Graham guardian., 1914-01-09
LAND DMARKS GONE
The Progressive Spirit of the
Road Superintendent
Worries Old Timer

led to the following communication
|. h. A. Westender;
In all communities there still exist
a few coldhearted and unapprecia-
tive people, who, in spite of all the
pleadings and persuasions of the
masses, persist in destroying the old
landmarks of their county, much to
the discomfort of their fellow citizens.
1t is recently being called to our
notice that the people of Graham
county are no exception to the rule.
although we of the west end of the
valley have been duly considered in
this respect.
There are many old landmarks
which have been in existence ever
since ! came to this valley, some
lhirty.five years ago, which, much to
our disapprovaI %, are suddenly
disappearing. | have reference to
those most interesting spots IN our
beautiful valley which are encount-
cred by every person who tours our
country; those places that ali the
Gila valley people have known and
admired (?) from childhood; where
the freightor of olden days wore out
his buckskln, trace chains ami
patience, exhausted his vocabulary
and lost his religion. Such PAGES
as the old mudhole just west Of
Central, which has recently been al
tackled by some heartless person,
who, | suppose, Was hlrellng of
the road superintendent, and ruth
essly destroyed and graded up, till
now the autos and other rapid
vehicles run around the turn so fast
that there is great danger of col
Iision or a wreck at any moment.
Another spot of interest was the
beautiful crescent at the old Central
canal crossing, where the canal had
some large cottonwoods along the
bank where crossing should have
been; but it was so nice to turn
away out to the West and go around
them. making such beautiful turn
in the road. and crossing the canal
where it was narrower, that we pre-
fered to do it that way; which left
a nice crook in the county road, with
a big bunch of trees there, so
travellers would have to slow down
in making the turn, thus avoiding
any possibility of wreck or collision;
but time has removed this beautiful
spot, and suppose that was also
the work Of some hireling of the
road boss; and now in its stead we
have only a stretch of bare hard
turnpike straight from one section
corner to the next.
We, of the west end, have kept
up our fight, but we are slowly and
surely being overcome, and one by
one our old landmarks are disap.
pearing. AS we come along down
the line we remember the beautiful
spring that gushed out of the hill
at the old Whipple ranch, and how
the rancher and the road boss used
to continue to keep the water in the
public road for the convenience of
the travellers who had loose tires. |
suppose tnat The wheelwrights' union
found out what was being done in
constraint of their trade, so they no
doubt gave the new road boss a
tip" and away goes another land
mark. What a shame and blot on
the county road map!
And still we of the west end are
scrapping, altho we realize that we
are being subdued, for we have
thoroughly decided that the craze
for straight dry roads has at
last got hold of the board of super
visors and the new road superinten-
dent. Only recently they actually
induced the city council of Pima
(they must be crazy, too), to help
them, and they got a few hirelings
to annihilate an old legacy that has
been handed down from time almost
immemoriah, viz: the slough just
across the wash from Pima, at Frank
Kerby's corner. Now, when l think
of the audacity of bunch of pro
gressives" to perpetrate such deed,
l believe the spirit of the departed
will haunt them and not only the
departed ones should condemn them
for | don't know what Kerby will do
with his waste water now. And
when Mattice or Anderson or Lines
gets a good stream of water they
will have to fix up the old ditch and
try to make it hold the water, for
the old fish pond is gone now and
Roy Kelly says he won't have any
mud where he has to run his Hupp
car.
We still have a few old relics left,
but we are just a little fearful that
some crank will get new idea into
his head and undertake to put in
some grading and graveling below
Pima, and, maybe, try to bridge the
old Matthews wash. However, we
are not much alarmed now, for the
bridge talk we heard recently and
which we feared was meant for us,
was only the San Carlos bridge down
there amongst the Indians. where
they don't appreciate old fashions