NORTHERN ARIZONA SOCIETY OF SCIENCE AND ART

Situated in a magnificent setting amongst the pines at the foot of San Francisco Peaks at Flagstaff, one of the nation's more unusual scientific institutions is quietly winning nationwide-even worldwide-acclaim as a center for research in the fields of geology, biology and anthropology.

Thousands of visitors each year say enthusiastically that the Museum of Northern Arizona is one of the most effective museums they have ever seen. Its displays set forth graphically and with exceptional taste the story of Northern Arizona, one of America's most interesting areas geologically, anthropologically and biologically.

But heretofore little has been brought to wide public attention of the story of the institution, the purposes for

which it exists and the interesting and tremendously significant work that is being done behind the scenes to give modern Man a better understanding of the world around him. In a world where the public notice of scientific advances is devoted principally to newly harnessed forces of destruction, the story of the research program of the Museum of Northern Arizona is a refreshing one.

In 1953 a new $150,000 Research Center was completed, crowning planning and efforts toward that end since the Museum first opened its doors to the public in the Flagstaff Woman's Club building in 1928. Today the assets of the institution include endowment, 80 acres of land, buildings and equipment valued at some two million dollars.

Perhaps the most unusual and least known fact about the Museum of Northern Arizona is that all of these assets have come from private support. Unlike perhaps the majority of such institutions, the Museum of Northern Arizona is supported entirely by private endowment, subscription and membership. No government funds-county, state or federal-have contributed to its establishment, growth or maintenance.

Contrary to another popular misconception, however, the Museum is not the private property of any individual or group of individuals. It is a non-profit corporation, the proper corporate name of which is Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art. To it a great many individuals have contributed time, money and their special abilities. Most prominent among them, perhaps, has been Dr. Harold S. Colton, who has been director since the beginning and thus the principal guide of the organization's expansion and accomplishments. Mrs. Colton has been very active also. But they are bothered by the belief some people seem to hold that it is their museum. Dr. Colton says his was not even the largest contributed to the endowment.

The purpose of the Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art, as set forth in its constitution, is: “ . . . to increase and diffuse knowledge and appreciation of science and art, and to maintain in the City of Flagstaff a museum; to collect and preserve objects of artistic and scientific interest, to protect historic and prehistoric sites, works of art, scenic places, and wild life from needless destruction; to provide facilities for research and publication, and to offer opportunities for aesthetic enjoyment.” Support for these activities (all of which are conducted specifically in relation to the area of Northern Arizona) comes from members in 33 states and nine foreign countries. It is a testimony both to the effectiveness of the Museum and also to the interest Northern Arizona holds as a scientific laboratory for the rest of the world. Further evidence on the same points is the fact that 62 scientific institutions in the United States and eleven in foreign countries regularly exchange publications with the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Casual visitors to the Museum, of whom there are some 20,000 a year, see only the attractive displays. The manner in which the displays are set forth was decided many years ago when the Society first was formed. The exhibits should tell a story, the founders said, and only enough material to tell that story should be used; there should not be so much the visitor is confused.

Thus, in each of its three major fields of interest, the Museum has succeeded in its aim of telling the story of the formation of this land of Northern Arizona through geologic ages; the story of the flora and fauna of the area; and the particularly fascinating story of the peoples of the land, from the prehistoric up to the Indians of the present day. In each of the three departments, the visitor is invited to start at the beginning and follow the story in logical sequence to the end. Paintings, artifacts and charts are artistically arranged to illustrate the full stories as set forth in layman's language on cards and panels.

Even the casual visitor, however, can not fail to be impressed with the fullness of knowledge evident in these non-technical explanations. And his impression is correct, for behind the scenes in the Museum organization are thousands upon thousands of reports, charts, artifacts, maps, photographs, samples and files of data which comprise an amazing body of knowledge about the northern part of the state and its history.

It has long been recognized that Northern Arizona, with its Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon and many other faulted and eroded canyons, its volcanic craters, lava beds, rock formations of many sorts and so on offer the geologist one of the world's widest open books for study of the earth's history. Uncounted hundreds of geologists, from the most erudite professional to the rankest amateur, have delighted in the ready access to a tremendous variety of formations offered by the area. Many of the qualified scholars among them have availed themselves of the hospitality and cooperation of the Museum of Northern Arizona during the past quarter century and have made that their headquarters for field trips and research.

It is generally recognized, also, that Northern Arizona is a fruitful workshop for the anthropologist. This vastly important and exceedingly interesting science of the study of Man divides itself into two phases, Archaeology and Ethnology. Archaeology is the study of prehistoric Man and his cultures from the tangible evidences he has left behind, the ruins of his buildings, his pottery, his fabrics, his implements and weapons and all the other artifacts and remains that can be found.

Ethnology, on the other hand, deals with the origins, distribution, division into races, differences and similarities of peoples, mostly still living, of whom we have reliable history. Most of reliable history is written; thus roughly archaeology stops when writing comes in. But many Indian tribes still living had no written language until comparatively recently; most still have none. Thus it is difficult to draw a hard and fast line between the two divisions of the broad science of Anthropology.

However, it is easy to see that Northern Arizonaindeed, the entire state-is a marvelous laboratory for both sciences. The dry climate has helped to preserve relics of ancient cultures which might have rotted long ago had they been left in wetter places. Thus the archaeologist has literally thousands of still unexplored and unrestored ruins to investigate in his hopes of delving ever deeper into the shrouded history of the earliest origins of Man.

For the ethnologist there is the fascinating challenge of the many Indian nations and tribes of the state. Where did they come from? Which ones are related? Wherein are their customs, religions, languages related; wherein different? Which tribes came here first, which later? Which are related to the prehistoric builders of Montezuma Castle, Wupatki, Casa Grande and other similar ruins? And, again, from where did they come?

At that point, of course, Ethnology and Archaeology unite again, and the Anthropology of Northern Arizona and that of the rest of the world unite in Man's age old search to learn more and more about himself. And nowhere in the world except in Egypt, the Near East, Mexico and Peru have climate and the continued existence of ancient cultures so favored Man in his search as in the American Southwest.

As a biological laboratory Northern Arizona offers the widest possible range of life zones in one of the shortest distances in the world. From the top of the San Francisco Peaks to the floor of the Verde Valley, only about 35 airline miles away, are represented all life zones from the Arctic-Alpine to the Lower Sonoran, or dry tropical. The only life zone not represented is the wet tropical, which obviously could not possibly occur side by side with the dry tropical.

Thus the flora and fauna indigenous to the area run a correspondingly wide gamut. Plant life varies from the lichens and mosses above the timber line on the peaks, the Engelmann spruce and Douglas fir a little lower down, to the many species of cactus on the valley floor. Wild life ranges from big game like elk, bear, mountain lion, deer and antelope to the scorpions, centipedes and lizards of the lower zones.

Originally it was the intention of the founders of the Society to divide the museum collections into three categories: one for the casual visitor, one for the serious student and the third for the qualified research worker. Until recently, however, the study and research collections of

birds, mammals, plants, insects, rocks, artifacts and so on have had to be combined because of lack of space. Now, however, the new Research Center is making the appropriate separation possible.

That means the organization's full purposes are being realized more completely than ever before. The serious student in any of the three fields of the Museum's interest is welcome, without charge, to use the study collections, the library and to seek guidance from members of the staff. The only return the Museum asks is that it be given a full copy of any report or paper the student might write, and that the student give the Museum, whenever possible, a duplicate of all the samples he collects during any original field work done while using the facilities of the Museum.

Another phase of the Museum's cooperation with serious students is the awarding of assistantships for undergraduates. These students spend summers assisting either members of the staff or graduate students who are doing original work for advanced degrees under the supervision of staff members. The undergraduates do it for the training and experience. It is interesting to note that there have been many graduate students who have spent protracted periods working at the Museum of Northern Arizona doing research for their master's thesis or doctor's dissertation with the approval of their colleges and universities, which have granted full academic credit for the time so long as the work is done under the supervision of an accredited member of the Museum staff.

The Museum has developed a coordinated geology program which, over the course of years, has made significant contributions to the total fund of knowledge on the subject. When a graduate student comes to the Museum, expressing a desire to work there, but with no specific subject in mind, the staff will discuss his interests, then suggest a particular problem which needs investigation. Since these problems all are related, the theses produced by the students on individual subjects add up to an answer to a larger previously unsolved problem.

Finally there is the program of research associates. These are qualified scholars in the various fields who come to the Museum of Northern Arizona from many parts of the world to conduct research in a wide variety of fields. Recently, for example, Dr. Raymond Gutschick, Professor of Geology at Notre Dame University, was working at the Museum investigating the Redwall limestone formations of the Grand Canyon and the Mogollon Rim.

At the same time Dr. A.K. Runcorn, a geophysicist from Cambridge University was working at the Museum on the history of the earth's magnetic field as reflected by residual magnetism in sedimentary rock formations. Dr. Carl Voegelin, of Indiana University, was using the most modern recording and sound reproduction apparatus doing field work on the Hopi Indian language. And the late Dr. Gladys Reichard, Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College, Cambridge, Mass., was also doing independent work on Indian languages.

The vast store of information on file at the Museum is available free of charge to anyone having a legitimate interest in it. It is quite conceivable that someone, say a geophysicist for an oil company, might study the Museum's data and conclude that oil could be found in a given area, then go out and actually locate an oil well. The Museum would neither have nor make any claim to a share in the proceeds. That is what is meant, says Dr. John F. Lance, Research Director in geology, when the staff of the Museum emphasizes that its primary interest is in pure researchthe finding of knowledge simply for the sake of knowledge. It differs from applied research in that the latter attempts to solve a given problem for a specific reason, usually a practical and economic one.

Occasionally the Museum has agreed to undertake projects in applied research for private enterprise. In such cases, the cost of the undertaking is paid by the interested party. One instance of such applied research by the Museum was carried on by Edwin D. McKee, USGS formerly assistant director of the Museum and head of the Geology Department of the University of Arizona. Mr. McKee had made a series of isopachous maps of Arizona and adjacent areas showing the varying thicknesses of sedimentary strata during different geologic periods. A number of oil companies became so much interested in the original work that they and several state and federal agencies made grant nade grants of money and assistance to have the Museum finish the work. Incidentally, this project was completed so successfully that it led directly to Mr. McKee's present work of making similar maps of the entire United States for the federal government.

Ever since its inception, of course, the Museum has been actively interested in the Indians of Northern Arizona. In 1952 this interest was put to work for the economic advantage of the modern Navajos and Hopis. A detailed mineral survey of the Navajo-Hopi Indian reservations paid for by the Navajo Tribal Council was based at the then unfinished Research Center. Mr. McKee, then still on the Museum's staff, directed the survey in 1952 and 1953. It has made detailed studies of individual products that appear to have good potentials for economic development. Since 1953 the Navajo Resources Project was directed by Dr. George Kiersch. The principal mineral products studied included clays, building stones, coal, concrete materials, gypsum, manganese, sand and gravel, abrasives, cinders, semi-precious stones and pinon resin. It seems likely the Indians will be able, on the basis of those findings, to add considerably to their economic stability and advancement.

Another of the Museum's activities which is of current tangible benefit to the Indians is the continuing program of encouraging the Indians to preserve and develop their ancient arts and crafts. These arts and crafts, the Museum feels, are unique cultural heritages which should not be allowed to die out. Thus, annually the Museum stages a Junior Indian Art Show and Navajo and Hopi Craftsman Exhibitions, as well as other special similar events.

This program has had the effect not only of encouraging the Indians in their arts and crafts, but it has also cultivated the interest of white people in these arts and crafts and engendered wider appreciation of them, thus helping considerably to stimulate a market for the products.

It is impossible here to outline even briefly all the accomplishments of the Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art. Indeed, many hundreds of publications and hundreds of articles have been written to describe them. A systematic outline of the Society's activities from 1928 to 1953 is contained in the 74-page silver anniversary number of "Plateau," the Society's quarterly publication which reports four times a year on the current major work of the organization. "Plateau" is sent free to all members of the Society. Membership is divided into eight categories, ranging from student memberships at $2.50 a year and open only to people under 18 or those who are regularly enrolled as students in some recognized educational institution, to the benefactor classification, open to those who give $1000 or more. Financial gradations of memberships are $2.50, $5.00, $10, $25, $50, $100, $500 and $1000.

Which is all very well, someone might say; but what reason is there for the average Arizonan to pay $5 or $10 a year or more to support the work of the Society? Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnology, Geology, Paleontology and the rest sound like pretty abtruse and impractical fields. Perhaps. Yet the potential value of Biology and Geology as purely practical helps toward increasing the wealth and welfare of the state and nation is widely known.

As for anthropology and its divisions, there are excellent practical reasons for supporting such work, although the Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art has been reluctant to point them out lest the public be led to try to evaluate the work of the organization in terms of dollars and cents. The Society has grown and prospered for 27 years on the sound philosophy that all knowledge is valuable and is a commendable end in itself.

Yet the formation of the Society by such prominent and respected Arizonans as Dr. Colton, Dr. Grady Gammage, the late Dr. Frank Lockwood, Frank Gyberg, Lionel F. Brady and Dr. V. M. Slipher has been largelyresponsible for keeping Arizona's historic and scienestic trensures in Arizona. In 1gay, the year before these won' and their associares founded the Suctezy, it was rahatly reported shart Berlin, Gemmny, had a greater collection of Ardzora artifacts and works of native Arizone art than then existed in any museum in the state. The work of the Saciery has helped prevent the despoiling of Arizons of its omique treasures by by those from other places who reang aise theic solertific and artistle values.

responsible for keeping Arizona's historic and scienestic trensures in Arizona. In 1gay, the year before these won' and their associares founded the Suctezy, it was rahatly reported shart Berlin, Gemmny, had a greater collection of Ardzora artifacts and works of native Arizone art than then existed in any museum in the state. The work of the Saciery has helped prevent the despoiling of Arizons of its omique treasures by by those from other places who reang aise theic solertific and artistle values.

Aside from gathering such articles, classifying them and preserving them in orderly fashion, the Society has helped protect them by bringing to as wide public notice as possible the fact that there are Federal and State laws protecting any object of historic, scientific or artistic value. Under these "Antiquities Acts no one except a qualified specialist with a Federal and state permit may disturb such objects wherever they may be found.

Indeed, "pot hunter" is about the worst thing a person can be called by a member of the Society's staff. A pot hunter is a person who goes out looking for unexplored Indian ruins. He finds one and digs into it, wantonly gath ering up pottery, arrow heads, mentes, cloth, baskets of whatever else he can find. He carts them off home and puts them on shelves laden with similar relics of Southw est history. He shows them off proudly to his friends and boasts, "My collection is one of the biggest and most valuable private collections of genuine prehistoric artifacts in the state He may be right about the size, says Robert C. Euler, noted rock curator of anthropology, but the pot hunter is completely wrong about the value of his collection. Many such collections have been offered to the Museum by the estates of those enthusiastic but misguided hobbyists. The Museum has refused them, for without complete docu mentation, without detailed and scientifically secure data on where the pieces were found, (and how deep a cover and of what sort, where they lay in relation to other pieces, and a great deal of other information which can be gathered best by an expert, the pieces are worthless. They tell nothing about the lives, clothes, or history of their makers, On the other hand, Euler hastened to acknowledge that Anthropology is very much indebted to amateurs, One of the most important finds of the last few years in Arizona was made by amateur speleologists (cave hunt-ers) in the Arizona Strip country. Larry J. Bailey, of Washington, Utah, found a cave in which were many still very perishable artifacts like sandals, cordage, rotting and casts. Bailey disturbed nothing is reported the find to the Museum of Northern Arizona. Intensive Scientific observation yielded a great store of information about people of Southwestern prehistory of whom little was known.

Another instance was the finding by amateurs of the bones of a prehistoric mammoth of Naco Arizona, near Bisbee. Associated with the bones were stone spear heads indicating the animal had been killed by man. Scientific Investigation revealed that the hunt had occurred some 10,000 years ago. Had the bones been disturbed, accurate conclusions could not have been reached by the anthropologists of the University of Arizona to whom the miners reported their find. As it was, incontrovertible evidence of the existence of men in this region 10,000 years ago came to light.

As for present cases of anthropological findings, Malcolm F. Farmer, until recently assistant director of the Museum, points out that the Museum has been able, through its specialized knowledge of Arizona Indians and their relationships and heritages, to be of great assistance to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in its problems. Such help has been possible because the purpose of Anthropology is to reconstruct history not only political and military history, but the histories of peoples and their ways of life. The many seemingly irreconcilable differences between peoples can be solved if their respective backgrounds and traditions are understood.

To quote Harold S. Gladwin, eminent archaeologist who did much significant work in Southern Arizona, Are we sufficiently sure of the worth of our own achievements to deny the value of trying to reconstruct another chapter of human history, even if we have nothing more than pottery and stone to guide us?

As more Americans and people throughout the world decide that perhaps our war-mad and article-riddled world could stand to learn a little from the experience of our predecessors, however remote they may be, support for the work of the Museum of Northern Arizona and similar institutions will grow. As that support grows, so will our knowledge about Man and the world in which he lives

You did us dirt! Here we are, Livingston, Montana, the pioneer proponent of the original Park to Park highway, which later became Highway 89, and you leave our name off your map and insert Bozeman instead. Why Bozeman is not on Highway 89 at all! It is 25 miles removed and is pushing travel on Highway 191, a rival route.

You leave us very much embarrassed that we are not better known after plugging for this road ever since 1915. The Lord only knows where the tourists will wind up if they go to Bozeman hunting for Highway 89, but it certainly will not be on our pride and joy, the road which connects all the western national parks.

Robert E. Miller, Editor The Livingston Enterprise Livingston, Montana To Editor Miller and all the good people of Livingston, Montana, pioneer boosters of U. S. 89 all apologies for taking your community off the glorious highway you so early and ably advocated. Editor Miller pointed out our mistake in an editorial in bis paper. We quote therefrom for the benefit of all travellers on "89." "We are sure that Livingston is on U. S. 89, because the directors of the U. S. Highway 89 association, when it was formed, issued a brochure in which occurs the following: 'In Montana . . . a place to note is Livingston at the head of the Paradise Valley, through which flows the Yellowstone river and around which rise ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The valley affords a scenic drive from Livingston to Gardiner, north gateway to Yellowstone Park. the only entrance open the year around."

One thing we can say: We know more about Livingston, Montana, than we did before and, when we, too, take the grand tour of "89" Livingston is one place we'll look forward to and where we hope to set a spell. Livingston sounds like fun. And come to think of it we'll pop over the 25 mile and see what Bozeman looks like.

PHOENIX ISSUE-Continued The April issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS devoted entirely to Phoenix is just tremendous. Certainly it is in keeping with the high standard you have through the years set for ARIZONA HIGHWAYS. I know this April issue on Phoenix will do our community tremendous good because it paints so accurately and so vividly our delightful community." I enjoyed all the feature stories in the magazine and particularly Joe Stocker's "Phoenix, City Growing in the Sun." He depicts an excellent and accurate picture of the industrial growth Phoenix has and is enjoying. I have only one suggestion to make to him the next time I see him. That suggestion is that he might have included reference to the sizable proportions which Phoenix is growing into from a distribution point of view. It was only a few short years ago when practically all distributors in Phoenix did not serve beyond the boundaries of Arizona. Now many important distributors find they can warehouse in Phoenix and distribute to New Mexico, West Texas, parts of Nevada and parts of lower Southern California. Firms like Western Electric Company and MinneapolisHoneywell have recently announced distribution plants for Phoenix. Certainly along with the fine industrial growth which has come to our community has been also an imposing increase in big name firms who are distributing from here. It is certain that Phoenix is rapidly becoming the distribution center for this part of the Southwest, all of which is important in rounding out the growth pattern of our community.

Lewis E. Haas General Manager Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Phoenix, Arizona

OPPOSITE PAGE "IRRIGATION DITCH NEAR ST. JOHN'S" BY WAYNE DAVIS. This is the kind of a scene which attracts a lazy person (or an energetic one for that matter) when the sun is hot and shadows cool and inviting. Photo was taken in August, 1956, near the crossing of Highway 61 on the Little Colorado River at St. Johns. The water is used for irrigation on small farms along the river. The Highway Department has a roadside park at this spot. Graphic View II Camera, 4x5 Ektachrome, 135 mm. Kodak Wide Field Ektar lens, 1/10th second at f.16.

BACK COVER "NEAR BUFFALO CROSSING-WHITE MOUNTAINS" BY DICK DIETRICH. When the June sun in Arizona starts getting down to serious, no-fooling business, desert residents think of cool mountain streams just a few hours away. This scene was taken near Buffalo Crossing, on the road from Big Lake to the Coronado Trail in the White Mountains. 4x5 Speed Graphic, 135 mm. Optar lens, Ektachrome.

Yours Sincerely

GRAND CANYON SONG The morning breaks with a silent crash of cymbals . . . darkness is no more.

Midday's sun is a blaring trumpet, scorching the buttes and the canyon floor; The wind is a screaming clarinet that fills the gorge with its wild caprice.

And evening falls with softly flick'ring violins . . . bringing sudden peace.

REX E. WARD DO NOT DISTURB Approach our doorway softly, friend, For in the ivy growing there A linnet thinks she must defend Her nestlings; please step in with care. She panics so at any sound, We cross the porch on tip-toe now. (In fact, I even go around The back sometimes). It's funny how We simply lack the heart this spring To trim that ivy down until This mother's brood is on the wing, She has so many mouths to fill. The vine's a mess, but please excuse it. We're letting small brown tenants use it.

BETTY ISLER SIGNATURE A vapor trail is the signatureWhite on blueOf a brave, brave man we cannot see But witness to.

PAULINE HENSON LULLABY Bring the forgotten stars and the far sky Down through the city night. Let the quiet woods from which the bed was hewn Breathe their tranquility, And the birds' flight Of pillowed down move darkly across the moon. Smooth out recurring vision from the eyes; Fold silently away mothwings of thought; And let the stone of consciousness sink deep Into the heaven of immunities, Rings widening, faintening, caught Into sleep.

J. PHOENICE THE WAYWARD WIND With warm, Importunate hands, The vagrant wind has loosed Night's jewelled scarf and flung Its loveliness across the sky. Caressingly he brushes back Her cloud-soft hair And leaves an April kiss Upon her brow.

The venerable moon Looks on, Then with a wistful sigh For his own bygone youth He gives a most prodigious wink And yawning takes A wee moon-nap.

EMILY CAREY ALLEMAN