The Winslow mail., 1926-06-25
NATIONAL OLD TRAILS HIGHWAY
WAS USED AS ANCIENT TRADE
ROUTE MANY CENTURIES AGO

4
way which crosses Northern Ari-
zona is many centuries old and was
used as a trade route long before
the modern Indians came, Col.
James H. McClintock, of Phoenix,
former state historian of Arizona,
wrote in a recent article on his
tory of the highway in the Los An
geles Times.
'Few tourists hurrying along the
| Old Trails highway toward or from
the Pacific coast, appreciate that
the modern thoroughfare has been
well named" Col. McClintock says.
"It was an ancient trade route long
before the modern Indians came.
1t was used in 1905 by Gov. Juan
de Onate, who went through from
the Rio Grande to the Rio Colorado
and down that stream to it's mouth.
Later Spaniards called the New
Mexican section Gel Canine del
Obispo," "The Road of the Bishop"
while the western end was travers-
ed in 1776 by the sainted Padre
Garces in visitation to the HopiS.
"In 1849 it was a military route
from Santa Fe to the Pacific; it
was the pathway of Francis Aubrey
Swimmer of the Plains," who
found the Indians using gold bull
lets, and in 1852 it was surveyed
for railroad needs by Lieut.. A. w.
Whipple.
Used by Officers
"In 1857 the line now followed by
the highway was that of Naval
Lieutenant Edward F. Beale, who
used camels for his transportation
and who later, owner of the TETON
rancho, north of Los Angeles, drove
to that city behind a tandem camel
team. There is historic reference in
the stretch of road down Truxton
Canyon, for the defile was named
after Beale's grandfather, comman-
der of the famous frigate Constella-
ton.
"Of even greater interest are the
ancient ruins that lie along the
highway. A few miles east of Flag
staff, DR.. ]. w. Fewkes, ethnologist
for the Smithsonian Institution, is
starting upon the rehabilitation of
pueblo village of great antiquity,
this at point only a few hundred
yards from the road. He plans to
reproduce a group of homes as
when occupied 1000 or more years
ago. In evidence even will be the
glass-encased skeleton of one of
the occupants, with an exhibit of
the domestic utensils that served
the aboriginal dwellers.
Cliff Dwellings Accessible
ga few miles south of the high
way, southeast of Flagstaff, are the
interesting cliff-dwelling ruins of
Walnut Creek Canyon, most acces-
sible of all in Arizona, while in the
San Francisco Mountain foothills
are cave dwellings. Farther east
ward, near Holbrook and Winslow
are large ruins of towns that were
established by the southern pueblo
tribes as they immigrated for their
final gathering on the three mesas
to the northeast. One of these
roadside villages, that of Homolobi,
is easily visited by the automobile
tourist and has been the scene of
much excavation work.
eff the Gallup route is taken, the
student may visit Inscription Rock,
whereon the early Spaniards left
their craven calling cards, dating
back for centuries, while ready ac-
cess is to be had to the Zuni vii
lagos, the designation of Coronado's
expedition, which in 1540 set out
from the City of Mexico to con-
quer the Seven Cities of Cibola.
where gold and precious gems were
declared as common as iron was in
Spain.
"Of course, the Grand Canyon
needs no advertisement. but the Wis
itor, when there, should ask for di-
rection to the deeply cut Moqui-
Supai trail, trade route of ancient
| Indians and used by the discover
ers of the Grand Canyon and other
early Spanish explorers.
"The region hereabouts is beau
tiful, with it's forests and its peaks,
| but the tourist too often keeps his
eyes on the smooth ribbon of the
transcontinental highway and fails
| to visit scenes of interest that may
be viewed with minimum of eff
| fort"