Williams, Arizona--Small Town 4th of July

Just in from Arizona Travel News:

Residents and tourists will celebrate one hundred years of 4th of July parades this July 4 in Williams, Arizona. A vintage photo shot from the second floor of the historic Grand Canyon Hotel, serving guests since 1891, captured the Main Street parade in 1909 and the community will reenact that same setting this year complete with vintage clothing and horse drawn wagons. The reenactment will occur at high noon as locals and visitors alike are invited to dress in period clothing from 1909 to recreate this historical photo. The reenactment photo will be published in the Williams Grand Canyon News, which celebrates 120 years of publishing this year.

Yesterday’s Main Street became the Mother Road of Route 66 fame and continues to be the focal point of historic downtown Williams. The “Old time 4th of July” events spill out into the community and include a local Rotary BBQ, a traditional ice cream social at the Methodist Church, free Family Swim at the beautiful indoor Williams Aquatic Center, and many more family activities. The 4th of July celebration continues with one of the biggest parades in Northern Arizona starting at 6 pm right down historic Route 66! “Celebrating Small Town Traditions” is the theme for this year’s regionally favorite parade which will feature a special antique war bird fly-over as a kick off for evening Main Street activities.

Spend your 4th of July in the cool pines of Northern Arizona and enjoy the hometown feel of the Small Town 4th of July in Williams Arizona. For more information and a full schedule of 4th of July weekend events visit www.williamschamber.com or call 1-800-863-0546.

Flagstaff Area--Sunset Volcano and Prehistory

If you're interested in Sunset Volcano and its effects on the peoples of the Flagstaff area and haven't watched this video, you'll want to. In the Shadow of the Volcano: Prehistoric Life in Northern Arizona is about the U.S. 89 Archaeological Project: Sunset Crater and the History of a Volcanic Landscape.

In the winter of 2003, the Center for Desert Archaeology published an issue of Archaeology Southwest Highlights--In the Shadow of the Volcano: Recent Research at Sunset Crater about the findings of the project.

It's really interesting information about the archaeological findings from the time of the eruption of Sunset Volcano. And I think, a must-read before a visit to Wupatki National Monumant, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Walnut Canyon National Monument.

Trappings of the American West

In addition to all the Flagstaff Festival of Science activities this weekend, a new exhibit opens at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA). During the 19th annual Trappings of the American West, October 4 through November 2, 2008, the Historic McMillan Homestead on the grounds of MNA, will be open to the public for the first time.

With the 1886 Homestead as its backdrop, Trappings will showcase contemporary art of the American West, but Flagstaff's history will also occupy part of this unique stage.

What an opportunity to enjoy the interpretation of the cowboy and the American West by these talented artists and learn about the fascinating people who built the foundation of our modern American town.

What a great fall weekend!

A. E. Douglas by George Ernest Webb

Want to learn more about A.E. Douglas and the part he played in establishing Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff? Then you'll want to take a little trip to the library, your favorite used bookstore or Amazon.com to find a copy of Tree Rings and Telescopes: The Scientific Career of A. E. Douglass by George Ernest Webb. In its pages you will find that and much more.

Beginning with the first page of the preface, Webb catches your attention and doesn't let you go until the end of the last chapter, The Final Quest.

The first paragraph begins with, "On March 15, 1960, more than 100 persons gathered on the sun-warmed summit of a southern Arizona mountain to dedicate Kitt Peak National Observatory. From the beginning of the ceremonies, one man gained particular notice. Andrew Ellicott Douglass (1867-1962), ninety-three years old, listened intently to the speakers and carefully explored the site of the largest single collection of astronomical instruments in the United States."

Webb ends with, "Few scientists establish enviable reputations in two fields; fewer still create and entirely new discipline. Douglass's success in achieving both these feats assures his place among the leaders of modern science."

And in the 190 pages in between, he details the career of A. E. Douglass. From Harvard University, to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, to the University of Arizona in Tucson, Steward Observatory and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, his impact on the making of science in the Southwest is explored with a sense of wonder and admiration.

This book is well-researched and includes extensive chapter notes and an impressive bibliography. I highly recommend it.

Coconino County Crater

It's been a while since we took a trip back to look at Coconino County history. So, here's an interesting excerpt from the 1906 Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, about Meteor Crater, then called Coon Mountain:

"COON MOUNTAIN'S SO-CALLED CRATER. — Messrs. P. M. Barringer and B. C. Tilghman have made an examination of Coon Mountain in Arizona, and the results of their work are published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (December, 1905). Coon Mountain or Butte rises above the plain about five miles south of Sunshine station in Coconino County, Arizona.

The evidence collected has convinced the investigators that the "crater" was produced by the impact of an iron body falling out of space. The so-called mountain consists of a circular ridge from 130 to 160 feet in height, surrounding an almost circular depression in the earth varying from 3,600 to 3,800 feet in diameter and about 400 feet deep.

Viewed from the inside the surrounding ridge is about 560 feet above the level of the crater bottom. As this hole has a general resemblance to a crater, some observers have surmised that it was really the crater of a long-extinct volcano. The rim around it, however, is not composed of volcanic outpourings; the hole penetrates strata of red sandstone, yellowish limestone, gray sandstone, and, finally, a brownish sandstone, in which it terminates. The writers dismiss as untenable the theory that this is a volcanic crater.

Another theory is that the hole was produced by a steam explosion; but the vast amount of steam required could be stored up only in regions of volcanic activity, and there is no evidence that this was ever such a region.

The writers believe the evidence to be overwhelming that the cavity was formed by the impact of a large meteorite. Much of the rock was ground by the collision into fine particles and almost impalpable dust, and a great part of the crater rim is formed of this debris. The colliding body itself was, to a large extent, broken into pieces. Borings have revealed small fragments and splinters of it, but no large piece has been found beneath the floor of the crater. On the other hand, several tons of meteoric iron have been collected around the crater. Seven pieces of it weigh from 600 to over 1,000 pounds each, and smaller pieces were found around the crater to a distance of two and a half miles.

These iron specimens contain iron, nickel, iridium, and platinum, and there are millions of particles of it scattered far and wide around the crater. A shaft is now to be sunk in the centre of the crater, and, if possible, sufficient depth will be reached to demonstrate whether or not there are parts of the supposed foreign body buried several hundred feet beneath the central plain."

Pages 306-307
Bulletin of the American Geographical Society
By American Geographical Society of New York
Published by The Society, 1906

Early History of Flagstaff

Let's visit another book on Flagstaff history, by Platt Cline, They Came to the Mountain: The Story of Flagstaff's Beginnings.

You already know that I'm a big Platt Cline fan. And you know that I'm very interested in Flagstaff and Coconino County history. So, this is the perfect book for me--bringing the two together.

I was hooked from the beginning. Bernard L. Fontana, ended his foreword to They Came to the Mountain, dated April 1976, with this:

"At least as early as the summer of 1882, the townspeople were fussing over the need for schools, churches, and fraternal organizations. ...

None of this sounds like a wild and wooly western town of movie matinee and television fame. It sounds instead like a piece of already well-established middle America transplanting itself beneath the shadow of the San Francisco Peaks, 'The Mountain' to which men came. And the transplant has been a success. Today's Flagstaff boasts three astronomical observatories, a university and a renowned museum of anthropology and natural history, the Museum of Northern Arizona. As Cline remarks, 'the community's attitudes and values favoring [such institutions] were already evident in the 1880s.'

Platt Cline's concern for the present and his love for his home have led him to examine our common past. We are in his debt for having brought us, too, to the mountain."

This pretty much sums it up, but you really must find a copy of this book. You will be so glad you did.

History of Northern Arizona University

"This book ought to be read by anyone who loves Flagstaff and by everyone interested in higher education in Arizona."--Bruce Babbitt, Former Governor of Arizona, on the back cover of Mountain Campus: The Story of Northern Arizona University by Platt Cline.

You could very appropriately add to that statement: "This book should be suggested reading for all NAU students and parents." I would use the phrase required reading, but that somehow implies that this book might be something to look forward to with less than enthusiasm. Reading this book is anything but a chore.

Platt Cline loved NAU, but he also put on his newspaper editor's hat when he wrote it. The result is an extremely readable history of both the university which started as a normal school in 1899, and the town that supported it. This paragraph from the book's introduction gives you sense of connection between the two:

"The reader will early find that the school owed its conception and birth directly to the small town of Flagstaff, then only a few more than a dozen years from its founding, and I hope he shares my delight in how this extraordinary achievement was brought about by the community's leaders as they maneuvered astutely, patiently, with good will--and also a sense of humor--to attain their goal. It could only have happened in Flagstaff! While there could have been a Flagstaff without the school, there could never have been the school without Flagstaff."

Please consider picking up a used copy (it's out of print) of this excellent history. You'll never feel the same about Flagstaff and its Mountain Campus.

Jerome and the Copper Town Ball

Just found out that Jerome, AZ is having its first annual Copper Town Ball on Saturday, September 13, 2008. That reminded me that we haven't visited Jerome, so let's take a virtual trip first. Three websites immediately come to mind:

• The Jerome Historical Society which gives a bit of history and information about the Mine Museum and the Society's plans to protect Jerome's historical heritage.
• Jerome Chamber of Commerce offers a really good overview of what's available to Jerome visitors. They've added a section of photos from the 2008 Home Tour--a good indication of what you might see on the 2009 tour.
• AZJerome.com is a commercial site and actually is the most informative website I've found.

According to AZJerome.com, today Jerome is a thriving on tourist and artist community and has a population of about 450, but it was once a booming mining town of 15,000, the fourth largest city in the Arizona territory.

Jerome is called "America's Most Vertical City" and "Largest Ghost Town in America." Sounds like a bit of information that might call for some more investigation. This town is interesting part of Arizona history that through ingenuity and hard work has managed to live on.

Historical Atlas of Arizona

Here on The Coconino Chronicles we're all about taking trips Northern Arizona, many of them related to the history of this beautiful and diverse area. What better tool to help us do our exploration than an atlas? And even better, how about a great historical atlas?

I think the Historical Atlas of Arizona by Henry P. Walker and Don Bufkin is going to prove to be an invaluable asset to our travels. I just got the second edition which was published in 1986 by the University of Oklahoma Press--apparently no updates since then.

It's not a full-color book with all the bells and whistles, just simple black and white. But, I think it is just perfect, very clear, detailed graphics. It includes maps of the early explorers, military posts, the counties and how they have changed over time, federal lands, state lands, railroads and much, much more. Of course some of the statistics about population and such are out of date after more than twenty years, but it contains an enormous amount of historical information in a very concise, usable format.

Flagstaff: Past & Present

Yesterday, I received my copy of Flagstaff: Past & Present by Richard and Sherry Mangum. I knew that it was going to beautiful, but I didn't expect it to be filled with extensive text, as well as historical and modern photographs that tell the story of Flagstaff.

If you want to get an overview the history of this mountain town, you can't do better than the Magnums' marvelous book.

The Lady From Prescott Part II

It's way past time for another trip to Prescott. Back on June 28, I wrote about The Lady From Prescott and promised another post. Well, the dog ate my book, or more exactly it was lost somewhere between "It was mailed on June 26" and "It's July 18 and I didn't get my book yet." There's an SOS out, but nothing yet, so this is an interim post on Miss Sharlot Hall.

Today, let's take a virtual trip over to the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott. Currently, on the home page, there is a video of John Langellier's appearance on KAET, on June 10, to discuss the 80th anniversary of the museum. It's the perfect introduction to Sharlot Hall and her life's work, the museum which bears her name.

In addition to the online tours of the Governor's Mansion and the legacy of Sharlot Mabridth Hall , there is also an on-line only exhibit, Color and Texture: The Vibrant Art of Jack Dudley.

You'll want to stay awhile on this website and explore all the interesting information it has to offer, don't leave until you check out this index page.

We'll be joining you real soon down in Prescott at the real world Sharlot Hall Museum. And we'll also be revisiting Miss Hall as soon as we track down that book we want to share.

NAU Yearbooks Online

If you attended Northern Arizona University (NAU) and want to take a walk down Memory Lane or you just want to know a little more about NAU history, Cline Library and the Colorado Digital Archives gives you access to many yearbooks from 1915 to 1978. You can view them online at Northern Arizona University Yearbooks.

While you're browsing, don't overlook the advertisements. On page 6 of the 1915 volume of The Pine, the following ad appears: "For the Bachelor Girl or the School Girl--There's nothing like the Electric Iron--It weighs but 3 pounds--It costs but $2.50. HOTPOINT Traveller's Iron for pressing the Dainty Summer Waists, so dear to the heart of Girlhood. Use it right in your room." by FLAGSTAFF ELECTRIC LIGHT CO. "Do It Electrically"

Thank you NAU and Cline Library for giving us access to these priceless historical resources.

Flagstaff, circa 1890

Our trip today takes us all the way back to the Flagstaff of the late 19th century, as seen through the eyes of John L. Stoddard, American traveler and lecturer. This is how he arrived in Flagstaff. We pick up his story, in his own words, during a visit to Lowell Observatory.

"Upon a hill near Flagstaff stands an astronomical observatory from which distinguished students of the midnight skies search for the secrets of the moon and stars. Few better sites on earth could have been chosen for this purpose, since Arizona's atmosphere is so transparent that the extent of celestial scenery here disclosed is extraordinary.

We visited the structure at the solemn hour that marks the hush between two days, when the last sound of one has died away, and before the first stir of the other thrills the morning air. Then, gazing through the lenses of its noble telescope, we welcomed the swift waves of light pulsating toward us from the shoreless ocean we call space. There is a mysterious beauty about the radiance of a star that far surpasses that of the moon. The latter glitters only with reflected light; but a star (that is to say a distant sun), when seen through a telescope, frequently scintillates with different colors like a diamond, and quivers like a thing of life. Moreover, the moon, forever waxing, waning, or presenting almost stupidly its great flat face, is continually changing ; but the fixed star is always there."


"It fills the thoughtful soul with awe to look upon the starry heavens through such an instrument as that at Flagstaff. Space for the moment seems annihilated. We are apparently transported, as observers, from our tiny planet to the confines of our solar system, and, gazing thence still farther toward infinity, we watch with bated breath the birth, the progress, and the death of worlds."

"To one of the most distant objects in the depths of space, known as the Ring Nebula, the author addressed the following lines :

TO THE RING NEBULA

O, pallid spectre of the midnight skies!

Whose phantom features in the dome of Night

Elude the keenest gaze of wistful eyes

Till amplest lenses aid the failing sight,

On heaven's blue sea the farthest isle of fire,

From thee. whose glories it would fain admire,

Must vision, baffled, in despair retire !

What art thou ghostly visitant of flame ?

Wouldst thou 'neath closer scrutiny dissolve

In myriad suns that constellations frame,

Round which life-freighted satellites revolve,

Like those unnumbered orbs which nightly creep

In dim procession o'er the azure steep,

As white-wing'd caravans the desert sweep ?

Or, art thou still an incandescent mass,

Acquiring form as hostile forces urge,

Through whose vast length a million lightnings pass

As to and fro its fiery billows surge,

Whose glowing atoms, whirled in ceaseless strife

Where now chaotic anarchy is rife,

Shall yet become the fair abodes of life ?

We know not ; for the faint, exhausted rays

Which hither on Light's winged coursers come

From fires which ages since first lit their blaze,

One instant gleam, then perish, spent and dumb !

How strange the thought that, whatsoe'er we learn,

Our tiny globe no answer can return,

Since with but dull, reflected beams we burn !

Yet this we know ; yon ring of spectral light,

Whose distance thrills the soul with solemn awe,

Can ne'er escape in its majestic might

The firm control of omnipresent law.

This mote descending to its bounden place,

Those suns whose radiance we can scarcely trace,

Alike obey the Power pervading space."

"One glorious September morning, leaving our train at Flagstaff, we started in stage-coaches for a drive of sixty-five miles to the Grand Canon. I had looked forward to this drive with some misgiving, dreading the heat of the sun, and the dust and sand which I had supposed we should encounter ; but to my astonishment and delight it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was only eleven hours in duration, and not only was most of the route level, but two-thirds of it lay through a section of beautifully rolling land, diversified with open glades and thousands upon thousands of tall pines and cedars entirely free from undergrowth. It is no exaggeration to say that we drove that day for miles at a time over a road carpeted with pine needles. The truth is, Arizona, though usually considered a treeless and rainless country, possesses some remarkable exceptions ; and the region near Flagstaff not only abounds in stately pines, but is at certain seasons visited by rainstorms which keep it fresh and beautiful."


Excerpted from John L. Stoddard's Lectures, Volume X, 1989, Boston, Balch Brothers Co. Now in public domain.

To be continued . . .

Back in Time--A Trip to the Grand Canyon

1871 William Henry Jackson

Thomas Moran Fishing

circa 1929 George A. Grant

From Yavapai Point, Looking up Bright Angel Creek

circa 1930 Henry G. Peabody
Bright Angel Trail

circa 1930 Henry G. Peabody
Road at Grand Canyon

circa 1936 Natt N. Dodge
North Rim Forest Fire

Credit all photos: National Park Service Photograph Collection

The Lady From Prescott

I just made the acquaintance of one special lady, Ms. Sharlot Hall. She because the Territorial Historian for the Arizona Territory in 1909, the first woman to hold a salaried office in the territory. What led her to this job and where she went afterwards is a magnificent story of the making of our land. The rest of her story is coming soon to Coconino Chronicles.

Meanwhile, here is a portion of the poem she wrote about the plan to admit Arizona and New Mexico into statehood as one state. It arrived on the desk of every member of Congress. Enjoy:

"Ay! Let her go barehanded; bound by no grudging gift;
Back to her own free spaces where her rock-ribbed mountains lift
Their walls like a sheltering fortress; back to her house and blood;
And we of her blood will go our way and reckon your judgment good.
We will wait outside your sullen door till the stars that ye wear grow dim
As the pale dawn-stars that swim and fade o’er our highty Canyon’s rim;
We will lift no hand for the bays ye wear, nor covet your robes of state –
But Ah! By the skies above us all we will shame ye while we wait!"

That's just a taste of the style of this talented western historian.

From Flagstaff to Mars--The Connections

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander Confirms Frozen Water

June 20, 2008 -- Scientists relishing confirmation of water ice near the surface beside NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander anticipate even bigger discoveries from the robotic mission in the weeks ahead. "It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson, during a Friday news briefing to announce the confirmation of water ice. For the rest of the story and photos visit the Phoenix Mars Mission at the University of Arizona.

Mars is definitely a long road trip from Flagstaff, but reading about this extremely important discovery made me think how Gene Shoemaker would have wanted be right in the middle of this proud group of men. And that brings us to the Flagstaff connection--the Astrogeology Research Program that was founded in 1961 by Gene Shoemaker (1928-1997). He died tragically in an automobile accident in 1997. The program he started, and contributed so much to, lives on with a team of over 80 diverse participants. In 2002 the program moved into its new home, the Shoemaker Center for Astrogeology on the USGS Flagstaff Science Center campus. It's located next to Buffalo Park, 2400 N. Gemini Road.

Here you can read about Gene Shoemaker and the history of the Astrogeology Research Program, including how they and Flagstaff contributed to astronaunt training and missions to the moon . Link out from that page to a list of recommended reading, including an online book and a link to "Romance to Reality: a site warehousing over 300 summaries and descriptions of classic, seminal, and illustrative Moon and Mars exploration and studies dating from the 1950's to present," which is broken. Now that sounds like one extremely interesting collection. However, a quick Google search leads to a page on the Mars Institute website, titled Romance to Reality: moon & Mars plans, which requires a bit more research. Happy hunting. I'll see if I can find more info since this page doesn't tell us about the current progress of the books (another broken link.) Seems a shame that the material is no longer available. Sometimes a trail begins and ends unexpectedly.

But, back to the Flagstaff to Mars connection, actually connections, when you consider not only the Astrogeology Research Program, but the history of Lowell Observatory and how it came to be built in Flagstaff.

Want to see how the Astrogeology Research Program is still directly connected to Mars? Go to the Upcoming Missions. Gene Shoemaker must be proud of the work that is continuing to be done on the foundation that he built.

Flagstaff Visitor's Center

Here's a destination that you can reach online or on the road. The Flagstaff Convention & Visitors Bureau is not just for tourists. You can visit online here or the Flagstaff Visitor Center is located at One E. Route 66 in the historic downtown train station.

They have some beautiful and informative brochures about Flagstaff, its history and lots of day trips to take from the city. You can download them as pdf's from the website. They also have a daily calendar of events online and a weekly Flagstaff Happenings newsletter that can be downloaded. Instant access, so you don't have to search the Internet for information about the hours for the Arboretum or what's happening at Lowell Observatory or the Museum of Northern Arizona. No outdated, stale information here.

They're doing a great job (and no I don't have any connections.) Just thought you would enjoy this little trek.

"Arizona, the Wonderland"

You never know where a trail will lead. I've been spending a lot of time on the history of Flagstaff. This morning, I happened upon a book called Arizona, the Wonderland written by George Wharton James, published in 1917.

The page that came up in my Google book search was page 365, the beginning of Chapter XXVII, Coconino County and Flagstaff. To catch a glimpse of what these early visitors to Coconino County saw is such a privilege. He says, "Coconino County is one of the vast slices pared off in the early days of Arizona's history from Yavapai County--the mother of Arizona counties. Imagine an area as large all Vermont and all Massachusetts, with little Rhode Island thrown in--an area across which the Grand Canyon is cut in all its sublime glory, an area in which stands in solemn majesty one of the most, if not the most, beautiful and inviting mountain cluster in the United States--the San Francisco range, 12,611 feet above sea level--this is Coconino County."

Further, on page 367, he celebrates the beauty of the area, "Why go to Asia, or to the heights of the Himalayas, or the Andes of the South, when here are places that challenge the strength, the power, the endurance of the explorer? And it is a region of color, too, that surpasses the most extravagant endeavor of either writer or painter to portray. A La Farge, a Reid, a Moran, a Turner, a Tintoretto, a Titian, a Velasquez aided by all the more and most daring of the modern painters of the greatest of schools might suggest its color extravagances, but even though the artist were to paint it ever so well there isn't a person in the world who would believe it meant anything real--so why imagine the artists attempting it?"

I hope you enjoyed this little snippet from George Wharton James, published in 1917 and digitized in 2007. If you'd like to read more or download the entire book it's available here.