Lewis Douglas - Man of the West

where six horses draw a stage up the dusty hills.

In Wyeth's The Plains Herder, the old sheepherder sucks on his pipe, his bedroll at his side, his faithful dog as pensive as he, watching the firelight grow dim.

Through 42 years of illustration, N. C. Wyeth was considered one of the greats in his field. He admired Frederic Remington, who served as his inspira-tion. Wyeth painted his figures with robust good humor; he was careful to record historical fact, but not at the expense of the spirit. Wyeth traveled to the West in 1904 when The Saturday Evening Post and Scribner's Magazine jointly sponsored his trip. During his visit, he followed the trails into the mountains and cattle country, and took part in all the work and pleasures. He carried the mail, drove the stage, and rode the range. He spent time with various Indian tribes and observed their customs, all the while making careful observations of what he saw.

When asked why he left the com-forts of home to travel to the rugged West, Wyeth replied that if a man is an artist, he would find certain satisfac-tion in the great Western plains and the people he might find there, for the pic-turesqueness of their life and traditions. But he added, "He finds that in order to express himself fully, he has got to come back to the soil he was born on, no matter where it is. There is something in his bones that comes right out of the soil he grew up on-something that gives him a power and communion with life which no other place gives him."

Through his longing for his home, Wyeth also described the force and pull of the West that Lewis Douglas and many other native and adopted Westerners have felt.

A profile of the collector... Lewis Douglas: Man of the West

When President Harry S. Truman chose Lewis William Douglas as United States Ambassador to Great Britain in 1947, it was the first time a Westerner had been picked for the office.

He was fiercely independent, softspoken and courtly. The black patch he wore over his left eye, as a result of a fishing accident, became his trademark.

"He was a brilliant ambassador and the most popular since Benjamin Franklin" says Douglas' son James, a retired banker and a director of the First National Bank in Tucson. "He was a difficult act to follow."

But Lew Douglas was as much at home in the state he called "my native Heath" as he was in the sophisticated cities of Europe.

His son recalls: "He could talk to people at the corner store just as he could before Parliament. He never lost that. He could appreciate the qualities of all kinds of people. He loved riding and he valued the skills it took to be a good cowboy. He could admire those he disagreed with, and he had the ability to laugh at himself."

Lewis Douglas was born to a prominent mining family in Bisbee, Arizona on July 2, 1894. One of his grandfathers, Dr. James Douglas, was a founder of the Phelps Dodge Corporation and played a large role in the development of the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee and in building the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad. He also founded the town of Douglas.

Another grandfather, Lewis Williams, was manager of the Copper Queen Mine.

His father, James Stuart Douglas, developed the United Verde Extension Mine in Jerome, and helped found the Banks of Bisbee and Douglas, which later became the Arizona Bank.

The mines and miners and the West in general were always special to Lew Douglas. He was held spellbound as a youngster by the stories told by family and friends of the early frontier days of the Southwest. He learned of the colorful and courageous exploits of Ari-zona's mining pioneers and of the acts of such desperados as Doc Holliday and the Earps.

In the early 1900's, the Douglas family moved to Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico, where James Douglas was general manager of Phelps Dodge Corporation. Lew Douglas was sent east for his education, first to the Hackley School in New York and then to Montclair Academy in New Jersey. But he spent the summers of each year in Mexico with his family, where he mingled with Mexicans, Indians, and American cattlemen, farmers, and miners.

Out of it all, he developed a great love for the frontier life. “I think [it was] because of the simplicity of life, the complete lack of stratification of society and the lack of any sense of discrimination,” he said. “That was the general and social aura in which I grew up.” In Nacozari, he also learned something of the meaning of heroism.

His friend Jesus Garcia operated the freight train that ran from the town of Nacozari to the mines, six miles away. One day the train, loaded with high explosives, caught fire at the station. In the heroic tradition which made early engineers larger than life, Garcia jumped ed aboard, tore at the throttle, and in a cloud of steam and dust, roared off down the track. Just outside of town the train exploded before Garcia could jump clear.

Later Lew Douglas was to say: “I've never forgotten, and I hope I shall never forget, this example of a person with a very highly developed and deep-seated sense of responsibility, so great that hewas prepared to face death without any companions.” At the request of his father, a memorial column dedicated to Jesus Garcia was erected in the plaza at Nacozari, where it stands today . . . and where every year on November 7, Jesus Garcia Day is celebrated.

Later Lew Douglas was to meet death up close once again, as an officer in the Argonne and later in Flanders during World War I. He was cited for outstanding service by General John J. Pershing and received the Croix de Guerre from Belgium, the first of many decorations.

In 1921 he married Peggy Zinsser, and they returned to Arizona where he worked in his father's mine in Jerome. But he was never enthusiastic about a mining career and decided on a political life instead.

As an Arizona legislator and United States Congressman, the handsome and vital Lewis Douglas put up the good fight for what he believed in.

He left the Congress at the beginning of his fourth term in 1933, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected him as his budget director. He served under Roosevelt for eighteen months and resigned because he disagreed over the president's spending policies.

Lew Douglas was a man of many facets. His son recalls, “He was into everything. He loved horses, he was an avid fisherman, and he was interested in and enjoyed good art.” As chairman of the board of the Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company, pany, in the early 1950's, he and his son, James, began collecting the art that would ultimately become the Douglas Western Art Collection at the Old West Gallery in the First National Bank in Tucson. Choosing the art for the Southern Arizona Bank (which later merged with First National in 1975) was a joint effort.

“He commissioned me and himself to buy some pictures, and we were the only selection committee,” James Douglas says. “We chose Western art because the bank was founded early in the 19th century and was totally Western oriented. We felt that art with some feeling of Western life was appropriate. And we wanted to make the bank more attractive.

“As a boy I had admired the Treasure Island series of illustrations by Wyeth, so I began to buy some of his paintings. The first one we bought was The Pay Stage. It's a powerful picture, and my father and I liked it the best. Eventually we purchased around 15 or 16 of his paintings.” The Wyeth collection may be the second largest in the world. Later they acquired Russells, Remingtons, and other pieces.

Lee Scanlon who today oversees the Old West Gallery was secretary to Douglas for ten years before his death in 1974.

“Mr. Douglas could use his complete mind more than anyone I ever knew. He was an education. He liked people very much, and when he talked to someone, he gave them his complete concentration. He had the courage of his convictions, and he never backed away from anything. He was a gentleman.” At his farewell dinner as United States Ambassador to Great Britain, when five hundred Englishmen stood to cheer him, the master of ceremonies read Chaucer's definition of a great man:

Bookshelf

by Mary Lu Moore Inquiries about any of these titles should be directed to the book publisher, not ARIZONA HIGHWAYS.

The Cowboy Hero; His Image in American History & Culture. 1979. 179 р. $12.95, hardcover; and Cowboy Life; Reconstructing an American Myth.

Reprinted, 1979. 208 р. $9.95, hardcover; $6.95, softcover. By William W. Savage, Jr. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK 73019.

The author's premise is that cowboys became heroes because they were marketed as such. In truth, their existence was one of economic and physical hardship; their work was boring, repetitious and dirty hardly fare for dramatics. They have left few documents which record their world of work or way of life, in contrast to articulate champions of many other vocations. Dr. Savage asserts that the vanishing cowboy has remained upon the scene because he became divorced from history. Irreverently he dissects facets of the cowboy mystique. He terms the West a place for fantasies and where anyone can become a cowboy in the assimilative process. "Today being a 'cowboy' is more an attitude than an occupation." Romantic images that never were are methodically examined: the machismo, screen and literary images, the protector of womankind, imparter of social values, musician, athlete, TV huckster; in sum, the whole mythology. "Every hero becomes a bore at last." There are a wealth of footnotes, an index, a bibliographical essay, black and white photographs and a cowboy chronology.

"Cowboying required no particular skills beyond the initial ability to sit a horse and pay attention. The work was simply more tiring than heroic, more boring than romantic." If this is as Dr. Savage states in his 1975 work, newly reprinted, why did men become cowboys? Why was the cowboy image embellished and polished? In his annotated introduction, the author answers these questions and demolishes many romantic notions. He examines American fascination with western violence and psychodrama. To illustrate his points he presents excerpts from 13 significant original chronicles of cowboy life

DICK WICK HALL

Stories from the SALOME SUN by Arizona's Most Famous Humorist

Collected by Frances Dorothy Nutt

Authored by such writers as Baron von Richthofen, Charlie Siringo, Richard Harding Davis, and Andy Adams, each prefaced with Savage's succinct remarks. The many historical photographs are a welcome addition.

Dick Wick Hall; Stories from the 'Salome Sun' by Arizona's Most Famous Humorist.

Collected by Frances Dorothy Nutt. Northland Press, P.O. Box N, Flagstaff, AZ 86002. 2nd printing, 1980. 136 p. $8.50, hardcover.

Mrs. Nutt has performed a real labor of love for us all by gathering together from many private and public sources the nationally syndicated columns by the originator of the town of Salome and its newspaper. Hall's humor, satire, and reflections on small-town Arizona in post World War I days captured the character of its inhabitants both twoand four-footed and its visitors. First printed in 1968 this small volume yields folklore, nostalgia, and wit of a bygone era in western Arizona, which will delight modern Arizona residents and visitors alike.

Arizona Roamin'; 25 Easy Arizona Trips.

By Bob Hirsch. Rock Along Publishing, P.O. Box 644, Cave Creek, AZ 85330. 1979. 95 p. $4.50, softcover.

"Specially selected for fall, winter and spring," these trips are as varied as Arizona's climate and geography. The author has divided the state into six regions, for which he has selected excursions into easy-to-reach but mostly less populated areas, to partake of fine camping and fishing experiences and to learn a bit of history and archaeology. There are area maps and well captioned black and white photos to inform the reader-traveler.

Edible & Useful Wild Plants of the Urban West.

By Alan & Sue McPherson. Pruett Publishing Co., 3235 Prairie Ave., Boulder, CO 80301. 1980. 330 р. $7.95, softcover.

Starting with the thesis that a weed is a plant that grows where it's not wanted and using Denver as a base, the authors have carefully put together a study of plant collections and usages from prehistoric times to the present, when man's urbanization and pollution have modified distribution. They then proceed to plant classifications: herbaceous, grasses, grasslike, shrubs, shrublike, trees, cacti, and other urban flora many well illustrated by Jim Knopf and by black and white photographs. Additional sections discuss using urban plants for natural dyes and present ideas for educational field trips and landscaping. Throughout the book are all sorts of intriguing data, including recipes for unusual dishes. The bibliography and index are outstanding. As a reference work and learning tool, this handbook is ideal.

Rodeo Fever.

By Tom Raley. Latigo Press, 321 East Northern, Phoenix, AZ 85020. 1980. 65 p. $7.95, hardcover; $4.95, softcover.

Formerly a rodeo cowboy, now an Arizona banker, Raley has used free verse and lively sketches to capture the exhilaration, sights, feel and even sounds of the rodeo and the life-style of its aspiring, dedicated participants. The "why" of rodeo is clearly stated in his first poem. A useful glossary of rodeo terms is appended.

Natural Western Riding.

By Don Blazer. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2 Park St., Boston, MA 02107. 1979. 135 р. $9.95, hardcover.

Western riding differs greatly from other forms, which emphasize classical dressage. Blazer, a writer, trainer, and teacher of horsemanship, stresses the need for harmony and communication between rider and horse, using practical and relaxed techniques evolved from the riding style developed by the southwestern cowboy. The author explains selection of appropriate tack, natural seating, mounting, dismounting, body control cues to the horse, and exercises which can be performed for all occasions, including in the show ring. Black and white photographs illustrate a number of these steps. A very readable and practical guide for both beginners and veterans.

Yours Sincerely

Comments and questions from around the state, the nation, and the world.

Editor, For the past two years my parents have given me a subscription to Arizona Highways as a Christmas present. Through an oversight on their part my subscription was not renewed . . . that situation has been corrected . . . (but) what I am writing to share with you is one of the loveliest afternoons of my life in a rainy-stormy Houston. My parents sent me their back editions of Arizona Highways starting with last January. I have never had such a lovely afternoon!

Dear "Mike",

Mrs. "Mike" Clardy Houston, TX

able. (You can check the insert in this issue for details.) They're sunshine for countless rainy afternoons.

The Editors

Editor,

As a seasonal Park Ranger at Mesa Verde, during the summers of 1972-74, my knowledge of the Hopi grew to appreciation, awe, and respect. I found myself inexplicably drawn to the mesas on my weekends off and was fortunate to have lived there during the winter of '74.... The Hopi have lived sound environmental ethics for a thousand years, and our society can learn much from them. I hope we have the wisdom to allow them the space they need to survive, because the pressures on their land and way of life have never been greater. Your non-partisan articles and outstanding photographs contribute much to a greater public awareness of Arizona's special societies and this "pahaana" is very grateful.

Ed Moyer Brookfield, MO Editor, After enjoying the September issue the past few days, I must stop to give you a big "thanks" and congratulations for this beautiful magazine. I say "thanks" since I spent twenty-three years with the Hopi, having taught in the school system at Polacca. I pray this publication will bring more interest and appreciation to a group of people that has values and holds to them as a necessary part of their life.

Ethel B. Keldsen Amarillo, TX Editor, Last spring I had my first taste of Arizona, camping out near the Painted Desert. The earth spoke to me with her colors and the life abounding, and I grew to know the heavens with never before intimacy. like one's dreams living! For a poet-artist it is a draught of paradise. The Hopi cherish this land as the spiritual heart or center of the world, and truly the land of Arizona glows in my subconscious now like the heart of my dreams. Footloose and about to wander again, I may return sooner than I had hoped! Meanwhile, Arizona Highways carries the intense reality of being there, keeping it fresh and living.Sarah Chisti Parlin, NJ Editor, Upon arriving home from the office today, I was most pleased to find in my mail the six back issues of Arizona Highways I had asked for. Some two hours later I realized that: supper was never started, the dog had not been walked, the cats had not been fed, and Dan Rather and M-A-S-H had come and gone without me.Carolyn R. Neal Ann Arbor, MI.

Editor, I wish to compliment you on your September issue. Every article was done with heart, and as I read them I felt sort of like I was missing out on much by not being a Hopi.Rita Law Groton, CT Editor, Just a card to thank everybody who is contributing to this review which is quite nice and good. I've never been in Arizona, but for sure, I know this state better (almost) than my own country. Thierry Ponchon Ganges, France Editor, We have enjoyed your beautiful magazine for several years and after spending three winters in your wonderful state enjoy it even more! Yesterday I was looking through some old keepsakes of my parents' and found a November-December 1943 issue of Arizona Highways. While it was a lovely issue, as they say, "You've come a long way, baby!" An interesting note is the price at that time. Subscription rate, one dollar per year, single copy price twenty-five cents.

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(Inside back cover) Sunset becomes a moment outside of time on the San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff. More of this photographer's work can be seen in the special color portfolio on page 23. Peter Bloomer (Back cover) Portrait of the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, Colorado. For more of this photographer's work see the special color portfolio on page 26. Kathleen Norris Cook