Grand Canyon Pioneers Society - Monthly Bulletin - May 1999

GCPS Meetings for 1999

May 15: Come to the Canyon to hear Michael Anderson, author of Living at the Edge: Explorers, Exploiters and Settlers of the Grand Canyon Region, tell us about such pioneers as Captain John Hance, Big Jim of Indian Garden, Pete Berry, David Rust, and many others. He will illustrate his talk with slides of historic photos. We'll meet at 1:00 PM in the multi-purpose room of the Shrine of the Ages. There is parking at the Visitor Center. If you want to bring a picnic lunch, you'll find picnic tables and grills across the street at Camper Services. Nearby Yavapai Lodge offers cafeteria dining. May is a beautiful time to be at the Canyon.

For those who are spending Saturday night at The Canyon, the Casssidys have invited us to their campsite near Grandview for a cookout and picnic after Mike's talk. Bring your own food and lawn chairs. We may have time to stroll along the Arizona Trail. On Sunday morning Diane Cassidy and Betty Leavengood will lead a hike up Red Butte (about ten miles outside the park's south entrance east of Highway 64 on FR 320). This hike is about 4 miles round trip and gains 860' elevation on an easy, graded trail. Jim Ohlman is planning a more ambitious hike and will fill us in on the details at the meeting.

June 12: Annual Picnic at Shoshone Point and a tour of the Grand Canyon Cemetery by Stew Fritts prior to the picnic. Everyone should bring their own individual table service, drinks, a dish (i.e. casserole) to share and, if desired, some meat to barbecue. Tablecloths and briquettes for the barbecue will be provided. Fred Schick will have the barbecue going.

Also bring along your favorite pictures of the Grand Canyon and Canyon Pioneers to show to others.

July 17: We'll meet at the Albright Center at the Grand Canyon South Rim at 1:00 PM to hear Transportation Director Jim Tuck. He has been involved in the implementation of the General Management Plan since its approval in 1995. Concentrating on the transportation and regional information aspects of the plan, Jim manages the day-to-day shuttle system contract, has brought alternative fuels (back) to the park and is helping plan for the greatly expanded transit system. He will cover all aspects of the implementation of the General Management Plan. If you want to avoid the crowds in the Village eateries, bring a picnic to the patio of Albright at noon.
August 14: This outing to Chavez Pass is being arranged by Ron Werhan. Meet at 10:10 AM at Two Guns, Interstate-40 Mile Marker 230 (35 miles east of Flagstaff) for a discussion of the local history including Canyon Diablo Trading Post, Two Guns, Indian trade route, and view of the original Old Trails Highway and old U.S. highway 66. From there we're off on quite an adventure -- past Meteor Crater to Chavez Pass and a 1/2 mile hike up and down hills to some ruins. We'll drive through a beautiful old growth ponderosa forest and past lakes and meadows. The trip mileage is 134 miles round trip from Flagstaff. The entire trip will take 7 hours. We should be back to Flagstaff by 5:00 PM. Much of the trip is on gravel roads and is suitable for passenger cars in good weather. You may want to carpool out of Flagstaff.
September 18: John Westerlund, our scholarship awardee for last year and this year, will show slides and tell us about his doctoral project on the World War II prisoners at Navajo Depot and the Japanese internees at Leupp. We'll meet for lunch at Furr's Cafeteria in Flagstaff at 11:30 AM and afterwards make our way to the meeting room. The presentation will be in the Liberal Arts Building at Northern Arizona University at 1:00 PM in Room 135. In case you do not come to the lunch, the Liberal Arts Building is on the north campus, Building 18. Parking is in Lot 10. Room 135 is on the north end of the building, first floor. Maps are available at most campus entrances.
October 16: Annual Meeting
November 13: Possible Tucson meeting - Ruth Stephens Baker will give talk on the Shiva Temple Climb. A tour of the Arizona Historical Society and a talk by Debbie Shelton, curator of photos, about the Bass Collection Photos will follow.
December: No meeting

The swimming pool and the recreation hall at Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon as it appeared January 22, 1965

Fred Harvey Photo

click image for larger version

Old Number 18 pulls into the Grand Canyon station on a cold snowy day. What a beautiful time to ride the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to Grand Canyon.

Al Richmond Collection

click image for larger version


A New Book

Recently published, Grand Canyon Women, Lives Shaped by Landscape by GCPS Vice President Betty Leavengood documents the little known stories of eighteen remarkable women whose lives have been shaped by the Grand Canyon. These women were river runners, scientists, wranglers, architects, rangers, hikers and housewives. Included in the book are Ada Bass, Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, Elizabeth Kent Meyer, Bessie Haley Hyde, Gale Burak, Louise Hinchliffe and twelve others.

From Ada Bass of the 1890s to Denise Traver of the 1990s, this easy reading book tells of eighteen women's lives deeply touched by the Grand Canyon.

Available from Five Quail Books - West (602) 861-0548 and other fine book sellers


Aunt Phoebe's Wedding Picture

Members of the Grand Canyon Pioneers Society gathered at the Special Collections Division of the Cline Library at Northern Arizona University on Saturday April 17. We learned why that picture of Aunt Phoebe we took when she married for the fifth time had faded to where you couldn't tell who it was. Diane Grua did a wonderful job of explaining the many reasons causing the deterioration of the photos we prize so much and how this could be prevented.

Heat, strong light, humidity and acids in the paper on which the pictures are mounted are some of the causes. Of course, Aunt Phoebe's pictures were pasted on black paper in an old photo album stored in a trunk in the garage.

You may say, "I would never do a thing like that. I always have my best photos laminated in plastic and store them on a bookshelf built above the radiator in the living room."

"That is just as bad," Diane says. "If you prize these photos and wish to keep them to pass on to your kids never use glue or rubber cement to mount them on paper that is not acid free, and always store them away from heat in a dry place. For goodness sake don't seal them tight in a plastic mount as this prohibits air from passing through to keep the humidity even."

Diane passed around samples of photos that had been brought to the library that demonstrated all these problems. She also showed the special care and work that the library does to preserve the photos brought into them for archival storage.

Even though the special collections department may not want all of the 200 pictures of Aunt Phoebe that are mildewed and faded, they might want a few special shots that show a special costume of the period or a background of a building that no longer exists. And all is not completely lost for some damaged photos can be salvaged and restored. And who knows, Aunt Phoebe may even wind up on the Internet.


Easter Sunrise Service And Hike In The Grand Canyon Cancelled

The Ol' Pioneers are a hardy bunch. However, a cacophony of harsh weather - snow, rain, wind, and temperatures in the 10's forced cancellation of the April 4, 1999, Easter Service and Hike in the Grand Canyon. Those traveling from the Valley of the Sun were told tire chains were required to get up the hill to Flagstaff. The 30-mile drive over a "snow drifted" dirt road from the Grand Canyon Village would have been another challenge.

A great deal of planning went into this year's service and hike. The Carmony family was to conduct the communion service and remind us that Jesus Christ died for our sins. The Lucas's were to be the song leaders. Amazing Grace never sounds better than when the words are bouncing off the Bass Canyon walls. Pastor Marquard's message about the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ would have been a strong reminder of our quest for justice, our service to mankind, and our proclamation of the gospel.

But as they say, "Wait until next year".

Lee Albertson


Our Condolences

Elizabeth ("Betty") Kent Meyer passed away March 3lst at the age of 92 years old. She was living in a nursing home in Glendale, AZ. Our sympathy goes out to those family members Betty left behind.

Betty became a Harvey Girl when she was seventeen years old. She came to the Grand Canyon and met Bill Kent, a Santa Fe Railroad employee, at a Saturday night dance. Soon they were married at Rowe Well in October of 1926. Betty Leavengood included a chapter on Betty in her new book, Grand Canyon Women.


The Bulletin welcomes comments, stories, or Reflections and Remembrances.

Please send them to

Tom Carmony
206 W. Caroline Lane
Tempe, AZ 85284-3021

or e-mail them to carmonys@extremezone.com

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Copyright © Grand Canyon Pioneers Society, 1999, all rights reserved. This publication and its text and photos may not be copied for commercial use without the express written permission of the Grand Canyon Pioneers Society, PO Box 2372, Flagstaff, AZ 86003-2372.