The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-07-16
Superintendent MS
Charges at shiprOck Expect
TO Demonstrate to Public
Their Industry and Ability.
WORK DONE AT AGENCY
THING OF WONDER TO ALL
Only Persistence and Nerve of
Executive of Community
Could Have Brought 1t to
Stage 1t Has Reached.

tstan Correspondence
Pennington, y. NJ. July iG.-The
Navajo Indians, or that very large
part of the great tribe under the jur-
isdiction of the shiprock agency. are
going Co make an exhibit at the state
fair which will DE u revelation to the
people OF the hole southwest whose
idea of the Navajo is a blanket Indian
who lives In a dirty hogan and idlos
in the TRAN of a handful Of moth
eaten sheep. After this exhibit has
been made this quite genera idea Of
the NaSaJos viii hav been wiped out
and in IL place will be "a cloar-Cut
picture OF an energetic, intelligent
people, eager for instruction and
taking the most practical advantage
of opportunity and guidance.
The man who was 1irat to see be-
meath the NaVaJu's blanket and un-
derstand the possibilities he has TOT
development WAS and b. W. r. shell
ton. superintendent of the ShipTock
ugcncy. or rather the Shiprock agent;
Tor shelton Is an institution az In
this country. without HIM there
would be- no %Shiprock agency. NO
q. 0OO-acrc irrigation project being
developed for the Navajo people. no
advance ia %blankctry and stock grow
ing, In farming and silver artistry
All these things are present at the
Shiprock agency and Shelton put them
there.
The Shiprock agency was estab-
lished twelve years ago IA "a four
room log hut. on the banks " the
ran uan river. "a miles from Farm
inRton. shelton did u. lie had but
Indifferent announcement from the
indian bureau and positive opposition
IN some quarters. But shelton Is per-
%s.stcut, as all builders must DE. aud
his nerve ia iucNhaustibie. So b. his
energy. shelton got along with the
Indians They found that he under
stood them and their needs. and
pretty soon they were bringing their
troubles To him. about everything
from stock diseases To love affairs.
lie fixed them all without regard 90
what they might be. The little ship
rock school grow. go did She agency
business. until now ON one side of his
main street In his model village shell
ton has ninety agency employees uu-
der him while on the other side is a
model Indian school nilcd 10 its ca-
pacity ot rs studente. and quite as
r efficient and well managed, I'm pro-
e portion Z. its size. as is Suporiuteud-
out Pcrry's school az Albuquerque.
which Is about as high praise as can
be given 90 am Indian school.
Shlprock is named for the huge
aud curious pile Of stun' which rises
sheer from tho mesa west from
Pennington and the san Juau and to
bo seen for sixty miles. looking at n
!. distance like 70 huge shin lott strand
cd in the middle OF tho huge plain,
ana which navajo tradition says re-
ally o. 70 shin turned To- stone In which
the first Of tho Nuvajos Of today
smiled to their promised land.
Tho agency occupies q beautiful Loo
u cation on the bank Of the san Juan
! which has been turned from It's course
10 make the grounds. consisting oi
25O acres. Much of this IL in farms
and gardens. pastures ana stock pens
, II Is % beautiful farm and "a practical
money earning property. It's prod
ucts last year. exclusive Of livestock
sold for something over $4,000. The
, grounds include the usual school an,
! agency offices and building, barns
and pens. flower and vegetable gar
|dens. 70 greenhouse. operated entirel,
hy Indians. and n big agency hoHpi
tai Just being built. The seed hous'
p IS the distributing point for seed fol
F, about hair tho NavEio agency Some
thing OF the scale of the seed distri
button Is indicated hy the fact thu
last year Mr. shelton distributed p
bushels Of watermelon seed lone.
\ very attractive lake, big cuouEl
7 Tor boating. forms % feature of IN.
grounds, living alongside the athietl
field and baseball diamond
\ Permanent stocE SHOW.
Althuug there is u remarkable stoeI
exhibit AZ the annual Shiprock fan
Mr.. shelton maintains a permnnen
4 stock exhibit in his fine herd of pun
Durham mixers, his sheep and h"g'
q THE cattle are magnificent, fun bloc
reds. bred from the best stock Ia D.
had IN ohio. and RAPIDLY building u.
, not only the home herd, but al
around the agency. Shelton has sol'
calves this year at from }l2' q" SO.
a % head and can sell an he can pro
duor az those figures. lie is prodne
= ing his own horses. drau and iaii
stock and his piss, housed ia cement
ed sanitary pens ar" nh iihe Az ar
To be- seen IN any uhhilA M 'H''
ton is making extensive experiment
in sheep breeding, In % very success
ml enuH 90 produce ID heaNter NaN
T" aju lamb ana % longer staple la Nav
aio woods. Tne blankets being turne
out IN this section uf the reseryatio
show the wool result and the lam
wciEhts speak for themselves.
The irrigation Project.
Mr.. Sheituu's browning work rs III
5%,OOO-acre irrigation project for th
use OF young NayaIus. The ~irrigutio
III canal has just beer completed an
cost about $1,000. 600. The nrst ID
lucres Of he big tract are being brol
70 en- this year. II Is the shelton plu
Ito take a young Navajo on his ma