ARIZONA ON TREASURE ISLAND

ARIZONA ON TREASURE ISLAND By Stephen Shadegg

THE friendly invitation, "Howdy, pardners, welcome to Arizona," echoing memories of the old west, is extended to visitors who enter Arizona's exhibit in the Hall of Western States at the Golden Gate International exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.

An atmosphere of glamour and romance, the influence of exotic Old Mexico, the majesty of the Grand Canyon, the peace of snow capped peaks, the soft quiet of mountain meadowlands, and the deep brooding silence of the desert, await the visitor. Here is Arizona the bright skies of the Sun Country, the scent of pines, and the hum of prosperous cities recreated on display to capture the fancy of all who pause, their pilgrimage to other countries interrupted by the hospitality of the Southwest.

In the foyer of the building fourteeen scenic murals, painted especially for the exposition by David Swing, defy the limits of space. The illusion is perfect. This cannot be the inside of a building, the color and light on the canvas speak in commanding tones; this is out of doors; this is a moody land of far horizons, of scenic wonders fashioned by the Master. David Swing, with the Master's touch, has caught the majesty and glory of Arizona.

Thirty feet back of the front door, an adobe and plaster wall, with round pole beams projecting, presents a typical ranch home exterior. In the spacious interior, Helen Iváncovich, of Tucson, representative of the Arizona Fair Commission, in charge of the exhibit, has created an atMurals by David Swing, Arizona artist, make the exhibition one of distinction. Inset, Mr. Swing is completing the Grand Canyon Mural.

Atmosphere of warmth and hospitality. Visitors feel at home in the comfortable Monterey divans and easy chairs.

On the north wall of the ranch house a magnificent mural of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado proclaims with all the beauty and color of the canyon that this is Arizona. The interior walls are finished in soft adobe color. Two windows in the rear of the room are occupied by cactus gardens with a background painted to give the appearance of a desert view. In the center window mov-ing lights behind a painted plastic show the processes through which copper ore must pass from mine to finished product. This interesting diorama, furnished by the Phelps Dodge corporation, gives visual proof to the statement that Arizona produces one quarter of the world's supply of copper.

Above the fireplace, an ancient Apache basket and a Hopi Katchina doll contribute to the atmosphere. Papago and Pima baskets and pottery carry out the Indian motif. A huge Monterey table in the center of the room, on which are two Mexican jug-base lamps, Navajo rugs on the floor, and shaded floor lamps along the walls add to the atmosphere of hospitality.

In one corner of the foyer, an Indian silversmith works at his trade. Prehistoric baskets and pottery are protected by glass show cases and, behind a railing of saguaro cactus ribs, a display of Porter's saddles and bridles, chaps and boots, all tools of the trade, attract attention.

Arizona, the youngest state, is a land of contrast, of magnificent scenery, of romance and color, from the mesa lands of the north where the Hopis and Navajos live, south through the mountain meadowlands to deserts dotted with cholla, palo verde, ocotillo, saguaro and ironwood trees. Thus is Arizona displayed on Treasure Island.

In the first ten days the exhibit was open, fifty thousand guests paid a brief visit to Arizona. Their comments firmly established the Grand Canyon as the world's greatest natural wonder. Three per cent of these visitors plan trips through Arizona within a year, and almost forty per cent of those hailing from the middle west passed through Arizona on their way to the fair.

The murals in the outer room were chosen to give each county in the state representation at the fair. They include Tumacacori Mission, established as a place of worship by Father Kino in 1691, for Santa Cruz county; Cochise Head from the Chiricahua National Monument for Cochise county; Tonto Natural Bridge, the largest travertine arch in the United States, for Gila county; the old Territorial Prison at Yuma; the Graham mountains near Safford; the San Francisco peaks represent Coconino county; the Painted Desert, Navajo county; the Petrified Forest, Apache county; Emery Falls on Lake Mead, Mojave county; Coronado Trail, Greenlee county; Saguaro National forest, Pima county; Roosevelt Dam, Maricopa county; Superstition Mountain, Pinal county; and Montezuma's Castle, Yavapai county.

All the murals are framed in the ribs of the saguaro cactus, and the unusual wood arouses considerable comment, its soft satiny finish forms an effective setting for the scenic paintings.

The Golden Gate International exposition, which opened February 18, is scheduled to run until December fifth. The Hall of Western States is located on the eastern side of the island.

With Treasure Island on the west coast of the United States as a magnetic attraction, hundreds of thousands of midwesterners will traverse Arizona this summer on their way to and from the fair. The extent of this travel has already been felt for April travel figures of this year exceed those of last year.

The Arizona exhibit on Treasure Island will do much to increase this transcontinental travel through Arizona as summer deepens.

Arizona is the only western state to show painted murals. Other exhibits, modernistic in tone and finish, help to emphasize the simple beauty of the state's display. Arizona is also the only state providing both music and lectures to add interest to the exhibit.

All who visit the fair find a warm welcome awaiting them in space eight of the Western States building. There's no need of an identifying sign because the very feeling of the exhibit proclaims this is Arizona.