The Winslow mail., 1925-10-06
COAL MINE CANYON
IN THIS COUNTY IS
RENAMED AWATOBI

If the desires of Governor Hunt,
State Historian Geo. H. Kelly, Mr..
and Mrs. Fremont Older, of San
Francisco, and. Timothy o. Riordan,
the prominent and pioneer citizen
of Flagstaff, Arizona, are accepted
by the public, the name OF Coal
Mine Canyon on the Hop1 Indian
reservation in this county will be
changed. By agreement OF these
parties, reached after considerable
correspondence, the name of this
CANYON in future will be "AWatobi.
The changing of the name of this
scenic canyon is explained fully in
the following letter written to Mr..
Riordan by the state historian:
after considerable correspond
ence in which you, Mr.. and Mrs.
Fremont Older, of San Francisco,
Governor Geo. w. P. Hunt, and my
self participated, l have been re-
auested by Governor Hunt to in
form you and the public generally
that the name of Awatobi has been
agreed upon as a proper name to
be hereafter applied to what has
heretofore been known as Coal
Mine Canyon, wonderfully scenic
canyon on the Hopi Indian reser-
vation north of Winslow between
Tuba City and Mishongnovi.
'The changing of the name of
this canyon was first suggested
when you and the party who ac-
companied Governor Hunt to the
Hopi Snake Dance at Mishongnovi'
in August last, passed through the
canyon on a visit to Tuba City.
On the return of Governor Hunt to
Phoenix he told me Of the PROPOSE
ton to rename this cayon, which
met with my approval. 1t was you
who first suggested Awatobi as
name which would perpetuate the
memory of Hopi settlement which
during it's activity as pueblo had
an interesting history, though un
inhabited now since the year 100.
The name Hopi Canyon was sug-
gested by Mr.. and Mrs. Older, but
as the word Hopi is secure for all
time in the history of Arizona, I
favored that any new name should,
as you suggested, be one that would
perpetuate some fading locality on
the Hopi reservation and as the
Governor also favors AwatObi l am
now giving that name such stand
ing as it's PRONUNCIATION by the
Governor of the State, the State
Historian and you, as one of the
pioneer citizens of Northern Ari-
zona, will confer.
"In Bulletin 80, part one, Bureau
of American Ethnology, the follow
ing condensed history of Awatobi
Pueblo appears:
ga former pueblo of the Hopi
on a mesa about nine miles south
east of Walpi in Northeastern Ari-
Zona. 1t was one of the original
villages of the province Of Tusay-
an of the early Spaniards, being
visited by Tobar and Cardenas, of
Coronado's expedition in 1910, by
Espejo in 1888, and by, Onate in
1898. 1t became the seat of the
Franciscan mission eof San Ber-
nardino in 1929, under Father Por-
ras, who was poisoned by the Hopi
in 1888; but the endeavor to Chris
tianize the Hopi at this and other
pueblos was continued until 1880,
when, in the Pueblo rebellion,
which began in August, the Ava
tobi missionary, Father Figueroa,
was murdered. At this time the
Awatobi people numbered 800.
Henceforward no Spanish priests
were established among the Hopi,
although in 100 Father Garaycoe-
chea visited Awatobi where he bap-
tized 73 natives, but was unsuccess-
full in his attempt to re-establ1sh
missions among them. In Novem-
ber of the same year, owning to the
friendly feeling which the Awatobi
are said to have had for the Span