Backing Up to December 15th, Darby Wells Cemetery

Saturday, December 19, 2020

For some reason "Backing Up" sounded better then "Catch Up"...LOL Today we did some driving around Ajo. More on that tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Doug asked if we have ever been to the Darby Wells Cemetery.
We had not so this afternoon we got in our Jeep and 
followed Doug and Yuma over to were it is.

The land for this cemetery was donated by Ernie and Lorraine Eiler to be used as Burial Grounds for Native Americans. It is a Hia-Ced O'odham cemetery. Darby Wells was once a native community that was located nearby. 

There is little information about this Cemetery or Darby Wells online. What I found when I searched was the information above and some nice pictures taken by other bloggers. 

I did find this information online: The Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham ("Sand Dune People"), also known as Areneños or Sand Papagos are a Native American peoples whose traditional homeland lies between the Ajo Range, the Gila River, the Colorado River, and the Gulf of California. They are currently unrecognized at both the state and federal level in the United States and Mexico, although the Tohono Oʼodham Nation has a committee for issues related to them and has land held in trust for them. They are represented by a community organization known as the Hia-Ced Oʼodham Alliance. The Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham are no longer nomadic, and the majority today live in or near Ajo, Arizona, or the small settlements of Blaisdell and Dome near Yuma. 

The Hia Ced are the only O’odham people who do not have their own reservation. One of the reasons for this dates back to 1851, when Hia Ced O’odham suffered from a yellow fever epidemic. The Hia Ced O’odham were compelled to leave the lands that stretched from the Ajo Mountains to Yuma and down to Puerto Peñasco for refuge among their Tohono O’odham relatives. Some families moved to the mining town of Ajo, while others moved west to Dome.

Because of this diaspora, the Hia Ced O’odham were overlooked in 1917 when President Wilson established the “Papago Reservation” by executive order. In 1937, the reservation was divided into 11 districts per the above-mentioned constitution, in which Hia Ced O’odham were overlooked. Consequently, as an unrecognized tribe, the Hia Ced O’odham exist in a political hinterland where their rights are not clearly affirmed within the federal system.    Through the generations, many lost their identity as Hia Ced after living among other native groups or in towns like Ajo, Gila Bend, and Phoenix.  In the Papago Land Claims Settlement of 1968 the Hia Ced O’odham were lumped in with the Tohono O’odham, and some U.S. officials did not believe Hia Ced still existed. In 2003 the Tohono O’odham nation purchased land with the intent that it be used by the Hia Ced who were left out of previous negotiations with the United States government, if they so chose.  The Hia Ced O’Odham are currently estimated to number about one thousand.

The Hia Ced O’odham are nevertheless acknowledged by other O’odham as a discrete part of the O’odham, complete with their own dialect and homeland. At one point in 2012, the Hia Ced O’odham were accorded a twelfth reservation district in TON. The district was disestablished in 2015 after a referendum vote instigated by a legal dispute. 

That said, the integrity of Hia Ced O’odham identity remains strong. After generations of being regarded as a virtually extinct and liminal part of the O’odham community, the Hia Ced O’odham want to assert their political sovereignty and complete with the inherent rights of other federally recognized tribes, such as self-governance and preserving their cultural heritage. The Hia Ced O’odham recently organized an LLC, the Hia Ced Hemajkam, which is working toward becoming the 574th federally recognized tribe in the US. 

The Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham were traditionally hunters and gatherers. They caught jackrabbits by chasing them down in the sand. They hunted mountain sheep, mule deer, and pronghorn with bows and arrows. They caught muskrats and lizards as well. During certain seasons, they went to the gulf to fish and obtain salt. They also ate Pholisma sonorae, an edible flower stalk called camote and "sand food" found in the sand dunes, mesquite beans, saguaro fruit, and pitaya, which they gathered near Quitobaquito and the Lower Sonoita River.

This little cemetery is well kept up and like so many of the

cemeteries in the Southwest very colorfully decorated.

We very seldom see anything like this back in

the Midwest, so many mementos on the graves.

There was an even a small decorated Christmas Tree 

on this one along with a chair to sit on while visiting.

After we had walked around for a bit Doug and Yuma headed back home and we decided to turn left back on Darby Well Road and finish the Scenic Loop.

Isabella Greenway took a floral cross that the employees of the New Cornelia Mining Co. had made for her husband’s funeral and had it encased in concrete and had it carried to the top of the highest mountain in Ajo. She could view it from her home and the employees could view it from their homes. The cross is visible for miles. Her husband, John Campbell Greenway  developed the Ajo townsite and developed the New Cornelia into the first large open pit copper mine in Arizona. 

After taking this picture of this cross a few times over the last few years today I finally decided to look it up and found the above information. I am not going to include everything I read when I was looking for the information. Just a couple of things Isabella was one of Eleanor Roosevelts bridesmaids and the first woman from Arizona to serve in Congress. John served with Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish American War and commanded infantry in World War I.

These next three pictures are my favorite of Ajo.

On the scenic route we turn a corner and the city view

opens up in front of us.

These are called Ghost Figures of Ajo,

mixed media sculptures by Val Uschuk

When I first saw these back in April 2018 we had stopped at the Chamber of Commerce for information and the woman there had called them Totems. The brochure we picked up called them Ghost Figures of Ajo. We drove past the ones below on Tuesday and I wonder if they are something similar done by the same artist. The faces seemed similar in look. (Side note: if you click on April 2018 it will bring you to the blog I did back then including several of the murals that are in Ajo.)

This is up a hill on AZ-85 near the turn for Darby Well Road.

Doug had mentioned it so we stopped to see what the plaque

said. These graves were moved from this spot to the Ajo

Cemetery in late 1948.

Tuesday's Sunset. 

So ended another day we would describe as a good day.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Still at Quail Ridge (Plus a catch up blog from our time in Why)

(Clicking on the pictures will open them larger in a new window.)

April 2, 2018

We are still parked at Quail Ridge RV and the "plan" is to leave here Wednesday morning. The decision to extend our stay was twofold one we are enjoying it here and are not anxious to move and two I needed to see an Eye Doctor. I started to feel some irritation in my right eye on Friday, plus, with it showing signs of light sensitivity I knew I needed to get it checked out. Especially, when it was not any better this morning. Turns out it is just irritated from the dry Arizona weather. His prediction, it will clear up when I return to the dampness of Michigan. (Have to like a doctor with a sense of humor.) In the meantime, he gave me a prescriptions for some eye drops to bring down the swelling and clear it up. 

Then we took the time to pick up a few more groceries and a couple of other things we needed. After which Tom suggested we enjoy a dinner out. I like those types of suggestions and we decided on the Texas Roadhouse and it was a good meal with leftovers for tomorrow.

Just a couple of pictures from today's ride on AZ-90 just past where I went to the Eye Doctors. We had about 30 minutes to kill so we road as far as the San Pedro Conservation Area.

 

Always love the road ahead, especially, when I can see shadows of clouds
on the mountains. I believe these are the Mule Mountains in the distance.

The green of the Cottonwoods is always wonderful to see in the distance.

We saw a couple of these "Arizona Evergreens" today. 

The rest of this blog is from when we were parked in Why, AZ at Coyote Howls East RV Park from March 15th through March 23rd 2018. I took these pictures the various times we drove into Ajo. (Warning: there are a lot of pictures.)

We attended Sunday morning Mass at the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church on March 18th in Ajo. It is a another beautiful church we have enjoyed attending. From what I read it was completed in 1927 and is of the Spanish Revival Style. It is a several years older then the church just south of it which is of a similar style.

Two of the stained glass windows. On the left is what they
look like from outside. 

These signs welcome you to Ajo.
The top one greets you as you drive in from the North.
The bottom one you see as you drive in from the South.

The Tucson Mural Arts Program (TMAP) seeks to create a city wide outdoor gallery of original artworks by matching artists with wall owners. TMAP is a results-based beautification program that involves residents of all ages in the design and painting of murals. We offer a viable solution to social isolation and property damage by working with our community to collaboratively create works of art.

From internet.
Every time I tried to take a picture of  this mural the garage door was up.

Project Organizers in front of Miss Hazzards New Ajo Mural

Project Organizers in front of Miss Hazzards New Ajo Mural

From March 23rd to March 26th dozens of artists gathered in Ajo Arizona, the heart of the desert, to create over 50 beautiful murals in one weekend. Our feature artist this year was Harriet Wood aka Miss Hazzard from Barcelona who created a massive mural in homage to the desert. 

This coming together of artists, diverse in culture, disciplines and practice - started on the intersection of three nations, the United States, the Tohono O'odham Nation and Mexico. The Ajo Street mural project started in 2015 as artists from throughout southern Arizona created murals of all sizes in the center of Ajo, AZ. The following year (2016) Ajo youth and artists came to Tucson for a Community Build Day event. In 2017 Tucson artists returned to Ajo for our third year of collaborations and mural painting on a large grange. (From information dated April 14, 2017 I found online.)

From the internet

The Grange before.
Prepared for the murals by the Americorps workers.
from the internet

2017

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The following murals are in an alley way next to the above Grange. 

2017

The mural below is on building which also borders the alley.
This is on AZ-85 next to the Plaza.
(Moving down the street right to left.)

There are murals and sculptures throughout Ajo and I did find a self-guided tour on line. We did check out a few but there are several others to be found and seen. Plus we did see others that were not in the brochure.

Ghost Riders in the Sky (Ajo Street Art Project)
front of Copper News Building

Rams by Hop David
back of Copper News Building.

Not listed in brochure
this was a store

The three below are on the same building just south of the Grange on AZ-85.
This was not in the brochure.

Not listed in brochure
private residence

Not listed in brochure.
private residence

"Locomotive 268" by Jackie Andes
Created by homeowner to represent his 42 years as a train supervisor.
at private residence

"Liberty" sculpture by Denver Borders
at private residence.

Lizard Flats by daWolf

Scene from 1972 "Pocket Money" with Lee Marvin and Paul Newman.
by daWolf on Napa Auto Center

This is on the other side of the Napa Auto Center.
It mentions a mural on this side in the brochure but nothing else.

This was across the street from the Napa Auto Center.
not in brochure

"The Jungle"  (Ajo Street Art Project)
Southside of Life Enrichment building

Scene from "Night of the Lepus" (Ajo Street Art Project)
on north-side of  Roadrunner Java Cafe.
Many scenes from the movie were filmed in Ajo.

Welcome to Ajo by Carole Hanks and community members.
Next to Shell Station.

Ghost figures of Ajo (These are listed as mixed media sculptures by Val Uschuk in the brochure.)

I had seen these as we drove through Ajo on our way to Why and I was curious as to what they were so we stopped at the Chamber of Commerce and asked. The woman I talked to said, the artist was commissioned to create them for the owner. She mentioned that in making them she uses "found" desert articles that the people she does them for contribute. She also added it started with one set and grew from there. (The woman I spoke with called them Totems but the brochure called them Ghost figures of Ajo.)

Below are the ones we found. The are all unique yet with the same face, as far as I could tell.

The only one listed in the self guided tour is above right.

Ajo is in the Sonoran Desert, tucked away in Western Pima County in Arizona, about 120 miles southwest of Phoenix and 130 miles west of Tucson. Ajo is landlocked with the Tohono O'odham Nation to the east, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to the south, and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and Goldwater Gunnery Range to the north and west. The Plaza, built in 1917, serves as a place of beauty and also the location of many community events such as the traditional 4th of July and Christmas Eve celebrations. The town has been economically depressed since the large open pit mine closed in the 80's following a strike for higher wages. When copper content levels fell, and as the mine grew in scale arsenic was used in the leeching process. The result was devastating. Today arsenic is found in the soil and water, illustrated by the number of rusting cars and equipment. This massive environmental challenge remains the elephant in the room. (from an article dated April 14, 2017 about the murals)

It was fun and interesting searching for and finding the various murals and sculptures around Ajo. Next time we are there we will certainly do more riding around. Ajo is a small community and there are areas that are in need of renovation but you can still see the pride as you drive up and down the streets. 

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.

I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."

~Abraham Lincoln