My Friend, Ross Santee

by Joan Báéza A lot of people drew horses better than Ross Santee, but no one ever caught the spirit of a horse as Ross did. With a few swift black strokes on white paper, Ross could create an old saddle horse, an Indian pony, a bronc colt, or a wild mare. A slump of hip, a turn of ear, told you if he was a bronc ready to pitch or a dinked cow pony. And he drew men as he had seen them from the saddle .... far away, in the high sun, alone against mountain, sky, and plain. Ross thought like he drew, in black and white. A man was a friend or an enemy. His West was a battleground between good and evil. He slept with a loaded Colt .45 six-shooter under his pillow. He hated sham and hypocrisy; liked sports, whiskey, and good conversation. He loved his wife, mother, and sisters. He was straight with his words and true to his art. The friends he valued most were the cowboys, Indians, and prospectors he had known as a young man. He didn't care about material possessions or the state of his health. He felt he had had everything a man could ask for in life. When I met Ross in 1964, he was an old man in house shoes, baggy slacks, and an undershirt with holes in it. His wife, Eve, had died, and he had come back to Globe, Arizona, to live out his last days on his home range, like an old tarnout saddle horse. He still had the frame of an athlete, the voice of a classical actor, and a face that looked as if it had been carved out of rock by Gutzon Borglum. He worked to the last, on a rickety card table in the basement of Herb Bower's house. A bottle of Old Crow and a cracked mug sat beside his sketch pad, pens, brushes, and letters from friends. Two weeks before he died, he was still trying to learn to paint from Scottsdale Artist Phil Curtis. Ross was my friend. He gave me the only good advice I ever had about writing. "Follow your heart, Jo. You won't go wrong if you follow your heart." He knew. He had lived by those words for 50 years.

Yours Sincerely

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

Editor, We await each issue of Arizona High-ways with great anticipation. . . . How-ever, we feel that Arizona has an artist of its own who captures the actual glory of the Grand Canyon more vividly than any of those shown. We're speaking of Curt Walters of Sedona . . . .

Editor, It seems to me that Mr. Joseph Stacey does not know that an artist by the name of Louis Akin was also one of the great painters of the Grand Canyon. His name was not even mentioned in the article (Great Painters of the Grand Canyon, April 1981, p. 28), let alone publishing one of his works . . . .

Dear Everyone, We received numerous letters from readers who felt, like you, that their favorite artist had been overlooked or slighted. Not so! Curt Walter's work appeared the following month in the issue on Oak Creek Canyon country. And, as for choosing other artists, we gave that "impossible" task to author and former AHM Editor Joseph Stacey. We feel Joe did admirably. Our response can perhaps be summed up by still another great Arizona artist whose work was not included in the April issue, but who did send us this note: "A word of thanks for an outstanding issue on the Grand Canyon. In fact, I purchased additional copies.... After returning time 'n' again, for some 20 years, in order to paint both North and South rims, I'm continually reminded of the Canyon's many moods . . . and you've captured a great many of them. Thanks, Earl Carpenter." We sincerely appreciate everyone's interest; unfortunately, there are only 48 pages in an issue.

Dear Editor, Question: In that lovely picture of the restful room and fireplace of El Tovar (page 13 of the April issue), there are two distinct forms on the left side of the picture. The staircase can be seen through these two figures. Is that a trick of light, or is it something the camera picked up without the knowledge of the photographer?

Dear Harry, That is an interesting picture, indeed. Photographer Kathleen Norris Cook put her camera on a tripod, selected the appropriate setting (a long exposure, perhaps of one second, was needed due to the subdued light), and pushed the shutter release. The two "ghost" figures are people who walked into the picture during the time exposure, but weren't there long enough to block out the stairs in the background. You'll also note ghost figures in the dining room picture on page 8.

Dear Editor, My husband's mother was a Harvey girl in the late 1890s. As a very young lady she had come from Denmark to take a "baby-sitter" type position with family friends who were also newly arrived in America. She soon tired of her sitting job, and joined the Harvey Girls. Her tales were wonderful and we are so sorry they were never recorded. Thank you for the exceedingly beautiful and touching issue on the Grand Canyon. What memories it revived! Now I'm going to re-read the whole issue that is if my hankies have dried out from the last go-round.

Dear Editor, As John Hillers' biographer, I hasten to correct an error of my own making that is perpetuated in the April issue of your magazine. The first person to photograph the Grand Canyon was Timothy O'Sullivan in 1871. O'Sullivan was a member of a boat party sent up the Colorado River as far as Diamond Creek by the Wheeler Survey. Hillers, with the Powell Survey, can rightfully be credited with first photographing the upper reaches of the Canyon in 1872 and 1873. Being first or second does not detract at all from the remarkable photographic achievements of both men in the Grand Canyon and elsewhere throughout the West.

Dear Editor, For the past 11 years I have received every month Arizona Highways. It has long been one of my ambitions to see for myself some of the wonderful places shown. My chance came. I have just had a most wonderful 8 days in your state. I will try to convey in one word my feelings on some of the places seen: Sonoran Desert Museum, fascinating; Petrified Forest, incredible; Painted Desert, beautiful; Canyon de Chelly, breathtaking; Monument Valley, fantastic; Glen Canyon/Lake Powell, impressive; Grand Canyon, awesome. Having now experienced Arizona firsthand, I look forward even more to the future editions. Editor, Although I am not an old reader of Arizona Highways, my very dear American friend has sent (me) that beautiful magazine for just a little more than a year, still I made up my mind to write a short note. . . . I am just to thank all the people bearing part in creating the Arizona Highways. Many people from many countries have a really fun going through the beautiful pictures and stories . . . I know how many work needs to be done before we meet a new issue of your magazine, so thank all of you for the joy we get every month traveling round the Arizona and even sometimes having a chance to look into the past.

Cisco Scott, Steve Barnes, and Harvey Howell wait out the time before the evening call to chow at the CO Bar cowboy's winter residence. The spartan 20by 40-foot bunkhouse is at Spider Web, one of several ranches making up the 800,000-acre spread in northern Arizona. Jeff Kida