100 years ago
1925: Actual filming of Zane Grey鈥檚 鈥淰anishing American鈥� began Monday at Tuba City. Thirty-four tons of equipment, including six cannons and several caissons, came Sunday. Sixty-five motion picture players arrived, making a total of 150 people now on location on the reservation, including Lois Wilson, Richard Dix and Noah Beery, the stars. Beery, accompanied by his wife and son, drove over. Bill Sykes, director, accompanied him. Three weeks will be spent at Tuba, after which the troupe will be transferred to Sega Canyon. The equipment, unloaded from freight cars here, took every available truck for transportation to Tuba.
This browser does not support the video element.
The old-time stagecoach you will see in the 鈥�49 parade Saturday, the fourth, was brought here from Mesa, and originally came from Nevada, where, in the halcyon, days stagecoaches were the means for travel for those who didn鈥檛 have their own horses and didn鈥檛 want to walk. In this coach, Horace Greeley, the editor of the great 鈥� in those days 鈥� New York Tribune rode the first time he came west. It was while riding in it that he scribbled and afterwards published his celebrated opinion: 鈥淚t is the country where there are more rivers without water, and more children without names, where you can see farther and see less than in any other country in the world.鈥� Tradition says that many times this old coach was mixed up in raids by bandits. Probably true, because in those days it was a lucky coach that didn鈥檛 have an experience of that sort every so often.
75 years ago
1950: Six Hollywood writers were convicted today of contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about Communism. Fined $1,000 and led off to serve one-year jail terms were Ring Larner jr., Lester Cole, Albert Maltz and Alvah Bessie. The court deferred sentencing of writer-producer Adrian Scott and screen writer Samuel Ornitz. Lardner asserted 鈥渢here is only a minor difference of degree between forcing a man to say what his opinions are and dictating what those opinions should be.鈥� The defendants are among the so-called 鈥淗ollywood 10鈥� cited by the House Committee for refusal to answer questions at a hearing on alleged Communist influences in the film industry.
Ceremonial programs at the Southwest, All-Indian Pow-Wow here July 2-4 will feature more than 20 events each evening. 鈥淭he shows this year will not only be longer than in previous years, but will feature some entirely new ceremonials,鈥� (Neil Christensen) said today. One new feature will be the Navajo Yei-Be-Chei performed by a dance team of children, none more than 12 years of age. 鈥淭his will be the first time this interesting rite has been performed off the reservation,鈥� Christensen said. Taos Indians will perform War, Hoop and Shield dances; Zunis, Cloud Parrot and Turkey dances; Hopis, Many Butterfly, Ancient Buffalo and Clown dances; San Juan, Eagle, Basket and Cloud dances; Kiowas, Calumet, Victory and Fast War dances; Cochiti, Parrot, Bow and Arrow, and Corn dances; Zuni Maidens, the Water Rite chant; Apaches, Crown, Cliff Dweller and Crown dances; Jemez, Harvest, Buffalo and Cloud dances; Navajo, Feather, Yei-Be-Chei and Fire dances; Santa Ana, Arow, Evergreen and Drum dance; Arapaho, Brush, Fast War and Hummingbird dances; Laguna, Hoop dances. In addition, there will be solo performers, including Santa Ana Indian Valentino Montoya and the famed Zuni War Bow.
50 years ago
1975: Investigators are pursuing slim leads and remote suspect possibilities today in an effort to solve the robbery of almost $1 million in cash and Indian jewelry from the Cameron Trading Post. Coconino County Sheriff Joe Richards, whose agency is joined in the cases by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said today there are a few slim leads. The historic trading post was robbed between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 3:30 a.m. Thursday, when four persons 鈥� one possibly a woman 鈥� captured the manager, his wife and an employee and forced them to turn over almost the entire inventory of Indian jewelry marked for sale and all of the pawned Indian jewelry. The robbers also took $8,000 in cash from the post, Richards said, before they left the scene of the crime. The four robbers broke into the (manager鈥檚) home shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday. They waited until Jenkins arrived at the house from the post about 100 yards away and then began the robbery. The thieves had difficulty working the combination to the walk-in vault where the pawn was kept.
25 years ago
2000: Dear Flagstaff community: Words can鈥檛 even begin to describe how grateful I am to you. This past week, I have experienced the pain of losing my husband and the father of my children. Jeff and I never expected for one of us to die at such an early age and leave the other behind on Earth to raise our children. But here I am now faced with the painful reality. Jeff was the love of my life, and on June 21, 2000, we were robbed of the life we had planned together. I would like to thank the members of the Flagstaff community for opening their hearts and homes to my son and me. Never did Jeff or I think that if he did die doing what he loved -- which was being a police officer -- Holden or I would be so well taken care of. I believe in my heart that Jeff鈥檚 death was not a meaningless one. He has brought the entire City of Flagstaff together and has shown people that life does go on. On Thursday, June 22, I received the news that Jeff and I are expecting our second child. I feel in my heart that it is just one of the ways God is trying to tell us that it will be OK. The community is going to have the pleasure to see two more Moritz children grow up here, and if they鈥檙e anything like their daddy, watch out! ... Sincerely, Stacie Moritz