Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-06-23

CLIFTON, June 22.-At a ceremony
witnessed by $500 persons from every
county in Arizona and every state in
the union except three, the Clifton
SpringervilIe highway, new million
dollar road through the Apache ma
tional forest, was dedicated as The
Coronado Trail during two-day cell
ebration at Hannagans Meadow, rs
miles north of Clifton, June 10 and
90 The celebration was considered of
such national Importance, opening as
it does for camping, fishing and hunt
ing the largest uncut timber area in
the United States and one of the last
big game regions left in America,
that Mayor Peter Riley of Clifton,
chairman of the celebration commit
tee, announced during the dedicatory
speaking program that similar eel
ebration possibly to be known as the
Annual Coronado Festival would be
held at Hannagans Meadows in June
of every year hereafter.
A monument made of a mixture of
concrete and Stag four feet above a
six-inch base with a bevel top bear
ing a copper plate inscribed Clifton
Springerville highway, The Coronado
Trail Dedicated June 10, 1926" was
formally unveiled, Governor Hunt of
Arizona officiating. The governor
spoke briefly upon the journey of the
Spanish explorer, Don Francisco Vas
quez de Coronado, over presumably
this route 3S6 years ago, when he led
an army of cavalier adventures north
from New Spain to Zuni believed by
him to have been one of the Seven
Cities of Cibola, to conquer in the
name of the king and plant the cross
in the name of Christ.
What was considered one of the
outstanding features of the, speaking
program was talk by Al-cha-say for
40 years the ranking chief of the
White mountain Apache Indians, who
have been at peace with the white
man for that 40 years. The venerable
chief, speaking through an interpreter,
said he had found the whites a good
people with whom his people had
made ties of lasting Friendship.
You come now in safety and the
Indians, come now in safety to this
big, high pretty forest and all this
big country said Al-cha-say. but
not always so. Geronimo he made it
dangerous to come here and there. He
no more. White people are good peo-
pie. Indians glad to be with you to-
day and do our part to celebrate this
great road through this pretty place.
You must have good roads now, for
you travel fast Indians like to travel
fast, too. We like you. That is all
have to say"
Chief Al-cha-say led to the ce1e-
bration band of 225 White mountain
Apache Indians from Fort Apache. The
band included men, women and chill
dren, the most of whom participated
in the Apache Indian devil dance be-
ginning at shutdown Saturday and end
ing with bethorthal ceremony at
shutdown Sunday. This dancing was
witnessed during the night by several
thousand white people.
At sunrise, A1-cha-say appeared in
the center of the dancing circle to
say good morning" to the white peo-
pie and to thank them for the inter
est they had taken in the Dance
tive tribal custom, to become only a
Dance as explained, was for the pur-
pose of appeasing the evil spirit, and
the ceremony at dawn presented a
girl blessed by the Good Spirit, who
had reached the age of Is years and,
according to tribal custom, was there
fore ready for marriage.
The speaking program included j.
D. Jones, assistant district forester,
who expressed himself as confident
that the new, road would be well
maintained and improved in proper
ton to the traffic over it, which bore
evidence of increasing rapidly, now
that the road was actually opened,
admitting motorists to one of the
most marvellous Fairgrounds of health
and beauty in all the world" SINH
lar assurances were given by w. &C.
Lefebvre, state engineer and B. NJ.
Atwood, district engineer, state high
district engineer, u. s. bureau of pub
lie roads.
Charles l.. Davis, agent of the Fort
Apache Indian agency, spoke in ex-
PLANTATION of the Indian dances pre-
scented. Gustave Becker pioneer
white settler of Springerville spoke
on behalf of the pioneers of Apache
county, and Col. Dell NJ. Potter, pio-
neer of Greenlee county, spoke on pio-
neer road building and the progress
made in road building within the past
few years. Capt. j. p Hodgson, man.
ager of the Morenci branch of the