I learned a lot of history this trip.
The Civil War Comes to Arizona
Fifty miles northwest of Tucson is Picacho Peak. On April 15, 1862, a small battle between Union and Confederate soldiers took place, making it the western-most battle of the Civil War. I won't go into detail here. Google Battle of Picacho Pass. It is quite interesting. Arizona, or at least most of it, was U.S. territory at that time.
How Voltaire Influenced the Southwest.
I mentioned in a previous post that both the Jesuits and Franciscans were part of the missionary efforts in the southwest. The Jesuits had been founded by Ignatius of Loyala and the Franciscans by Francis of Assisi. There are major differences between the two orders and a great deal of fascinating history and intrigue in both orders.
Long story short - the Jesuits started the missionary efforts in Arizona. King Carlos III (Charles), after much deliberation, and a lot of influence from his Voltaire following advisors had the Jesuits expelled and the more docile Franciscans put in their place. Jesuits all over the world were being expelled. T history is facsinating.
Lewis and Clark - not the only explorers
Have you ever heard of Juan Bautista de Anza. Me neither! However, long before Lewis and Clark, he blazed the trail from Mexico, up through parts of Arizona and into California to the Monterray area. The Russians were starting to settle in the area, and the Spanish could not have that! While the Founding Fathers of the 13 Colonies were busy in Philadelphia, Anza was reaching his long awaited goal of reaching San Francisco. Modern day San Jose is built upon the town of San Jose de Guadelupe, a town founded by Anza.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Town of Tubac
The town of Tubac, near the Mexican border, claims to be the first European settlement in Arizona. In 1691, Father Kino, and other Spaniards came up from New Spain (Mexico). The name Tubac is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of and O'odham name that means - rotten!
History Perspective: 1690-92 was the time of the Salem Witch Trials.
A Little History
In 1751, the Pima Indians attacked Tubac, burning and murdering in an attempt to defend their homeland. The were defeated, and the Spanish would build the Tubac Presidio to defend the missions and Spanish settlers. The Presidio would later be moved to Tucson in 1776. This left the town of Tubac opened to Apache attacks.
When the United States took possesion of the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, Tubac was all but a ghost town. However, ancient mines were rediscovered and minerals unearthed. Tubac soon became a favoirte sport of prospectors, miners, and and jounalists. The state's first newpaper was printed in Tubac. The Tubac Presidio State Historic Park was Arizona's first state park, and was established in 1959, with a museum opening in 1964. Tubac is also home to Arizona's first schoolhouse.
In 1948, Dale Nichols opned an art school in Tubac and over the years potters, painters, and various other artist have discovered Tubac and made it their home. Today, more than 80 galleries, shops, and studios are located here. The Tubac Art Festival is held every February.
Tubac Today
Tubac is home for between 900-1000 souls. Yet, the town is quite diverse. On one hand there are the artistic folk, on the other are the retirees with a very strong conservative base - as in Minutemen groups. The Minutemen were the civilians patrolling the Arizona border with Mexico and the goal was to report suspicious activity to the border patrol. However, in 2010, Carmen Mercer, head of the Minutemen, (and located in Tombstone, not Tubac) sent out an e-mail asking her members to be "Locked, loaded, and ready." and to bring "long arms" (that's rifles to those of us who don't have guns in our homes.) The error in this kind of message was soon discovered when Mercer started getting hundreds of e-mails from questionable sources with some very knee-jerk reactions. The Arizona Minutemen were soon disbanded so that none of the leaders would be taking on legal responsiblities for any of the members who felt the need to shoot at anything in the desert. The group has been legally disbanded, but the sentiment remains.
History Perspective: 1690-92 was the time of the Salem Witch Trials.
A Little History
In 1751, the Pima Indians attacked Tubac, burning and murdering in an attempt to defend their homeland. The were defeated, and the Spanish would build the Tubac Presidio to defend the missions and Spanish settlers. The Presidio would later be moved to Tucson in 1776. This left the town of Tubac opened to Apache attacks.
When the United States took possesion of the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, Tubac was all but a ghost town. However, ancient mines were rediscovered and minerals unearthed. Tubac soon became a favoirte sport of prospectors, miners, and and jounalists. The state's first newpaper was printed in Tubac. The Tubac Presidio State Historic Park was Arizona's first state park, and was established in 1959, with a museum opening in 1964. Tubac is also home to Arizona's first schoolhouse.
In 1948, Dale Nichols opned an art school in Tubac and over the years potters, painters, and various other artist have discovered Tubac and made it their home. Today, more than 80 galleries, shops, and studios are located here. The Tubac Art Festival is held every February.
Tubac Today
Tubac is home for between 900-1000 souls. Yet, the town is quite diverse. On one hand there are the artistic folk, on the other are the retirees with a very strong conservative base - as in Minutemen groups. The Minutemen were the civilians patrolling the Arizona border with Mexico and the goal was to report suspicious activity to the border patrol. However, in 2010, Carmen Mercer, head of the Minutemen, (and located in Tombstone, not Tubac) sent out an e-mail asking her members to be "Locked, loaded, and ready." and to bring "long arms" (that's rifles to those of us who don't have guns in our homes.) The error in this kind of message was soon discovered when Mercer started getting hundreds of e-mails from questionable sources with some very knee-jerk reactions. The Arizona Minutemen were soon disbanded so that none of the leaders would be taking on legal responsiblities for any of the members who felt the need to shoot at anything in the desert. The group has been legally disbanded, but the sentiment remains.
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| I love this sign! Read it carefully. |
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| Susan and friend |
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| Loved this shop!!!!! |
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| We were about 20 miles north of the Mexican border, and we had to go through border patrol. |
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| There were about 30 of these vehicles. |
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| I had to work fast to get this picture of the drug-sniffing dog. My snapping photos a a border checkpoint had Susan a tad nervous. However, I honed my border photography at the West Bank/Israel. I can get very sneaky! |
Tumacacori National Historical Park
Three miles south of Tubac is the Tumacacori National Historical Park. The park consists of three separate mission sites: San Cayetano de Calabazas, Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi, and San Jose de Tumacacori. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside the land as an historic park.
Historical Perspectives: 1690s - Salem Witch Trials, 1750s - George Washington is an officer in the British Army, fighting in the French and Indian War, 1775 - Founding Fathers are meeting and planning to petition Great Britain for more freedoms. Boston is in and out of martial law curfews.
San Cayetano de Calabazas
Established in 1756 by Jesuit Father Francisco Pauer, this is the youngest of the three missions. The name means Saint Cajetan of the Squash (which was named for the squash gourds that are native to the area) The mission frist shows up in a baptismal record of June 2, 1756.
This mission was started in January of 1691 by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. The day before he also started the Tumacacori mission. Guevavi is an O'odham word meaning big well or big spring.
Tumacacori my stem from two O'odham words meaning flat rocky place.
Mission records of baptisms, marriages and burials are available for those that lived in the mission districts, and can be found online.
San Cayetano de Calabazas
- 1777 - buildings set on fire by invading Apaches
- 1786 - abandoned when the last of the Tohono O'odham left because of the warring Apaches.
- 1800s - the area was used as a farm, ranch, fort, and various other purposes. With the Apaches still attacking, Calabazas was totally abandoned by 1878.
- 1960 - Father Norman Whalen recruited preservation volunteers.
- 1974 - Arizona Historical Society took over the site.
- 1990 - Added to Tumaccori National Historical Park. This site can only be visited with a pre-arranged ranger as a guide.
- 1751 - Father Garruch contracted the building of a church. The ruins still exist.
- 1775 - The mission is abandoned. This site can only be visited with a pre-arranged ranger as a guide.
- Established as a mission in January 1691 by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino
- 1800 - Franciscans start to build a cathedral similiar to San Xavier del Bac, just south of Tucson. Building is slow.
- 1821 - The walls are up to 14 feet high. Within a few years, the work is almost completed until the Franciscans are expelled. The mission cathedral is repeatedly gutted by Apaches and treasure hunters.
- 1929 - The National Park Service restores the church to its former, if unfinished, glory.
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| A beautiful ruin. |
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| Inside of church |
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| detail of original artwork |
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| The last person buried here was Juanita Alegria in 1916. She was just a baby. Her grave is the only one that has been identified. |
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| The granary |
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| This is a modern construction of a traditional O'odham home or "ki". It is made of mesquite timbers, ocotillo sticks and mud. This dwelling was built in 1997 using traditional hand tools. When completed, it was dedicated to San Francisco Xavier. |
Mission records of baptisms, marriages and burials are available for those that lived in the mission districts, and can be found online.
Pimas, Papagos and Apaches
Native American cultures are truly fascinating.
To understand some of my other posts, a little history/anthropology lesson is in order. I have, for years, tried to explain Native American cultures are similar to the way we think of Europeans. Different countries, languages and customs. Americans are different from each other. The wicked cool Bostonians are nothing like the surfer dudes of southern California.
The Papago - Tohono O'odham
The Tohono O'odham (sometimes pronounced aw thum) were long known as the Papago tribes of southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. Tohono O'odham means "people of the desert". They are culturally and linguistically related to the:
The Pima - Akimel O'odham
The Akimel O'odham tribes are settled in central Arizona. (Think Phoenix) Their name means "people of the river". The most famous of the Akimel O'odham was a young man, Ira Hayes. Hayes was a marine immortalized in the famous picture of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima during WWII. When he died in 1955, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Pima and Papago were Spanish terms given to these people by the Spanish coming up from Mexico.
The Apache
The most complex of all the groups are the Apache - a collective term fro several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the southwest ranging from Oklahoma to Arizona. Currently, there are six Apachean groups with chiefs. Within each group are subgroups.
The Spanish
Coming up from New Spain (Mexico), the Spanish were busy colonizing the American Southwest during the 1600s-1700s. This meant trying to convert the natives to Catholicism, or just basically driving them off their lands. While some natives did convert to Christianity, the majority did not. The Catholic Church originally sent in the Jesuits, a strict order of priests. After they fell into disfavor with King Carlos III, the more easy-going Franciscans were sent in to convert the natives.
To understand some of my other posts, a little history/anthropology lesson is in order. I have, for years, tried to explain Native American cultures are similar to the way we think of Europeans. Different countries, languages and customs. Americans are different from each other. The wicked cool Bostonians are nothing like the surfer dudes of southern California.
The Papago - Tohono O'odham
The Tohono O'odham (sometimes pronounced aw thum) were long known as the Papago tribes of southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. Tohono O'odham means "people of the desert". They are culturally and linguistically related to the:
The Pima - Akimel O'odham
The Akimel O'odham tribes are settled in central Arizona. (Think Phoenix) Their name means "people of the river". The most famous of the Akimel O'odham was a young man, Ira Hayes. Hayes was a marine immortalized in the famous picture of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima during WWII. When he died in 1955, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Pima and Papago were Spanish terms given to these people by the Spanish coming up from Mexico.
The Apache
The most complex of all the groups are the Apache - a collective term fro several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the southwest ranging from Oklahoma to Arizona. Currently, there are six Apachean groups with chiefs. Within each group are subgroups.
The Spanish
Coming up from New Spain (Mexico), the Spanish were busy colonizing the American Southwest during the 1600s-1700s. This meant trying to convert the natives to Catholicism, or just basically driving them off their lands. While some natives did convert to Christianity, the majority did not. The Catholic Church originally sent in the Jesuits, a strict order of priests. After they fell into disfavor with King Carlos III, the more easy-going Franciscans were sent in to convert the natives.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Arizona Roadtrip with my Sister, Susan
My eldest sister, Susan Boyes, lives in Chandler, Arizona, southeast of Phoenix. We had discussed my coming for a weekend, and that I wanted to revisit an old mission church I had seen almost 30 years ago near Tucson. I have a four day weekend in February to play with.
Once, while visiting Utah, Susan and I got to talking about going on road trips. I suggested we make a television show about these two middle-aged sisters traveling the country in an R.V. Our niece, Stephanie, looked at us in embarrassed horror, "You have GOT to be kidding!" Yeah, we were, but I really do think we would be able to pull off a fascinating show!
While our father was never much for traveling, unless it involved fishing, our mother was always one to hit the road. She loved traveling around as much of the United States as she could. She was particularly fond of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and driving up the California Coast.
My siblings, for the most part, and I take after our mother. My eldest brother, Larry, has his own boat. (Larry will do wild things around his neck of the woods, like driving around documenting heavy flooding, to the horror of his granddaughter on the West Coast. However, he doesn't venture too far from home.) Dennis likes to climb rocks and visit ancient ruins. Susan likes hiking vacations and France. Joan and her husband, Boyd, have been known to meander around with no particular destination, while there three adult children are at home asking "Are they insane?" And me, well, I will pretty much go anywhere!
While planning this trip, my one request was to revisit the mission of San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson. Susan then planned for the town of Tubac and the Tumacacori National Monument, both near the Mexican border. I had never heard of these places, so I was excited to venture into the unknown (for me) . We would also visit the Saguaro National Park.
So, sit back and relax. Laurie and Susan will be hitting the road!
Once, while visiting Utah, Susan and I got to talking about going on road trips. I suggested we make a television show about these two middle-aged sisters traveling the country in an R.V. Our niece, Stephanie, looked at us in embarrassed horror, "You have GOT to be kidding!" Yeah, we were, but I really do think we would be able to pull off a fascinating show!
While our father was never much for traveling, unless it involved fishing, our mother was always one to hit the road. She loved traveling around as much of the United States as she could. She was particularly fond of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and driving up the California Coast.
My siblings, for the most part, and I take after our mother. My eldest brother, Larry, has his own boat. (Larry will do wild things around his neck of the woods, like driving around documenting heavy flooding, to the horror of his granddaughter on the West Coast. However, he doesn't venture too far from home.) Dennis likes to climb rocks and visit ancient ruins. Susan likes hiking vacations and France. Joan and her husband, Boyd, have been known to meander around with no particular destination, while there three adult children are at home asking "Are they insane?" And me, well, I will pretty much go anywhere!
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| I have to include a map! This way you know where we are. |
While planning this trip, my one request was to revisit the mission of San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson. Susan then planned for the town of Tubac and the Tumacacori National Monument, both near the Mexican border. I had never heard of these places, so I was excited to venture into the unknown (for me) . We would also visit the Saguaro National Park.
So, sit back and relax. Laurie and Susan will be hitting the road!
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| Susan's favorite roadtrip food. |
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| Laurie's favorite roadtrip food. |
Saturday, October 22, 2011
My Hosts
Let me introduce you to my hosts.
Lionel and Isabelle Williams
My niece's in laws are truly the sweetest, most gentle people I have ever met. There home is peaceful. I feel privileged to know them. Lionel has a dry sense of humor and he and Laree keep each other in stitches. Isabelle is kindness personified.
Rob and Laree Williams
Lionel and Isabelle Williams
My niece's in laws are truly the sweetest, most gentle people I have ever met. There home is peaceful. I feel privileged to know them. Lionel has a dry sense of humor and he and Laree keep each other in stitches. Isabelle is kindness personified.
Rob and Laree Williams
My eldest niece is married to Rob. Like his parents, Rob is gentle, but slightly more outgoing than they are. Laree, nicknamed Speedy as a child, is very different in personality than Rob. They complement each other very well.
Life at Casa Williams is quiet and peaceful. The family sits together for meals, and they have real conversations. The hymn Love at Home comes to mind when describing the Williams family.
There is beauty all around,
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound.
When there's love at home.
Peace and plenty here abide.
Smiling sweet on every side.
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound.
When there's love at home.
Peace and plenty here abide.
Smiling sweet on every side.
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there's love at home.
The "Furry" Williams Members
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| Bear - Chihuahua who thinks he is a vacuum cleaner. Will eat almost anything! |
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| Elmo -my new best friend. He comes when I call his name. |
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| Tinkerbell - not social, and I am lucky I got this picture. She was hiding. |
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| Tammy - calmer and larger of the sister dogs. |
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| Buffy - smaller and noisier of the sister dogs. Bear's best friend. |
St. Jacob
Today, the Williams clan took me to the village of St Jacob, about 64 miles southwest of Durham. St Jacob was originally called Jacobstettel which means "town of many Jacobs". The town was settled by
Mennonites from Pennsylvania after the American Revolution. Horse-drawn carriages are a common sight.
Our first stop was to the farmer's market, where we ate true apple fritters made from aplle slices dipped in batter, deep-fried and rolled in cinnamon-sugar.
We also saw many Mennonites along with Muslims, and a variety of other people speaking a variety of languages.
In the main part of the village was Hamel's Broom Shop, where homemade brooms are produced.
I have a nephew named Jacob, and I thought he would get a kick out of this diner. We did not have time to visit the Menonite Center.
On the way home, we stopped to see the world's biggest lawn chair. My niece, Laree, was able to climb onto it. I tried, but my legs are too short for the large spaces to climb on.
Mennonites from Pennsylvania after the American Revolution. Horse-drawn carriages are a common sight.
Our first stop was to the farmer's market, where we ate true apple fritters made from aplle slices dipped in batter, deep-fried and rolled in cinnamon-sugar.
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| deep fryer |
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| paring apples |
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| Mennonite girl waiting for falafel. |
In the main part of the village was Hamel's Broom Shop, where homemade brooms are produced.
I have a nephew named Jacob, and I thought he would get a kick out of this diner. We did not have time to visit the Menonite Center.
On the way home, we stopped to see the world's biggest lawn chair. My niece, Laree, was able to climb onto it. I tried, but my legs are too short for the large spaces to climb on.
It was a fun day.
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