Road Boosters Meet

MARCH, 1937 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 15 Road Boosters Meet Chairman Dowell Outlines Problems Confronting Arizona Highway Department in Address Before Good Roads Association

GOOD ROADS boosters from all parts of Arizona attended the annual meeting of the Arizona Good Roads Association in Phoenix in January. Numerous resolutions pertaining to state highway policies were adopted by the delegates. (See Commission Notes, Page 28). One of the highlights of the conference was the address by Shelton G. Dowell, Chairman of the Arizona Highway Commission, which follows: Our highways now, as always, provide a means for the use of vehicles which carry people and commodities.

What is the situation today compared with that of 25 years ago when you held your first meeting? Traveling on our nation's highways today are 26,000,000 motor vehicles which are crying for more, better, and safer highways Many of our present highways are narrow, crooked, dusty, and dangerous for the present high speed cars. It is my belief a highway commission should plan far ahead with a definite program of construction that will take care of traffic five years from now and improve those highways built ten years ago. Perhaps roads built 15 or 20 years ago were the finest that could be built at that time, but that does not necessarily mean that they still are adequate for today's use. The first railroad construction was a fine job at the time but those roadbeds are not adequate enough for the streamline trains operating today. So the highway department has much to do in modernizing our highways.

We need wider roads in order that Arizona highways with traffic traveling in two one-way lanes with a strip down the center of trees and park will give better visibility, smoother curves, and better grades.

All of these activities require money. When the gasoline taxes and registration fees are used for road purposes, they are a perfectly rational and just form of taxation for services rendered; but they are improperly diverted when they are used for any other purpose than highway improvement.

Primary attention is now being given in Arizona to the completion of federal aid roads, without neglecting plans for secondary or state roads. We must also give attention to market roads, grade separation, and federal and state routes through towns and cities. We are also carrying on a campaign for the landscaping and beautification of our highways so that we may enjoy the scenery of our "horse and buggy days" of the past. Safety calls for the sloping of shoulders, the elimination of side ditches. All of these improvements increase the expense of drainage.

The next thing of interest to you members of the Good Roads Association is "Highway Dollars! How they come and where they go!" The old-time contractor who used horses and scrapers years ago, based his bid on the price of oats in Chicago. Today's contractor bases the price of a yard of dirt on gasoline, fuel oil, and the condition of the road to get to the job.

Our 1936-37 budget is well on its way. All carry-overs have been let and a large portion of the 7% system has been awarded. Soon we will begin to figure on our 1937-38 budget and we find that Arizona's allotment for this period will be as follows: Regular Fed. Aid Roads $1,829,952.00 Secondary Roads 365,990.00 Grade Crossings 314,594.00 Oddie-Colton 372,000.00 It will be of interest to you to know that state highway mileage stands to-day as follows: To aid in the collection of our gasoline tax and other items necessary for the maintenance of our department, the Motor Vehicle Division has stations at the following points: Yuma, Lupton, Ehrenburg, Topock, Duncan, San Simon, Fredonia and Apache.

(Continued on Page 16)

Home of the Ancients

(Continued From Page 4) Rising floors gradually reduce the number of rooms until the uppermost level divides into a plaza and two chambers, buttres-sed by a parapet.

Within the Castle is an acidulous odor, attributable to the bats that reside there. Smoke from the ancient fires still black-en the walls of the honeycombed cave. In the dirt floor have been found broken pottery, well-preserved corn cobs, met-ates, and malpais rubbing stones. In the plaster is occasionally seen the hand imprints of the cliff-dwellers; one of them is an infant's. Two designs are still faintly seen where they dried in the cement after being traced in with the finger and the scrawling of a palm leaf.

There is evidence that Montezuma Castle was not constructed at one time but at three different stages. It is be-lieved to have been a commonally owned apartment house where each family that

added its adobe used varied methods of plastering, as well as wall, ceiling, and door construction. Each man in those days apparently was his own architect.

Beyond the dizzy heights of the Castle, the Verde Valley is seen, walled in by rock gorges that recess other cliff-dwellings of the ancient Indians who once populated the area. The farm houses of a sparse white population dot the land. Wickiups of the modern Apache squat here and there.

Beaver Creek winds through a fringe of sycamores, the wood from which the pre-historic builders made the props, beams, and rafters that support the Castle. The mesquite, yucca, bunch grass, and reeds they used to reinforce the mud floors in the cliff dwelling, still grows on mesas which roll with the green fields into the distant purple of the Black Hills.

On a privately owned ranch eight miles from Montezuma Castle is Montezuma Well, about which many strange Indian legends prevail. It is a peculiar craterlike formation, 500 feet in diameter whose perpendicular walls circle downward 60 feet before reaching the water's edge. A narrow hazardous trail leads to a boat which takes visitors across a yawning lake, the depth of which seems to be bottomless. Only echos of weird bird songs greet the ears of those who intrepidly sail the cavernous cruise. Imagination and loneliness are stirred by the peculiar accent of blooming wild tobacco, catclaw, hackberry and salt bush which root all the way from the margin of the pool up to the surface.

An ancient canal is discernable as it leads directly from Montezuma Well to Montezuma Castle; for the ancient clans must have irrigated the land to cultivate the Verde Valley.

In geologic times, Verde Valley was submerged beneath an enormous lake which deposited a fertile sediment and finally found an outlet to the south. Here the aboriginal civilization became fairly advanced in the Stone Age. In addition to agriculture, they depended upon hunting for a living. Cotton, corn, beans, and squash were important crops. Much salt and turquoise were mined. Skulls excavated at Montezuma Well show green facial bones. Before inhumation the face must have been painted with copper oxide and penetration of the facial bones took place as the flesh decomposed.

Little is known of the history of Montezuma Castle. Who the cliff dwellers were and from whence they came is hidden in mysteries surrounding the

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

Pre-Christian Era, some 2000 years ago. Scientists generally agree that they are the same people who built the Casa Grandes of the Salt and Gila Valleys to the south. They are classified as Indians of Pueblo Culture who occupied these habitations at various times in their wanderings about the Mongollon Rim Country around the headwaters of the Gila and Salt Rivers.

No ruin in the Verde Valley has been dated but the last period of occupancy of the multi-storied cliff-dwellings was after 1300 A. D. How long the people lived in the region after that time is not known but the minimum date for abandonment of Montezuma Castle is over 500 years ago.

Its name implies Aztec origin but this theory lacks support and Montezuma probably never heard of it. History indicates that Espejo looked for mines north and east of Prescott in the Verde Valley in 1583. In 1599, two members of Onate's Expedition, Farfan and Quesada, probably visited the same locality through the Trusayan region. Again in 1604, Onate and his party came to this country in search of gold and silver mines. American pioneering began in 1836, but the main influx of settlers did not come until 1860, following the discovery of gold near Prescott.

The first mention of Montezuma Castle appears to be in the Whipple Report of a railroad survey in 1854. A military post was established at Camp Verde in 1864 to help suppress the Apaches. It was at first called Camp Lincoln but in 1866 it was moved five miles south to the present location and named Camp Verde. The Camp is now deserted but army men and women who lived there have left no reports of the Castle ruins which are visible three miles from the fort. General knowledge of the Monument became established when the road was built from Prescott to Flagstaff through Camp Verde.

On December 8, 1906 Montezuma Castle was set aside as a National Monument to which excellent highways lead.

John Scott Named Commissioner

Upon favorable means to make our out-of-state visitors more familiar with the state's varied scenic and historical wonders. We may find it practical to sell Arizona at the border-lines with court-eous and considerate attention given to visitors.

"Every person who enters our state can become an Arizona booster if we

MARCH, 1937

treat them with extreme kindness and consideration.

"The primary highways are good, and conductive to fast travel. Unfortunately, the increased power of automobiles and the speedy tempo of the driving public has added peril to transportation. By new construction and rerouting we shall stress greater safety. Curves will be eliminated and reduced, and roads will be widened in districts of heavy travel. Underpasses will be built at railroad crossings where great danger occurs.

"The Arizona Highway Patrol deserves a great deal of praise for the fine safety work they have done in the past two months. The death toll on the roads has been diminishing rapidly since the patrol began its campaign against reckless and drunk drivers. This, I hope, will continue indefinitely. It is a credit to Arizona.

John and Mrs. Scott-formerly Anne Jakle of the prominent Flagstaff family -live in Holbrook. The young commissioner travels a great distance to commission meetings, giving him an enlarged view of the state's road development.

"No special district of the state, in my opinion, should be unduly favored in the highway program. As a member of the commission, I do not feel that I represent any certain county, but that my duty and work entails fairness to every county and a program that will be beneficial to the entire state."

"Our objectives cannot be attained with the ease of Genii. Painstaking and constant work will bring these finer things to our highway system, to the residents of the state and to our visitors."

(Next month: Commissioner R. G. Langmade).

(Continued From Page 15) In other words there are eight stations with 27 men on duty day and night. These men check cars and contents to see that they comply with our laws for the protection to the occupant and contents of the legitimate truck and bus lines. Such a close check has practically eliminated the "fly-by-night" bus lines and bootleg truckers. It is the desire of the highway com-mission to add additional mileage to the state system in our several counties when sufficient traffic has developed to pay its maintenance and improvement. I believe that the highway department should maintain state and federal roads passing through cities and municipalities. We have the equipment and organization for this purpose.