The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1900-01-19
INDIAN INVERSION J
What Is Being Done for NavaiOs
az San Juan River Station.
Efforts Of the Mission Workers for
the moral Uplifting OF the Great
Navajo Nation.

In the valley Of the San Juan river,
fortyfve miles west Of Aztec and some
seventy miles from Durango, is located
the mission established daring late years
by eastern philanthropic associations
tor the education, advancement and civ
ilization Of the Navaios Buildings Of
goodly size and plain, neat architecture
rear their heads to the sky. All alone
on the borders Of the great reservation,
the desert wilderness encompassinq.
encircling all, they rise as modest moau-
ments to the unselfsh enthusiasm and
splendid Oenehcence displayed under
anx aud al circumstances by the eastern
friends and admirers OF the red race.
The top ridge Of the "hog back" a
precipitous, volcanio-. ridge extending
transversely through the valley -marke
the rcservation's eastern boundary line.
anu the buildings of the mission are
placed snugly up against the east side
OF the promontory. Jewett, ia this coun
ty, is the nearest postoftice.
Che structures at present in the service
Of the mission, comprise the main resi-.
dence building, equipped as a hospital
with ward rooms and dispensary con-
tanning full array Of medicines. This
edifice is eighty-fve feet in length and
its center portion is two stories high
Another building contains the industrial
room located a few yards distant.
Near the hospital are also the stable and
the supply rooms, conveniently situated
and substantially built. Other houses
are the mission buildings proper and
the school rooms and living rooms. The
various buildings have been erected at
intervals OF a year or more, the last to
be completed being the hospital Mr.
w. r. Shaver OF Pennington was its
designer and constructor. 1t is very
handsome editice.
Another mission--a branch of The one
here described-is being established at
Two Gray Hills. seventy miles west of
the "hogback." Some stone buildings
have been completed already. The In-
dian Rights Association, the Indian IN
dustries' League and the Woman's
National Indian association are AMONG
the organized bodies which are assist 4
IN these efforts. Mrs. Eldredge aisl
derives some funds through her position
az the government field matron for the
Navajos.
The pioneer. the moving spirit, and,
as one may say, the "whole thing in the
establishment Of the mission, was Mrs.
Mary u. Eldredge, now the superin-
tendanl Ia charge. Arriving on the
scene from work with the Indians ia
Morris Dakota soma eight or nine years
ago ahs foqnd what was indeed hard
aud discousaging tack before her. Not
one rock had been laid on another Of
the buildings We hive mentioned; the
struggle to gain the friendship and con-
tidenee Of the Indians themselves was
all to be made. She came to a new and
untried field, and the reverses she en-
countered, the rebuffs and vicissitudes
she met with, would have prostrated a
less determined woman. The-to her
labor of love was, however, pushed Un-
finchingly and today hundreds Of rhe
Ravaios have cause to revere Mary L.
Eldredge as their angel Of mercy.
AS means were furnished, Mrs. Ell
dredge was able from time to time to
add to her assistants and companions in
the work. Among those who are now
with her are Misc M. A. Tripp suPerin-
tendent OF the mission; Miss Rykert, !
In charge Of the school, and Miss Edith |
Dabb, who is Mrs. Eldredge's assistant
in the hospital and has charge of the |
industrial and training room. Mrs. Harry I
Baldwin, nee Mics Eldredge, resides !
with her husband at the Indian store
near the mission. To an extent cooper |
Rting with the mission is the government |
farmer, Mr.. s. r. Shoemaker, now sta |
toned on the reservation near Fruit
land.
The INDEX regrets that it has not the |
space in which to give an extended ac
count of the endeaYors these women are |
putting forth for ameliOration Of the con
dition of the Indian and his conversion |
70 the ways of Christianity and civiiza-
tion. Along practical lines Mrs Eli
dredQe has found the greatest need is
for tools for the tribe to farm with.
Wagons, ploNs aud agricultural impie-
meats they have virtually none. The
shortsigtedness Of the government 10
this regard has been extreme. There
are many hundreds of acres of land /
along the San Juan now covered with
Cambridge ditch, just be-
low the hogback, alone iFrigates six
acres--but the alfalfa blooms
sud there are no tools for euttingi the
corn or wheat comes up and only the
most primitive methods of garnering it
are possible. That there are no more