The Land of the White Mountain Apaches

BY CHARLES W. LAND OF THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHES M

In-nineteenth century tourists travel-ing by covered wagon across South-eastern Arizona followed the low-level easiest route right through Apacheland to the California gold fields. They had little time or desire to explore the higher altitude regions that flanked them on either side as they journeyed along. Sometimes the foothills and mountains were close by and other times only on the far, distant horizon. Yet always atop the ridges were lush forests and pastures with lakes and running streams, too far away and too hard to reach to refresh themselves, let alone to enjoy. And, besides, there were Indians in the hills-Apaches!-already defiant-ly opposing the invasion of their ancestral homeland and hunting grounds.

Had these early-day travelers been passengers on a modern transcontinental airliner they would have been treated to an inspiring sight of many green-crested islands-in-the-sky rising out of a vast, nearly barren desert.

Today the picture is much the same-tourists in high-powered cars are speeding along at sixty on well-graded, hard-surfaced roads headed both east and west, with eyes and thoughts straight ahead towards major attractions along the way and their distant destinations. They seldom turn off on side roads, vacation time is usually too limited and itineraries too demanding to allow much variance.

When they travel State Route 86-U.S. 80, the same mountains stand to the north and south with very little different covering than that with which Mother Nature endowed them centuries ago. True, there are some major highways such as U.S. 60 and U.S. 70 skirting the outer fringe of the mountains and many primitive roads along valleys and across the lower ridges, but only a few re-cently roughed-out timber roads penetrate the vast wil-derness areas of Apacheland today.

Today's travelers need have no fear of being over-taken by a shower of arrows and blood-curdling war whoops. Instead, they will find extended to them the long hand of welcome and hear a friendly "Hon Dah" when they meet today's Apaches on the Ft. Apache Reserva-tion.

White Mountain Apaches living there today are mostly direct descendants of the White Mountain Coyoteros and Cibecues who occupied this same area centuries ago. A scattering of Apaches from other branches drifted into the region, including 179 families brought in from the San Carlos Reservation by an order from General Crook in 1883 and some Chiricahuas when they were evacuated from their homes in Southeastern Arizona.

The easiest way to come in contact with modern Apaches is to branch off from U.S. 60 at Show Low, taking Route 173 to Indian Pine and heading south from there to Whiteriver on Route 73, a distance of eighteen miles.

Or, if you are coming west from Springerville on Route 73, you can turn off right at Indian Pine instead of going into Show Low. If you don't want to backtrack to Indian Pine, when leaving the Reservation, you can take a good hard-surfaced road from Whiteriver to Carrizo Junction where you will again join U.S. 60.

At Indian Pine you are right in Indian country and will find your first great surprise at the Hon-Dah Motel owned and operated by the Tribe. This de luxe resort offers ultra-modern, individual log cabins, widely spaced along a winding, circular road through a heavy stand of virgin pine. There are thirteen cabins tailored to fill a wide variety of family or group needs. Each one has a completely equipped, stainless steel kitchenette.

Across the road is Apache Indian Pine, also belonging to the Tribe, with eighteen modern but more modest housekeeping cottages, spaces for six modern trailers and twenty-five camp trailers.

In connection with both motels are up-to-date service stations and grocery stores, carrying a wide variety of goods from fishing worms to diapers.

The road to Whiteriver travels through pine forests and mountain parks as it descends to a more open country where scattered junipers and cedars allow a view of the rugged ranges to the east and west. Here, as the country opens up, there are clear spaces in which numerous Apache camps are seen. These houses are simple, some plain frame or log buildings, some traditional wikiups and some with a modern building alongside a wikiup, and all with a crude summer shelter. Then, there are always children, some horses, dogs, chickens, a wood pile, a nearly worn-out wagon and at many, a pickup truck, the Indian's favorite vehicle for family and cargo. Deep, steep, rock-walled canyons soon come into view to the east, winding sinuously back into the distant mountains.

Approaching Whiteriver, great columns of smoke are seen arising from the two sawmills, one on the right, the other on the left, and then, as you reach the outskirts of the town, there are many small, frame houses with an occasional wikiup here and there. The heart of town is prominently marked by two privately owned grocery store-trading posts and a fine service station belonging to the Tribe.

Close by, the administrative heart of the reservation is made up of the Bureau of Indian Affairs office, the White Mountain Tribal Council Headquarters and offices, a community building, hospital, elementary school, Alchesay high school, churches, a jail, post office and several blocks of neat homes surrounded with lawns, shrubbery and trees where the employees live. Many backyards sport a garden and sometimes fruit trees.

There is always an air of activity around the administration buildings with the coming and going of government and Tribe field men and Apache families just in from their camps.

No finer schools are to be found in the cities and one is most favorably impressed with the nice appearance the children make in their neat clothes even though many have come from modestly living families in wikiups.

Down Route 73 another five miles Old Fort Apache stands atop a rocky mesa near the junction of the East and North Forks of the White river much as it did when the last cavalry detachment was there. Some few buildings have partially collapsed but the main barracks and officers' row houses still stand in memory of early-day military glory.

The entire post is occupied by the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Theodore Roosevelt Boarding School. Some five hundred children now play games on the parade ground where troops stood spit-and-polish inspection and passed in review.

Main tourist attractions are the Tribal historical marker, the log building where General Crook reputedly had his headquarters and the military cemetery on a hill About a mile from the fort up on the East Fork road. Most headstones mark the final resting place of loyal Apache Scouts engaged by the Army, and their families.

For those interested in adding to their knowledge of the Apaches, the Arizona Pioneer's Historical Society in Tucson has a wide collection of books on the subject, as do the public libraries. Included are personal narratives written by military and government agents who played their parts in establishing and maintaining the posts or who were actually engaged in expeditions against the Apaches. At the top of these are Life Among The Apaches by Captain Captain John F. Cremony, Apache Agent by John P. Clum, Apacheland by Ross Santee and Apache Days And After by Thomas Cruse.

As more and more facts of history come to light, we have a better understanding of the Apache, his background, his needs, his objectives in life and his will to fight for his heritage. Frank C. Lockwood, Harry Hoijer, Morris E. Opler, Charles R. Kaut, Andree Sjoberg and Grenville Goodwin, scholars in anthropology and history, have made exhaustive studies into the background of the Apache and all more or less agree to the tribe's ancestry. Still there are many links missing in the widely scattered patchwork of Apache comings and goings throughout the Southwest and into Mexico.

These learned men agree that the farthest back ancestral tie of the Apache was to the Athabascan linguistic family, the largest such family in America. Scattered over a great part of North America, the Arctic, along the Pacific, down through the Rocky Mountain regions to Arizona, New Mexico and Old Mexico, it even penetrated into Kansas and Texas. The Norwegian explorer, Helga Ingstad, reported that folk tales and words he learned from caribou-eating natives in the Great Salt Lake area were readily understood by Arizona-New Mexico Apaches.

Authorities also agree that there was a definite link between the Navajo and the Apache since both were nomadic, were raiders and had many language similarities and some common ceremonials. Some time before the coming of the white man to Mexico and the Southwest, they gradually divided into two tribes. The Navajo stayed pretty much within his own bounds while the Apache took to the more challenging pastime of raiding far and wide.

Apaches paid little attention to domestic farming even though their neighbors had, through help from the Spaniards, developed extensive subsistence farms. In fact, there was little chance for them to plan and tend gardens as they were almost constantly on the move, living off the land, hunting, gathering herbs, fruits and nuts or plundering. Besides, it was not warrior-like to dig in the ground. They preferred to wait until the harvest was in and then make a raid on more peaceful, civilized tribes who had worked diligently to raise and store food.

Raiding had always been a way of life for the Apaches and they became masters of techniques which they developed for a successful raid through perfectly planned and executed hit-and-run tactics. They reconnoitered extensively; decided on a plan; struck when their victims were unaware of danger; got their booty of food, livestock and other valuables; and dashed away to safety in impregnable hideouts before any organized opposition could be pitted against them. Whenever and wherever they did meet opposition they never hesitated to kill.

From childhood they were taught to track, sneak, steal, kill and disappear in order to prove their right to accompany raiders, share in the loot and earn the respect of the clan.

For this kind of life it was best to work in small groups. Thus the Apache system of families and clans, rather than large tribes, developed. There was never an overall chief, honored, respected and obeyed by all Apaches. But in the various clan-groups were leaders who by stature and record of accomplishments stood high above the others. Such men were Cochise, Mangas Coloradas, Victorio, Geronimo and Natches-all names which missionaries, settlers, miners, wagon-train bosses, pony express riders and stagecoach drivers learned to fear and respect. History now lays bare a series of events which brought about our struggle to the end against the Apache in his own country. The first written record of the Apache was by the Spanish historian, Castañeda, in The Journey of Coronado, which described the futile search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cíbola by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado with his band of Conquistadores and camp followers. While this expedition was welcomed and aided by most of the Indians along the way, the Apache violently resisted the invaders.

Most of the Papagos and Pimas, in direct line of the Spanish colonizers pushing north from consolidated gains in Sonora, were easily won over by the Padres who accompanied the advance parties. They were grateful to the Padres for introducing new subsistence crops for them to raise through improved methods, and livestock herds to supplement their hard-to-get meat supply. With the help of great numbers of Indians working together under Spanish guidance, churches and fortifications were built and villages expanded.

Soon neighboring Apaches, unwilling to fall in line with this regimented life, found the now-rich villages fertile places to raid and plunder. These uprisings led to increased garrisons and stepped-up campaigns against the fierce Apaches. Later on, other tribes, wearied and dis-

FORT APACHE X -ESTABLISHED 1870-

MANNED BY THE UNITED STATES CAVALRY UNTIL 1924 AND THEN TURNED OVER TO THE INDIAN SERVICE FOR USE AS A SCHOOL. MANY OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS ARE STILL IN USE AS PART OF THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT SCHOOL. LOCATED BETWEEN THE DOMAINS OF THE APACHE AND THE NAVAJO, THIS POST WAS OF SINGULAR IMPORTANCE TO THE ARMY. GERONIMO AND NACHEZ WERE PURSUED BY TROOPS FROM FORT APACHE. VISITED BY COCHISE IN 1870. TRAINING CAMP FOR MANY FAMOUS APACHE SCOUTS AND COMMANDED BY GENERAL GEORGE A. CROOK AND OTHER OFFICERS OF HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE Disappointed with their new lot, revolted, lessening the Spanish toehold on this uncertain land far away from headquarters in Mexico City.

Since many of the Crown's dreams of gold and rich treasures in this land began to fade away after unsuccessful expeditions, less money and fewer garrisons were allotted to this desert land where living at its best was hard. Further expansion stopped and when the advance guard of Americans from the eastern seaboard reached this area about 250 years later, only a few Spanish settlements, including Tucson, were found, along with some large land-grant ranches in the more fertile sections. And the Apaches were then pretty much in control of the surrounding extensive wild mountain areas.

Trappers and fur-traders were the first Americans to penetrate into Apache country. They were received with some curiosity and, since they traveled alone or in pairs, they were not considered a menace by the Indians. They charted the all-season route through the Southwest to the Pacific Coast frontier. It ran right through Apache country. After gold was discovered in California this route became the main highway west. Later, when larger parties of prospectors, gold rush wagon trains and prospective settlers began to show up, the Apaches began to oppose this intrusion into their ancestral lands. Some were won over with gifts and promises of the pioneers not to tarry, and a sort of toll system developed for crossing Apache country. Some of these promises were broken and emigrants stopped to hunt for game, to dig like moles in the ground and even to start a homestead. Those who hunted along the way helped kindle the fires of hatred against the white people. Wise wagon masters like old Joseph Ehle always started out across hostile country well stocked with dried meat in barrels and beef on the hoof.

Treaties and agreements were made and usually broken first by unscrupulous white men, resulting in bitter retaliation in the form of raids and killings by the Apaches. Thus started the long line of events leading to the sending of U.S. troops into the area to give protection to wagon trains and settlers, and finally war to the finish.

Then followed almost forty years of constant war between the Apache and the U.S. Army, so determined was the Indian to hold on to his ancestral lands and to keep the white man with his axe, pick, shovel, plow and fences off his hunting grounds.

Not all of the Apaches chose war, however. Many joined the U.S. Army as scouts and rendered valuable

Services through all the important campaigns. Military leaders readily acknowledged that these scouts saved lives, money and valuable time in bringing the war against the Apache to an end. Remnants of these scouts were retained by then active Fort Huachuca and were a colorful feature until they were mustered out in 1947-thus closing the final chapter of our wars with the Indians, the original Americans.

It was a long, slow, losing fight for the Apache despite his superior cunning and knowledge of the country. His numbers were gradually reduced by battle losses, treachery, disease and starvation while he was driven farther and farther back into the wilderness. There were some periods of success for him when a complete massacre was accomplished, and when troops were withdrawn from the frontier, to bolster the Union forces during the Civil War, giving him a freer hand. But finally, the Apache, with his back against the wall and far outnumbered, was conquered and put on reservations.

Assuming guardianship over the Apaches after treaties were completed and definite boundaries established, the then Indian Service faced a tremendous task. Headquarters in Washington set up arbitrary rules and regulations from long range with little knowledge of conditions in this far away spot on the national scene. Individual Apaches, particularly those who had been engaged in actual warfare with the whites, were not ready nor equipped to change their way of life. They were sullen, uncooperative and gradually leaned more and more on their unwanted guardians for support. It was difficult to obtain fully qualified administrators and employees at the agencies and practically none of the Indians was capable of holding down a job. Also, appropriations were always too low to take care of expanding costs of projects planned for the betterment of the Indians. On top of that, dishonest, unscrupulous traders were allowed to operate on the reservation, while some of the settlers on adjoining land elected to take matters into their own hands when disputes with the Indians arose.

In order to further weaken the Apache's fighting power, some of the tribes were divided, separated from their leaders and taken away from their native home lands. Some were moved as far away as Kansas and Florida.

White Mountain Apaches had been less troublesome and they were left in the White Mountain area. Their recognized leader, Chief Alchesay, was allowed to remain with them. Alchesay had already been befriended by General George Crook who was sent to direct the campaign against the Apaches. Chief Alchesay had been a valuable ally to the U.S. troops, acting as a scout and recruiting other Apaches for the indispensable scout detachment.

When the Apaches were finally confined to the reservations they became wards of the U.S. Government.

From the beginning it was recognized that the Apache would never be able to take a place alongside his white brother unless he was educated and trained for work jobs, so great emphasis was placed on providing educational facilities. Here, two great stumbling blocks were met. Most Apache families were opposed to having their children go to school and scarcely any teachers who knew the Apache language were available.

Twenty years later, 1892, the first school for White Mountain Apaches was started in a vacant barracks. However, it took Indian Service officials, Indian Scouts and the police to bring in thirty boys and persuade them to enrolf.

Later, with the Indians scattered far and wide across the reservation, distances were usually too great to depend entirely upon day schools so the boarding school was established. But slowly over the years education for all the Apaches became a reality. Today bright, alert boys and girls are picked up close to their homes by public school buses and brought to centers where modern schools provide excellent facilities for education through high school.

Children from isolated areas, or without suitable family ties, are housed and schooled at the Bureau's Theodore Roosevelt Boarding School at Fort Apache or at one of the several mission schools. Most extensive of the mission facilities is the chain run by the Lutheran Church since 1911.

The Apache's prejudice against education has been removed and the Tribal Council, along with most adults, supports all aspects of education. Their endorsement is emphasized by this statement in the Council's special booklet, The White Mountain Apache Indians: “We mean by education not only formal schooling, but education of adults in learning to live with each other, better use of reservation resources, and in assuming responsibilities of modern-day living.” Backing up this stand, truant officers, who also serve as school bus drivers, enforce compulsory education of Apache children between the ages of six and eighteen. Approximately 1500 Apache children are in schools this year and ten high school graduates are attending college through scholarship aid provided by the Tribe. The Tribe hopes to increase the number of college students each year.

Today the Bureau of Indian Affairs Administration Office at Whiteriver employs eighty-three Anglo-Americans and forty-six Apaches under the direction of Superintendent Albert M. Hawley, subject to the area office in Phoenix. Primary function of the Bureau office, outside of its own administration, is to guide and assist the Indian with trained personnel and some special money grants, to utilize and conserve the resources of the reservation, extend education and training, to improve living and health conditions and to counsel them on business and financial matters. For this, an annual appropriation of $750,000, including $100,000 for land improvement, is made by Washington.

Utilizing and conserving the Apache's resources holds top priority in Bureau supervision and direct help. Much attention has been directed towards timber sales-the Tribe's chief source of revenue. Through bids and tightly controlled lumbering, private operations are allowed to cut timber in the forests. Southwest Forest Industries of McNary handles around 65% of the annual take through its extensive logging camps and railroad system on the reservation. Its camp at Maverick, a model town in itself, is a beehive of activity until heavy snows close down logging until spring. In addition to direct revenue to the Tribe from logs, Southwest employs seventy Apaches at top wages for the type of service each renders.

To Nelson Lupe, who has consistently plugged for increased employment of Apaches by outside companies working on the reservation, goes much of the credit for roping in this valuable source of cash wages for indi-vidual workers. The Apache's ability to learn to handle heavy equipment has insured a continuing opportunity in this field of work. The management of Southwest Forest Industries speaks most highly of the Apache's ability and his value to their operation. The Bureau's part in this work keeps a staff of technical and nontechnical employees busy in their office and field operations scattered about the reservation.

Indispensable for successful forest management is the well-organized, round-the-clock, on-the-alert fire control system participated in jointly by both the Tribe and the Bureau with each paying their part of the costs.

Another encouraging possibility for increased revenue for the Tribe and its members is the new pulpwood plant now being operated by Southwest Forest Industries at Snowflake. This should utilize much of the pulpwood now going to waste and it should provide employment for more Apache workers off the reservation.

The Fort Apache Reservation, scene of yesterday's turmoil, today's peaceful progress and a well-rounded projected future, lies in the central eastern section of Arizona, spread out over 1,664,872 acres. It is bounded by national forests on the west, north, east and southeast with the Black and Salt rivers marking the southern limits. About two-thirds lies in the White Mountains, covered with rich stands of pine and aspen. The remainder is made up of some rolling foothills sparsely covered with juniper, piñon pine, scrub oak and browse; and a small amount of low-lying cactus-studded desert land adjoining the San Carlos Reservation to the south.

Elevations vary from 11,459 feet at the top of Mt. Thomas (Old Baldy) to the depths of Salt River Canyon where a low 2,700 feet is reached. In the winter snow covers all of the upper ranges, providing abundant water runoff during the spring thaw to fill the lakes and nourish verdant forests and meadows. Winter sports can be enjoyed in the accessible areas where a warm winter sun adds to the pleasure of skiing while the lower desert areas are perfect for exploring. Come summer, green vegetation bursts forth all over the mountain areas. It is a vacation paradise with wind rustling through the pines, water rippling along the streams and birds singing, topped off with the sweet aroma of pines and flowers in a land abundant with wildlife.

Hunting permits are sold for elk, bear, javelina, waterfowl and dove as well as certain predatory animals. Daytime temperatures allow shirt-sleeve recreation, fishing, hiking, boating, riding or work, while cool evenings are conducive to good, sound, healthful sleep. In fact, a little over 4,000 White Mountain Apaches have been blessed with the most ideal land in Arizona and they control the last remaining perfect wilderness area in the state, much of which can be reached only by horseback or on foot along trails followed by yesterday's Apaches to secret hideouts. But today's requirements for living are far more demanding than those of the primitive Apache and economically the Apache is having a hard row to hoe. The average annual income for working families runs to the discouraging low of around $900.00 and a great deal of this comes only during the seasonal summer work projects there. Only about 25% of the men are regularly employed while 75% are on part-time employment and some receive assistance of some form or another. Principal work jobs being handled by able-bodied Apaches are for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Tribe and for lumber and mineral companies operating on Tribal land. Of the few who obtain off-reservation jobs, most of them need to return to their families after short periods of employment. Although most families and clans have the use of some agricultural land, farming is spotty and carried on half-heartedly as irrigation systems built up years ago are not utilized to their full potential. This situation does contribute to the economic plight of the Apache but can be excused in a measure as most of the seasonal cash-work jobs are in the summer when crops would fare better if the families were able to tend them.

Apache women also face the same problem of rising living costs as their white cousins do when they go to the supermarkets. They find packaged goods temptingly offered with built-in charges for preparation which housewives formerly did themselves.

Yet, offsetting these handicaps are some advantages: main subsistence crops of corn and beans do take care of themselves in a fashion, producing a part crop despite neglect; forests and fields abound in nuts, wild fruit and berries, including the favorite cactus pears; game is plentiful and Apaches are still good hunters. Spot counts put their deer herd at around 12,000 head. Apaches can hunt free during the season on their reservation and no deer permits are issued to outsiders. Also some Apaches have small cattle herds of their own, the meat from which is distributed widely among the clans at butchering time.

The biggest single business for the Apaches themselves is cattle raising. About one and a half million acres of ideal grazing land containing both summer and winter ranges is theirs to use and the envy of neighboring Arizona ranchers. Approximately 17,000 head of well-bred Hereford cattle are owned by cattle associations from eight different geographical districts. A fully qualified manager runs the spread for a co-operative group which is governed by an elected board of directors. During roundups all members of each association ride together to drive the herd into sorting pastures and thence to auction pens where they are sold at top prices to buyers from far and wide throughout the Southwest and Čali-fornia. For tourists and travelers passing through the reservation in mid-October, there is a rare opportunity to view scenes reminiscent of the Old West, as real cow-boys move herds of two thousand or more head across vast expanses of rangelands backdropped with mountains, snowcapped and spotted with patches of golden aspen among the green pines.

As an example of what can be done in approaching self-sufficiency, we were directed to the well-tended farm of Mary V. Riley, active member of the Tribal Council, by Tommy Allen, Extension Agent for the Inte-rior Department, stationed at Whiteriver. Mary's home, set on a mesa overlooking twelve acres of bottom farm land, was a modest frame structure surrounded by shade and fruit trees with a well-kept barn, stable and store-houses nearby. Mary and her husband have a station wagon and a pickup. Their house is wired and she uses most modern electric appliances, including refrigerator, deep freeze, television and radio. Just as we arrived the World Series started and all hands stopped work to listen in. It was harvest time and after the game, activity started again.

Water-The Water-Mary wanted to show off her harvest so she had the backyard swept clean with brush brooms and made a colorful display of choice samples of multicolored Indian corn, squash, grain, melons, beans, chili, piñon nuts, acorns, walnuts, apples and pears for us to photograph. Then she arranged for two women to sit surrounded by a pile of newly gathered corn in front of the display. They busied themselves husking and tying up bundles of ears for drying. The still supple husks were stripped back from the ears and gathered together neatly, then four ears were placed on either side of their knees with the husks interlapping across the top of the knee.

CAMERA TOUR White Mountain APACHELAND

The many pleasant experiences we enjoyed while photographing at Mrs. Riley's farm were repeated many times afterwards as we covered other typical aspects of life in Apacheland today. Always we were received with friendly greetings as we approached new camps, looking for scenes to record. In many instances, while we were arranging or working, other Apache men came up, introduced themselves, asked our names, then offered suggestions. When they learned that we were covering for ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, they were especially anxious to help us to do a good job. Some allowed that the Navajos had been shown a number of times and they were glad now that the White Mountain Apaches would have their chance. We were never turned down completely but, on a few occasions, some wrinkled old ladies shied away at first but were won over after some careful negotiating. A few small children were shy and it was hard for them to give us candid expressions but others acted like veterans.

OPPOSITE PAGE

"FISHING STREAM-FORT APACHE INDIAN RESERVATION" Photograph taken about one mile from the bridge over Trout Creek on the Hawley Lake Road on the Fort Apache In-dian Reservation in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. The many trout streams in Apacheland attract thousands of visitors during the summer months from all over the West. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.22 1/50th sec.; hsec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; August; bright sunshine; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64.

FOLLOWING PAGES

"WORKING APACHE COWBOYS" Scene: about two miles from State Route 173 along the Big Lake-Maverick Road. Cattle raising is one of the White Mountain Apaches' most important industries. Juniper eradication in recent years has done much to reclaim valuable grazing lands. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.16 at 1/100th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; October; good direct sunshine; direct f.16 meter reading; ASA rating 64."

"APACHE RODEO AREA IN WHITE MOUNTAINS" Photograph taken from a high cliff to the north of the Rodeo-Fair Grounds at Whiteriver looking to the south. The big holidays of the year for the White Mountain Apaches come on the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Visitors are welcome to join the fun and excitement. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.32 at 1/25th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; September; bright direct sunshine; direct f.32 meter reading; ASA rating 64."

"APACHES BRINGING IN THE HERD" BY RAY MANLEY. Roundup time is work, dust and fun for the White Mountain Apaches. Here is seen part of a thousand head herd being driven to pens near McNary for the annual fall cattle sale. 5x7 Linhof camera; E3 Ektachrome; f.16 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symar lens; October; bright-backlighting; ASA 250 meter reading."

"APACHE CRADLE MAKER" Mrs. Elizabeth Massey, shown here at her home at the settlement called Seven Mile near the junction of the East Fork and Maverick roads on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, is a blue ribbon winner in the intricate and exciting art of cradle making. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.22 at 1/50th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; September; bright sunny day; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64."

"PEP ASSEMBLY AT WHITERIVER SCHOOL" Photograph taken in front of the Alchesay Public High School at Whiteriver, Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The school was named in memory of a famous Apache chieftain. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.16 at 1/100th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; October; bright sunny day; direct f.16 meter reading; ASA rating 64."

"LUTHERAN PIONEERS ON FIELD TRIP" Photograph taken on the East Fork road about eight miles from Fort Apache with the red rock cliffs of the Geronimo's Cave area in the background. This group, sponsored by the Lutheran Mission, is here shown engaged in the study of rocks and minerals. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.22 at 1/50th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; October; bright direct sun; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64."

CENTER PANEL

"HAWLEY LAKE" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Hawley Lake is one of the latest achievements of the White Mountain Apache tribe in developing their reservation as a summer vacation paradise. A tract of 500 homesites has been developed around this lake. Nearly all have been taken on a lease basis. 4x5 Graphic View II camera; Ektachrome; f.27 at 1/25th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; July; hazy sunlight; Weston Meter-300 meter reading; ASA rating 64.

"FORT APACHE INDIAN RESERVATION-PINE COUNTRY" Photograph was taken ten miles east of McNary on State Route 173 looking south. A large portion of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation occupies some of the higher elevations of the White Mountains where huge stands of timber supplies work and revenue for the tribe in lumber harvesting. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.32 at 1/25th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; October; good sunshine; direct f.32 meter reading; ASA rating 64.

Once a setup was agreed on, we had to wait until our subjects went inside the house or wikiup and put on their best clothes. And when props were needed they were sure to bring out their best. With their unlimited patience, it was easy to get good, natural action as they never seemed to be self-conscious when posing at daily activities.

Outside of cradleboards, women's bright, flowing camp dresses, and a wikiup here and there we found very little traditional features of original Apache life around the reservation.

Nearly every camp had several horses which the men use in preference to autos whenever possible. The children spend a great deal of their playtime riding just for fun. Some have burros. All Apaches engaged in the cattleraising industry have excellent mounts. They take good care of them and the horses serve them well as they think nothing of taking long, long rides as in the early days. Comparatively few horse-drawn wagons were seen and these mainly in out-of-the-way camps where only old folks lived, but pickups were common. These dualpurpose vehicles serve for work-horse hauling jobs and for going to town for supplies, when two or more families pile in, filling the cab and rear section to overflowing. After the truck body is loaded with supplies, the same group sits on top of of the t load for the return trip to their camp. When there is a ceremonial, they load the pickup with tents, bedding, food and cooking equipment and take off, prepared to stay as long as the festivities last, sometimes for days.

The Apache has no traditional holiday of his own. Most of his celebrations and ceremonies were held after success in battles and raids or at the puberty rites for Apache maidens.

Today the two big fiesta times at Whiteriver are on the Fourth of July and Labor Day. It is inspiring to see Apache children give their allegiance to the flag and to see rugged Apache men stand with bared heads while the school band plays The Star Spangled Banner at these events. Always there are several baseball games and a rodeo. This is a good time for clans and friends to get together around campfires to talk over politics, the weather, the crops, the cattle and what lies ahead.

Quite often there will be a puberty rite ceremony at these times whenever there is a family that can afford one for their daughter. A real, full-fledged ceremony can cost several thousand dollars after the medicine men, musicans, Crown dancers are paid and the guests fed over a period of three days. Once the ceremony starts it continues almost without letup night and day. Periodically throughout the ceremony the fortunate maiden is ushered in with attendants and put through a long, monotonous series of teachings and blessings by the medicine men and wise old ladies. Highlight in the ceremony is when hundreds of men, women and children line up and sprinkle yellow pollen from cattails on the heads of the maiden and her attendants.

"GOING TO MARKET" While many of the White Mountain Apaches-drive pickups, the horse is still a dependable way of going to market. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.16 at 1/100th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; September; early morning; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64. "FORT APACHE INDIAN RESERVATION-GRAZING COUNTRY" The terrain of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation is varied. Here is shown open grazing country where the Apaches raise fine beef. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.22 at 1/25th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; September; late afternoon; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64. "APACHE BEAD MAKER" At the home of Bessie Quintero in Canyon Day settlement one mile south of the Fort Apache Junction just off of State Route 73. Outdoor setting in bright sun. selected for this setup which gave a better chance to have sharp definition of all articles in the scene. Small reflector used to slightly fill in shadows on face. Movement not a problem as Bessie, like all Apaches, had unlimited patience and cooperated completely in posing long periods and just right. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.32 at 1/25th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; September; good bright sun; direct rect f.32 meter reading; ASA rating 64. "SUMMER DAY AT TONTO LAKE" Tonto Lake is about thirty-five miles from Fort Apache on branch road five miles from Maverick. This is one of the many small lakes to be found in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. They are all kept well stocked during summer, so generally the sportsman will find fishing good at all times. 4x5 Speed Graphic; Ektachrome daylight; f.32 at 1/25th sec.; 135mm Graflex Optar lens; September; bright sunshine; direct f.32 meter reading; ASA rating 64. "APACHE BASKET MAKER" Photograph taken at the home of Effie Alchesay, four miles north of Whiteriver on State Route 73. Mrs. Alchesay is an expert in the art of basket making and has taught the art to many younger members of the White Mountain Apache tribe. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.22 at 1/50th sec.; 135mm Graflex Optar lens; October; bright sun; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64. "DIAMOND LAKE IN THE APACHE RESERVATION" Diamond Lake is one mile southeast of the junction of State Route 73 and the dirt road leading to Diamond Creek. The junction is five miles from Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.16 at 1/100th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; July; bright sun; direct f.16 meter reading; ASA rating 64. "APACHE HARVEST" Photograph taken at the home of Mary Riley near East Fork on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. In early October, crops from the few small farms in the area are harvested. Typical example of the advantage of spending the time and trouble to make a setup to tell the story. Racks for hanging the corn were set up and all of the harvest things were taken out of a dark shed and put in this outdoor setting with perfect light. A 50B flash bulb near camera was used to fill in some of the shadows. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.22 at 1/50th sec.; Graphic Optar 135mm lens; October; good full sunlight; direct f.22 meter reading; ASA rating 64. OPPOSITE PAGE "BLUE LAKE - WHITE MOUNTAINS" Blue Lake, on the Apache Indian Reservation in the White Mountains, is reached by leaving the main Hawley Lake one-half mile from the Trout Creek Bridge. Road to Blue Lake clearly marked. This small lake attracts many fishermen during the summer season. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; Ektachrome daylight; f.16 at 1/25th sec.; 90mm AngulonSchneider lens; July; sunshine but darkish subject; direct f.16 meter reading; ASA rating 64.

Crown Dancers, who are considered to be Mountain Spirits, appear after dark and disappear before dawn. They are accompanied and led on by the Devil who acts like a clown while the dancers execute precise, spectacular, rhythmic routines around a huge fire. Their costumes of buckskin skirts from waist to below the knees with high stub-toed boots ringed with bells and rattles are set off by high colorful crowns. The dancers, bare to the waist, painted with symbolic designs, always wear black masks. In keeping with true Apache tradition, no one knows who they are or from whence they came.

Musicians seated on the ground chant old Apache songs and beat time for the dancers by pounding a dry cowhide with sticks. When they stop for breath the dancers glide swiftly into the darkness beyond the firelight.

After all is said and done a very tired yet wiser girl greets the sunrise with her face painted with white clay. Then quickly she runs four times around a woven basket filled with pollen, the improvised wikiup is torn down, the ceremony ends and she is a woman.

The annual White Mountain Apache Tribal Fair and Rodeo is held during the Labor Day celebration. Gaily decorated booths and pens display field and garden crops, livestock, baked and canned goods, Indian costumes, needlework along with arts and crafts from the various districts. Other booths are set up by various Government agencies, mission churches and schools.

A Fried Bread Contest runs throughout the Fair in which Apache housewives are given the chance to show their skill in preparing and frying over an open fire the best bread in the shortest length of time. Daily prizes for first, second and third place are given and winners of the preliminary contests are then matched for a final cook-off on the last day to find the grand winner.

The hills and banks along the river are crowded to overflowing with individual family camps where the air is filled with the aroma of smoke and outdoor cooking.

The Rodeo Parade and grand entry is colorful with entries from all over the reservation and nearby towns. School bands, bucking horses, Indian cowboys, tough bulls, bright-colored traditional dresses of the women, clowns, fast ropers and roping horses blend into a kaleidoscope of whirling action and gay colors.

Evening entertainment includes an exhibition of Indian dances.

Baseball games are held during the day and the diamond is adjacent to the rodeo field. We enjoyed the Little League game between the Bylas Babies and the Whiteriver Papooses.

This is a wonderful time to visit the reservation and tourists are welcome, but should reserve lodgings for the night at Indian Pine Junction and the Show Low section.

During the Fair, we photographed some of the most colorful booths displaying paintings, bead work, baskets, buckskins, cradleboards and burden baskets. It was easy to meet some of these skilled women and they invited us to come to their homes for pictures of their work. We went to see Bessie Quintero first. She is well known on the reservation for her fine beadwork: necklaces, ties, belts, hat bands and medallions. Over in Canyon Day, about six miles south of Whiteriver, she and her husband have a modern white house, two-car garage and corral for their horses. Her husband works for the highway department and Bessie has a job at the Broken Arrow Cafe in Whiteriver. On her day off she graciously posed for us with her loom and a generous display of her beautiful, gay articles made of glass beads. Since her daughter and baby grandson were visiting her, they were included in some pictures.Burden bags today are made of cotton or linen cloth and lavishly decorated with rows of bright-colored rickrack braid. The ends have a fringe made from the thick strings of a mop. These are adapted from the earlier ones made of buckskin. Through a long, horizontal slit in the center, they are filled with clothes or other articles and can be carried easily on a horse, either in front or back of

WHITERIVER INDIAN HOSPITAL AUXILIARY

Fifteen happy, energetic White Mountain Apache ladies are the Whiteriver Hospital Auxiliary. Their aim is to help their sick fellow tribesmen by assisting hospital personnel wherever and whenever they are needed, and free of any charge. A few of their numerous accomplishments are listed to give the reader an idea of why we think they deserve considerable recognition: Because of the present method of filing X-rays, it was difficult for the X-ray-Laboratory Technician to keep an efficient, fast handling file system. These women volunteered to help him re-arrange the files to correspond with matching individual record files. They took turns in groups of five and six working in the afternoons and evenings and filed hundreds of X-ray files under the guidance of the Laboratory-X-ray Technician.

They have stamped hundreds of necessary government forms, and inserted carbons for copies.

At Christmas they decorated three trees and the patients' rooms. They sit with very sick patients when they are called upon to do so. In the past two years, they have made approximately 100 baby blankets from outing flannel, over 100 baby sacs and flannel slippers, hemmed many diapers and crib sheets for the Pediatric ward. They cut and made 27 patients' examining gowns. The tribal chairman calls on this group to prepare and serve meals for large tribal gatherings. The last one was the ground breaking ceremony for a new tribal sawmill, attended by 3,000 tribesmen and dignitaries.

They are now working in groups of two with the Community Worker (Health) in presenting health programs in their Apache language to groups of Apache ladies in various districts on the reservation. They assist the Arizona State Mobile X-ray and blood unit in filling forms and serve as interpreters whenever a unit is stationed on the reservation.

They attempt to persuade tribesmen who may look or act like they need medical attention to go to the hospital. If they meet with resistance, they then report it to the hospital personnel for a follow-up. They make their operating expenses by selling beans and fry-bread twice a month to government workers, traders and teachers.

They wear their colorful, tribal dresses, and with their long black hair make a picturesque group, swapping stories and laughing while they work, not unlike any other women's bridge group. They are a religious group of various denominations and are primarily concerned with their families' well-being. Their husbands are employed on the reservation with local traders, Bureau of Indian Affairs or on Tribal jobs. They hold their auxiliary meetings once a week and every now and then have a party, dinner or picnic and invite their husbands and friends.

We look forward to many more accomplishments by this group. Vi Hughes Community Worker (Health) The saddle. At Seven Mile, we looked for Helen Aday who breaks and trains her own fine horses. After a short wait she rode into camp and we photographed her on horseback with a burden bag.

In the same camp at Seven Mile, we found Mrs. Elizabeth Massey sitting out in her front yard cracking some fresh walnuts. Mrs. Massey had won a blue ribbon for her cradleboard entry and she was proud of having it photographed. She told us it took about two months for her to make a cradleboard from start to finish and she sells most of them to young Apache brides but occasionally a young Anglo mother wants one for her white papoose.

Rachel Ethelbar often displays her skill with cradleboards at the State Fair in Phoenix. We called on her at her new house just north of Whiteriver and asked if she would make one for us and let us photograph different steps. She is a plump, friendly, pleasant woman with two sweet little girls-shy with strangers like most of the Apache children who learn their mother tongue first and English later on at school. Rachel said she would be glad to make a cradleboard for us except that she didn't have any materials on hand and would have to go either to the Salt River Canyon or Cibecue to gather some sotol blossom stalks. After a little discussion we agreed to make the trip next day and chose Cibecue because Rachel used to live there and it would give her a chance to see her family and friends.

Early the next morning we picked up the family, then stopped at at the grocery store for cheese, baked ham, buns, milk, fruit juice and a large bunch of bananas. We took Route 73 out of Whiteriver past Fort Apache junction and joined U.S. 60 just north of Carrizo. Here we turned west on a dirt road. Within a couple of miles we stopped at the foot of the hill on which the sotols grew. We could see their tall spears of dried, feathery blossoms silhouetted against the blue sky.

Rachel, in a voluminous pink nylon Apache-style dress and carrying a large knife in one hand, nimbly climbed up the mountain with ease and grace. She inspected each plant, passed up the spindly stalks and cut off a dozen or so of the largest ones. With green strips torn from agave leaves she tied them into a bundle for easy carrying down the steep hillside.

At the bottom she searched a thick patch of tall, slender pine striplings to find the right ones for frames. She cut several and carefully trimmed off the tender branches while the little girls looked on. Perhaps they were absorbing native lore which would be useful to them in the future or nylon dress. She was pleased to find such quantities and said she would put it away until she needed it for her tus baskets.

Glancing at the piñon pines around us, Rachel said there might be some good outcroppings of pitch which they use to waterproof baskets. So she took the empty cans along and soon found a small pine with a break in the bark from which oozed great gobs of sticky pitch. It was easy to reach and she used a stick to scrape it off into the cans without ever getting a speck on her hands Later, when the pine striplings had cured a little, we stopped at Rachel's home to make the first pictures of the cradleboard series. First she peeled the bark from a pine stripling. Then, in order to bend it into shape for the frame, she heated it over a very small fire built between the house and the wikiup. While warm, she held the stripling against her knee and gently made a slight bend. Time and again the pine went into the fire until the sap was heated and it was shaped little by little into the proper form with a large curve at the top and a smaller one at the foot. Satisfied at last, Rachel took agave strips and tied them tight around the warm frame to hold it in position while it cooled and set.

Another day she worked on the sotol stalks. She peeled them, then with a large knife split them into thin strips which were cut in lengths to fit, and and nailed crosswise on the frame from top to bottom - leaving a little air space in between each one. Many fine cradleboards today have these little slats made of thin wood from the lumberyard but Rachel still uses the traditional sotol stalks.The hood of the cradleboard which protects the infant's head if the board inadvertently falls when the mother has it propped against a tree or wagon wheel was made of heavy wires connected with little sotol slats. Rachel curved this over her knee, then attached it to the frame. The board was completed with yellow denim, which takes the place of buckskin, for the lining and sides through which cords are crisscrossed to hold a little papoose snugly in its bonds.

Searching for basket makers, we attended the weekly Ladies Aid meeting at the Lutheran Mission in Whiteriver. A dozen women were sewing modern dresses and making baby shoes. Rev. Arthur Guenther, who is carrying on the work started by his father, asked them for the names ofold-timers who were working on Apache baskets. They all agreed the Susie Pinal and Effie Alchesay were tops. Art's mother showed us some fine baskets she had col-lected and explained their character and use.

There were tus baskets which hold liquids. In Apache tu means water so tus means water baskets or baskets that hold water. Made watertight by heavily coating the in-side and out with hot melted piñon pine pitch, they are tough, somewhat like modern fiberglass articles. They are made from squaw berry bush twigs using a coarse twined weave. In shape they have a narrow neck and vary from one cup to several gallon capacity. Being rugged they served the Apaches well whenever a family packe up bag and baggage and moved to another hunting ground.

Burden baskets, wide at the top and slightly tapering to a rounded bottom, were used for carrying grain, nuts, fruits, etc., from field to camp. Being of a finer twined weave they are usually made from more supple willow strips. Some have dark designs woven in bands around the circumference. Other characteristic decorations are added with fringed buckskin around the top and bottom. Leather straps which go over the shoulders and across the forehead assist the women in carrying heavy loads.

Lively decorated coiled-weave shallow open baskets from willow and cat's-claw were used as food containers around the wikiup and at ceremonials.

Storage baskets made of the same tight coiled weave varied from ten to fifty inches high and had a more quiet design woven in. Mrs. Edgar E. Guenther had one of these, three feet tall, that was graceful in form, expertly woven and attractively decorated.

The Guenther home was a treasure house of very old and authentic Apache craft pieces which were given to her and Reverend Edgar E. Guenther by close Apache friends they had made during their fifty years of faithful service on the reservation. Snapshots in the Guenther's family albums tell a most graphic story of what life was like with the Apaches at the beginning of this century.

Rev. Arthur Guenther sent his trusted assistant and interpreter, Alfred Burdette, with us to track down basket-makers. We found Effie Alchesay just outside of town on her way to the trading post. She was happy to have a lift and took advantage of our bus to carry home more supplies than she could have carried herself since she didn't have a burden basket with her.

At her home, a few miles north of Whiteriver, she showed us a partially finished burden basket and agreed to let us photograph her at work. She then went inside and brought out a generous assortment of other baskets in varying stages, and an age-old authentic burden bag for us to use in the picture. While we were making the setup she gathered together the raw materials needed to work on the basket. With all these and Effie, who posed perfectly, it was easy for us to illustrate basket-making technique by placing the various baskets and burden bag in the background and the raw material up close.

Later at Susie Pinal's wikiup she sat in a picture for us with a very fine completed burden basket as she sewed on the last buckskin strings.

Following our visit to the Riley farm, we met Mrs. Riley at the Tribal Council hall in Whiteriver where we were privileged to attend a regular meeting. Their room in the Community Building was small, plain and business-like. The eleven council members sat around a long table with Lester Oliver, current chairman, at the head. Three councilwomen were in the group. In a section reserved for the public were Apache spectators and off-reservation men with business to transact with the Council.

The meeting was quickly brought to order, minutes were read and reports heard from the various committees. Mainly the budget, new proposals, welfare and the Tribe's enterprises were considered. The discussions were long, without hot arguments, as the members gave their opinions both pro and con. Each problem was duly handled and concluded or else tabled for further consideration at the next meeting.

The White Mountain Apache Indians of today, descendants of the original tribes who lived in this area, own the whole Fort Apache Reservation which is held in trust for them by the Federal Government.

Their legal status certainly is ambiguous. However, since treaties and statutes still in effect recognize Indians as: partial wards of the Federal Government, representa-tives of "domestic, dependent nations," and also as citi-zens of the United States.

When the reservation was first established in 1871 by an Executive Order of President Grant, they became wards of the United States Government and as such had to find a new way of life as raiding was outlawed. Gradually, through government financial help, education and closer contact with the ways of the white man they reached a point where the old tribal organization could be supplanted by the Tribal Council form of government, under the provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934.

The Tribal Constitution, painstakingly written, was finally ratified by members of the Tribe on August 15, 1938. Patterned after the republican system of the United States, residents of the various districts elect councilmen to represent and speak for them at the Tribal council table.

There are nine council members, presided over by a chairman, assisted by a vice-chairman. The council meets once a month, sometimes twice in case of urgent need. Only the Chairman and his secretary are on a full-time salary. Other members are paid $22.00 a day while in at-tendance and when actually on committee work, plus travel expenses. Like Congress, all preliminary work on matters to be decided is done by committee members. With a wide variety of legislative action to consider, committees are active on Law and Order, Health, Educa-tion, Welfare, Land Uses, Resources, Budget and Finance, Roads, General Livestock and Recreation.

In the judicial branch, a chief justice and one associate justice hear all the cases brought before them by a police force of ten men working with six radio-equipped police cars. While the courts are usually crowded with minor offenses, such as disorderly conduct, there are very few crimes of violence. Any violations of the ten major crimes are tried by federal civil courts.

Chairman Lester Oliver, a self-made man born in a wikiup, present-day leader of the Tribe, outlined its financial situation and the major projects. At the present time they have a surplus of around $600,000.00.

The annual income from their resources, primarily timber sales, runs to approximately $600,000 a year. A percentage is taken off for the administration of timber sales by the Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The balance of this Tribal revenue is deposited with the U.S. Treasury for credit to the Tribe and is advanced to the Tribe as requested, upon budget approval. The funds so advanced are placed with a local depository for expenditure in accordance with the approved budget.

This special account to the Tribe's name in the Mc-Nary bank is drawn on directly by the Tribe.

The Tribal Council makes up its own fiscal-year-operating budgets. This budget runs around $600,000 for administration, welfare and special projects, including border fencing, water management, range management, training programs, rehabilitation, irrigation and juniper control for range improvement.

Other budgets, totalling around one million dollars, for Tribal revenue-producing enterprises are set up, approved and managed by the Council.

An important Tribal enterprise is its herd of pure-bred registered Herefords maintained on about 138,000 acres of ideal grazing land in the southeastern section of the reservation. This operation is governed by a board of directors and run by a full-time manager under contract to the Tribe. Self-supporting, it has the multiple purpose of raising breeding stock for the various district cattle associations, serving as a model ranch for guidance of members of the Tribe and producing revenue from the sale of stock not needed on the reservation.

An important Tribal project pointed toward increasing forage yield on range land is the juniper eradication work. Already extensive acres have been cleared of this undesirable brush and since then, desirable range species have increased about ten times. In language that makes music to the cowman's ears and puts beef on the hoof - where one cow would have four grazing days on an untreated acre, the same cow can graze thirty-four consecutive days on a comparable acre of treated land. In addition this project gives employment to skilled Apaches and keeps some of the money at home.

The establishment of a strict control system on lumbering in Tribal forests, along with a well-rounded reforestation program, insures a steady growth of marketable timber for future generations, thus perpetuating their main natural resource.

The Tribal sawmill and wholesale lumber company at Whiteriver has a present capacity of ten million board feet per year. Planned expansion of this successful operation will up this figure to twenty-four million. Under an experienced Anglo manager, fifty-five Apaches have been fully trained to handle even the most exacting of sawmill operations including planing and grading. From this convenient source, Tribal building projects draw lumber at a considerable saving. Profits from this enterprise help pay for scholarships, fire guards and Youth Summer Camps.

During an eight-week work period in the back coun-try, selected high school boys do an enormous amount of conservation work and, at the same time, they receive instruction and practical training in self-help and citizen-ship, invaluable to both themselves and the Tribe. They are paid $4.00 a day, plus food and lodging, but must agree to deposit 75 per cent of this in a personal bank account to be used for their clothes and supplies needed in high school.

The scholarships are increasing the number of Apaches who are able to attend college, to become qualified technicians who can take over jobs, in the Bureau and the Tribe, now being held by Anglos.

This is a prime objective of both the Tribe and the Bureau.

Over all of these programs and operations the Bureau of Indian Affairs, through the superintendent's office in Whiteriver, supervises and helps through its experts especially trained in the various fields.

Finance is a primary concern of the Tribe and there's always the problem of how to get more money. There are royalties that come from timber, minerals and rights-ways, along with Enterprise earnings and some Federal help but never enough to carry out all the betterment proposals they have.

Bright spot on the Apache's self-supporting horizon is their White Mountain Recreation Enterprise, owned and operated by the Tribe with a prime objective to capitalize on its wilderness area resources by providing and selling facilities for Recreation. It was born in 1954 when revenue from timber sales had dwindled and revenue from other sources was needed to bolster the Apache till.

Looking around at neighboring tourist developments, the Council envisioned the opportunities offered by their own vast wilderness areas. The late Si Davis, Bureau employee, working closely with the Tribe on conservation and land use projects, encouraged them to develop recreation facilities on the reservation. The Tribal leaders were enthused with the proposal and urged the Council to adopt it with the provision that Apache land must remain in Apache hands. They worked hard and long to carry the plan to the voters and to convince them of its long range advantages. Leases which the plan provided made some think that they might lose their land and they had to be convinced that tenants would pay only for the use of the land and could never own it.

Tribal Resolution No. 54-23, approved in August, 1954, set the project rolling. It stated in part, “The general nature of the business of the Enterprise shall be to:

In voting for the recreation project they had to deny the Tribe other urgent needs. But faith in an investment that would grow and continue to pay profits as well as provide more jobs for Apaches influenced them. A rigid policy to create jobs for Apaches is a major consideration given to any plan to spend tribal money.

A recreation committee was formed and charged to have a blueprint of the project made with a cost estimate attached.

Appropriations of Tribal money were authorized to be spent in the establishment of campgrounds along all accessible trout streams, building the Hon-Dah Motel and service station, building a dam to make Hawley Lake and developing the Hawley Lake Recreation Area. This included the master plan, prepared and laid out on the ground for a super-subdivision with roads, water mains, power lines, public park and facilities area and five hun-

dred lots laid out to be leased for private cabin sites. This phase was completed during 1956 to 1959. The Apaches are not going to be overshadowed by neighboring real estate developers in rapidly growing Arizona. They have set their sights high in coming in for their share of this lucrative business in their super Hawley Lake development twenty miles southeast of McNary.

The Tribe has dammed up a 250-acre lake with a sevenand-a-half-mile shoreline, in an ideal setting in the wilderness fastness of their White Mountains at an elevation of 8,500 feet. The summers here are delightful.

The creation of this lake, named Hawley after the present superintendent of the reservation, went through a stormy period and had many setbacks before it was completed. Getting heavy equipment in for earth-moving was a costly operation. Suitable working periods were limited on account of winter snows. Legal obstacles had to be overcome.

When it became known that the Apaches were planning to store water which normally flowed into the irriga-tion system around Phoenix, the Salt River Project took steps to halt further work. An injunction was gotten out and the construction company work crews were taken off the damsite. Quietly the Indians hired independent operators and the work went on. But soon papers were drawn up ordering them to desist and handed to the sheriff to serve.

Apaches once again vowed to defend their rights and stood their ground on their own land at the damsite with rifles at the ready.

There was no war and today the lake is there to enjoy and the run-off water still finds its way down to the Salt River just as it has done for centuries before there was any development in the valleys below.

Ironically, the Tribe's range improvement projects on the 35 per cent of the Salt River watershed which is on their reservation have materially increased the water run-off benefiting the Salt River Valley, according to the Arizona Water Resources Committee report.

By the side of the dam, a bronze plaque honors Silas O. Davis, his creed and his service as first manager of the Recreation Enterprise.

As soon as the lake was completed it was stocked with 250,000 rainbow trout planted by the National Fish Hatchery located near Blue Lake. The Tribe contributes $6,000 a year to the hatchery which now has an active program to plant about three hundred miles of streams and approximately twenty tanks and lakes on the reservation.

A new fish hatchery is now under construction at Alchesay Springs near Whiteriver. This will insure a plentiful supply of trout for stocking additional waters.

Hunters and fishermen must have a license from the Fort Apache Reservation as well as the State of Arizona. The Recreation Enterprise now garners around $50,000 a year from the sale of these permits.

As soon as the Hawley Lake project for cabinsites was sufficiently under way, leasing regulations were established, legal forms were prepared and applications for cabinsites accepted. The regulations set forth restrict buildings to a design, character and size that will blend in with the natural settings and preserve, as far as possible, native vegetation.

Lots of a half acre or more are leased for a period oftwenty-five years at from $40.00 to $175.00, payable each year in advance, depending upon the size and location of the lot. Lakeside lots are the most expensive. Leases can be transferred but not for speculation. Roads, water mains, and power lines are brought to the lot line but the lessee must install an approved septic tank.

The Enterprise exercises its right to restrict buildings to one single dwelling of at least 400 square feet of floor space per lot, for private use only, placed on the lot in the space designated by the Enterprise. It also sets up a code of building specifications for the cabins that must be observed. A lessee must present his plans to the Enterprise within one year. After the plans are approved, the outside walls, roof and exterior finish must be completed within twenty-four months or the lease can be cancelled. Tents and trailer houses are permitted on the lots only during the construction of the cabins.

Of the 500 lots laid out, 450 have already been leased and two hundred cabins costing from $5,000 to $30,000 have been built or are under construction. You can build your own cabin, as many families have, join up with several families to share in the cost, work and use of a cabin, or hire a competent builder to do the job for you. Some of the finest cabins have been built by the con-