stayed dry and most enjoyed a beautiful sunset, while returning on the historic Grand Canyon Railway.


Dear Editor

I am trying for info. on Dr. John Strong Newberry, a physician-naturalist, geologist, paleontologist and explorer for U.S. Army Topographic Corps who wrote A Report Upon the Colorado River....(1861) and talked of the Grand Canyon in this report. Do you have any info that you could share with me on this man? If you do I would really appreciate it. Thank you for your time. Mail to : nita@cpros.com I'm really enjoying your website too.

Juanita Bowman
via E-mail


A Reply to Juanita Bowman

Here are a few Newberry items to start with.

The 1861 report is of course Newberry's report in J.C. Ives' expedition report, which happens to include the first geology of Grand Canyon. As for Newberry, for starters: You might check the following sources:

Newberry, John Strong (1822-1892)

1893 Memorial of John Strong Newberry. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 4:393-406. -- J. F. Kemp

1909 Biographical memoir of John Strong Newberry, 1822-1892. National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs, 6:1-24 (read before the Academy, 1902). -- Charles A. White

Take a look at the Library of Congress catalog on-line (Telnet 140.147.254.3); there are a couple of dozen things by Newberry, including rare items. He did quite a bit in geology back East. It seems he also was quite involved in sanitation in the military. (There's probably an Internet gate to the LC catalogue but I haven't had need to find it.)

Newberry published lots of papers, too. Look in the "Geological Literature on North America 1785-1918" (U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 746).

To my knowledge there is no separate, full-fledged Newberry biography, though there really should be one. Other biographies of course include Newberry within them; for example, on Charles Doolittle Walcott, just published this year by Kent State Press (written by Ellis Yochelson). Other "usual suspects" from the period also probably touch here and there on Newberry; such as biographical treatments of Powell and G. K. Gilbert. I'm sure it all branches out from there.

Earle Spamer
e-mail


Dear Editor

I am sincerely grateful and thank you for your contribution and involvement in this historical recognition of a Grand Canyon pioneer-Buckey O'Neill.

This centennial remembrance was designed to be an educational and interpretive event, promoting Grand Canyon history. It is my hope that activities of such historical and cultural significance will be encouraged and continued by the Park Service and citizens of northern Arizona.

Thanks again for your cooperation in promoting this event.

John Davison
Flagstaff, AZ

Note: See review this issue.


NOTICE

NOMINATIONS now being ACCEPTED for the GRAND CANYON PIONEER SOCIETY PIONEER AWARD

The Board of Directors of the Grand Canyon Pioneers Society authorized the Pioneer Award at the October 1996 Board Meeting. The Board acknowledged that the Pioneer Award: Honor an individual that has made a significant contribution to the understanding of and knowledge about, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado.

  1. The Individual honored will have made a significant contribution to the understanding of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in such areas as: Geology, Creation, River Running, Back Country Hiking, Photography, History, etc., that is, any area that advances the knowledge of the Grand Canyon.

  2. The Individual honored does not have to be a member of the GCPS.

  3. The Pioneer Award may not be given each year.
The form to nominate an individual for the Pioneer Award may be obtain from:

Lee Albertson, Secretary
Grand Canyon Pioneer Society
12219 South 71st Street
Tempe, Arizona 85284
Phone: 602-838-2710
Email: Albertson1213@msn.com

The completed form must be returned by February 1, 1999. If you have any questions please contact Lee Albertson at the above address.


Cookie Jar

WATER BEDAVL

by
Sibyl Suran

It's not a misprint. And it isn't a title just to catch your attention. It's something I saw on a sign. And I see it time and again - in fact, every time I drive downtown. And every time it puzzles me. It's on a motel at a much-used corner and at that same corner there's a stoplight so I get caught there much of the time and am forced to sit and look at the sign and try to figure what it says. Has this sort of thing happened to you?

Or maybe you are a puzzle freak as I am. Maybe you read ads for misprints or well-meant statements that just fail to come out as they are meant (such as our Water Bedavl). Every time I see this I am reminded of a Water dog - a salamander which is good for nothing but fishing on a line and pole. See how easily influenced I am? Can you imagine any normal person trying to figure why a motel would advertise fish bait?

One day when I am stopped at that downtown corner I am going to run in to that motel and ask the person at the desk to explain what a water bedavl is and then ask them for a stick so I can change the sign by shifting a couple letters so it reads "water bed avl". That should let me stop overworking my brain!


Reflections and Rememberances

by
Dortha Bosley, A Harvey Girl

We have lost a lot of history through the years about people. I thought this account might be interesting about later Pioneers who came along. How and why they got to Grand Canyon and how they called it home.

Three young men in their early twenties left their homes in West Virginia months before arriving in Phoenix. Hilliard Hall and Hilliard's cousin alongwith Dick Bosley had spent about three weeks looking for work in Phoenix. The heat in Phoenix was about to fry their brains. The cousin, (I don't remember his name) had enough of Arizona's climate, packed his suitcase and headed back to "West by God Virginia".

The two survivors saw an ad in the Phoenix newspaper for ".. men needed for work at Grand Canyon. No experience necessary. Free transportation..." Dick and Hilliard asked around about the Grand Canyon job but all they could find out was that it was cold and you needed to wear a coat.

That sounded good to them. They arrived at Grand Canyon by way of the Santa Fe train from Phoenix in mid August 1924. They had left Dick's Chevrolet for repairs and would return later to get it.

Of course, the first thing the guys wanted to do was to take a look at the Canyon. They decided to hike down to the river next day {Sunday) since they didn't have to report for work with ElmerNelson untilMonday. They made their trip down and back and went to work the next day.

Elmer Nelson was the civil engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad building a sewer plant and sewer lines for the Grand Canyon Village. There were ditches to be dug and roads to be built. Mule teams to wrangle, wagon loads of supplies to be hauled and rocks to be moved. There was and plenty of work, good steady pay and a good climate to work.

Dick and Hilliard were used to hard labor from working in the coal mines and they knew that they could do anything that Elmer Nelson assigned them to do. They stayed on the job until it was finished.

The Park Service took over the sewer plant and asked Dick and Halliard to operate it under the N.P.S. That was the beginning of their early days at Grand Canyon. Halliard stayed with N.P.S.. Dick moved from Santa Fe RR to the Park Service, to Fred Harvey and back to Santa Fe. It was a great life.

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