Father of Arizona Highways

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS The Father of Arizona's Highways Bronze Tablet is Erected on Yarnell Hill to the Memory of Charles Churchill Small

THE living rock of Yarnell Hill is to be an everlasting monument to Charles Churchill Small, father of Arizona highways.

There, on a great stone at Lookout Point, his associates have erected a tablet of bronze bearing his likeness and commemorating his achievements.

An engineering career of outstanding accomplishment was brought to a close April 5, 1932, by the death of Mr. Small. His life work was devoted almost entirely to the location and construction of highways and railroads. He was identified with many such projects in the United States, Mexico and South America. With the exception of leaves of absence on consulting work, the last thirteen years of his life were devoted to the highway system of Arizona, first as chief locating engineer, and from 1928 until his sudden death, as deputy highway enengineer in charge of the engineering work.

It was in recognition of his work as chief locating engineer in laying out the present highway system of the state that he has been called the Father of Arizona Highways.

Charles Churchill Small, the son of Levi Stephens and Rebecca Dyer Small, was born at North Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on January 12, 1874.

By RALPH A. HOFFMAN

His early education, between the ages of six and fifteen years, was obtained in the public schools of his home town. At the age of fifteen he left school and went to work with an engineering party on the construction of a branch line of the Old Colony Railroad at Walpole, Mass. He liked the work and continued with this railroad for four years, saving his money with the idea of going to preparatory school and college. On On account of ill health he was forced to give up his plans, and in 1893 he went to California, where he spent a year on a ranch near St. Helena.

In 1894, with his health much improved, he went to San Diego and obtained a berth in an engineering party under an engineer by the name of H. E. Green. Mr. Small states in an unfinished autobiography started shortly before his death that his work under Mr. Green had a great influence on his future. It was the encouragement received from this capable engineer, who, like himself, was not a college graduate, that started Mr. Small on a course of self study which he continued to pursue throughout his career. He became a great student, and entirely through his own efforts, he mastered higher mathematics and many difficult engineering subjects until, at his death, he was an authority of high repute.

In 1894 Mr. Small returned to his boyhood home and until 1896 worked in an engineering party for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. During the last year of this engagement he was transferred to city work and promoted to the position of transitman, which gave him great encouragement in his efforts to become an engineer. At the close of this work he again went West, securing a position with the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company at Sopris, Colorado. From Colorado Mr. Small went to Old Mexico, where he stayed until 1900, working as transitman and inspector for the Chihuahua and Pacific and the Mexican Central railroads. Malarial fever caused him to return to the States, where he worked for two years as resident engineer in charge of construction of 80 miles of new road for the El Paso and Southwestern.

From New Mexico, Mr. Small went to St. Louis as division engineer on con-