The Southwest Turns Back Its Clock
Four Centuries to Honor the Exploits
Of Coronado, Spanish Conquistadore j|
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
IN THIS year of invasions
of peace-loving countries,
of blitzkriegs and con
quests, it is somewhat ironical
that one section of the United
States, the only major power
not yet directly involved in
the second World war, should
be celebrating with pageants
and other ceremonies the in
vasion of American soil by
armed forces from Europe.
True, that invasion took place
400 years ago—two and a half
centuries before there was a
United States—and the coun
try which these European in
vaders set out to conquer was
occupied by nomadic tribes
of savages who were far from
being a peace-loving people.
It is also somewhat ironical
that the leader of the invaders,
who is being honored this year as
a great explorer, was regarded
as a failure by the powers who
sent him forth. He was Fran
cisco Vasquez de Coronado and
the 1940 Coronado Cuarto-Centen
nial celebration in Arizona and
New Mexico recalls the begin
ning, in 1540, of his epic journey
through the Great Southwest.
The events which it memorial
izes began 44 years after Colum
bus discovered the New World.
In 1536 Cabeza de Vaca and three
companions, who had followed
Narvaez on his voyage of explora
tion to Florida, began their long,
weary journey from what is now
Louisiana back to Mexico City.
They were the only survivors of
more than 60 adventurers, who
had penetrated far into what is
now the United States in search
of gold. From the Indians they
heard tales of great cities to the
north where the houses were
studded with gold. Their imagi
nation fired by these yarns, they
eagerly repeated the stories
when they finally reached Mexico
Citv.
In 1539 the Spanish viceroy in
Mexico sent Friar Marcos de
Niza to check on the reports
which De Vaca had heard. His
guide was the Negro, Estevan,
who had been with De Vaca
through all his wanderings and
Estevan, who pushed on ahead of
De Niza, sent back glowing re
ports of the great cities which
lay ahead and their treasures.
Friar Marcos pushed on to see
for himself these great cities.
From a hilltop in what is now
New Mexico he looked down upon
adobe-walled cities gleaming in
the sunlight and his imagination
soon transformed these into the
reality of the legendary golden
Seven Cities of Cibola. Without
bothering to investigate further,
the friar hastened back to Mex
ico and his story stirred the gold
lust of the Spaniards anew. Sev
eral of the leaders in New Spain
fought for the honor of leading
an expedition to conquer this new
territory and recover the treas
ures of the Seven Cities of Cibola
but Francisco Vasquez de Coro
nado was finally chosen as the
lucky commander for the ven
ture.
Spanish arms had completed
the conquest of Mexico and the
flower of Spanish chivalry rallied
to Coronado’s banners. On Feb
ruary 23, 1540, his army, com
posed of 250 horsemen, most of
them members of the nobility, 200
foot soldiers and 1,000 Indians—
grooms and servants of the Span
ish cavaliers—moved out of Com
postela to march north. They
were accompanied by great herds
of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs
for food and their camp supplies,
munitions and other provisions
were loaded on the backs of a
thousand horses and mules in
their pack trains.
Coronado s expedition entered
what is now the United States
at the southern end of the Hua
chuca mountains in the region of
Montezuma pass and Yaqui
springs in Arizona. But his huge
force with its pack trains and
herds of animals proved cumber
some and delayed the explorer’s
march unduly, so with a force of
picked troops Coronado moved on
ahead, north and east, into what
is now New Mexico.
The Spanish leader soon
learned that he was doomed to
disappointment. For instead of
finding the Seven Cities of Cibola
with their golden streets and
their jewel-studded houses, he
found only the seven villages of
the Zuni Indians in western New
Mexico. While they were impos
ing in size, with great houses ris
ing five stories high and built of
adobe, stone and wood, there was
no gold whatsoever in them.
Pushing eastward, Coronado
came to the largest city in what
was to become the United States.
It was the pueblo of Pecos, which
had 500 warriors who boasted
that they had never been defeat
ed
Bis! awed by the glitter and
Don Diego de Vargas, played by an actor in the Santa Fe Fiesta,
kneels in the Plaza of ancient Santa Fe to give thanks for the recon
quering of New Mexico. (Santa Fe railway photo.)
mystery of the Spanish arms, the
warriors of Pecos decided not to
try to resist the invaders. In
stead they welcomed Coronado
into their town with drums and
pipes of peace and gifts of tur
quoise and native-woven cloth.
But again there was no gold or
other treasure to reward the
white men for their long journey.
Later the Indians of Pecos began
to regret their hospitality to the
strangers, so one of them, nick
named the Turk, was persuaded
to lure these gold-hungry white
men away to the northeast by
promising to show them the
Gran Quivera, a city of silver and
gold.
On to Gran Quivera.
Instead of starting directly for
the Gran Quivera, Coronado
seems to have marched south and
eastward to investigate other In
dian pueblos. He next turned
east and pushed on into what is
now the state of Texas where he
marched for weeks over arid des
erts and trackless prairies, con
stantly harassed by hostile Indi
ans who were more dangerous
foemen than the peaceful inhabi
tants of the pueblos.
After circling around in the
Staked Plain region of the future
Lone Star state, he turned north
to seek the Gran Quivera and
As night falls on the first day
of the Santa Fe fiesta, the giant
effigy of “Zozobra, or Dull Care,"
is burned as the climax of the
fireworks display. (Santa Fe rail
way photo.)
near the present site of Wichita,
Kan., found—not the treasure
houses of gold which the Turk
had promised but a land where
the only human habitations were
skin tepees and grass lodges. It
is believed that Coronado got as
far east as the Palo Duro canyon
in the Texas Panhandle and dur
ing his wanderings he was the
first white man to cross such
rivers as the Canadian, the Red,
the Cimarron and the Arkansas.
Disappointed again in his
search for cities of gold, Coro
nado started back toward Mex
ico. His return journey took him
through southwestern Kansas,
across the “panhandle” of Okla
homa, thence westward across
northern New Mexico to the Sev
en Cities of Cibola (the Zuni
towns) again, and on westward
through northern Arizona. The
first white man to see the won
ders of the Grand canyon were
members of a detachment of Cor
onado's army who gazed in awe
upon that vast emptiness.
Retreat to Mexico.
For two winters Coronado made
his headquarters at Tiguex, an
Indian pueblo located near the
present town of Bernalillo, N. M.
Returning there in the fall of 1541
from his vain quest for the Gran
Quivera, he found his main army
disgruntled and nomesick for
Mexico. In the spring of 1542 he
suffered a severe injury and
while he was on his sickbed, his
captains signed a petition to re
turn to Mexico. They finally ob
tained his reluctant consent and
soon afterwards the indomitable
leader set out on the return jour
ney over the route he had tra
versed with such high hopes two
years earlier.
Although Cpronado s expedition
was, in the eyes of his contem
poraries, a sad failure because he
had not brought back the gold
and other treasure that was ex
pected of him, history has writ
ten his expedition down as one of
the greatest land explorations of
all time. Moreover, it gave Spain
a claim to a vast new territory
in the New World and established
in the Southwest a civilization,
many traces of which still sur
vive after the passage of four
centuries.
Half a century after Coronado’s
expedition, another led by Don
Juan Onate came into the valley
of the Rio Grande and, establish
ing settlements all along the
river, he set up his first capital
at San Gabriel, six miles north
of Espanola at the mouth of the
Chama river. Some time be
tween 1606 and 1610, Don Pedro
de Peralta, the third governor of
Spanish New Mexico, established
the city of Santa Fe and this an
cient city, which has been the
seat of government of province,
territory and state under old
Spain, Mexico and the United
States, is the scene of one of the
most important events of “Coro
nado year,” although it has been
observed every year for two cen
turies.
It is the Santa Fe Fiesta, one
of the oldest continuously ob
served celebrations held in the
United States. It commemorates
the reconquest in 1692 by Don
Diego de Vargas of the vast ter
ritory which had been lost to the
Spanish authorities in the great
Pueblo revolt of 1680. Held on
August 31, September 1 and 2, the
first day of the fiesta is given
over to gaiety with the populace
and visitors in Spanish costumes,
native orchestras playing in the
Plaza and dancing by the Indians
from the pueblos near by. In the
evening there is a picturesque
ceremony, the burning of a giant
effigy of ‘‘Zozobra, or Dull Care,”
and the crowning of the fiesta
queen.
Sunday morning is devoted to
time-honored services in the an
cient cathedral and in the after
noon the colorful pageant of the
re-entry of De Vargas and his
armored conquerors into the cap
ital is held in the Plaza. That
night there is a candle-light pro
cession to the Cross of the Mar
tyrs overlooking the city. On
Monday the children hold their
costume and pet show in the
Plaza, in the afternoon there is
more pageantry through the
streets of the city and the climax
of the fiesta comes that night with
native dances and songs on the
balconies of La Fonda, the lead
ing Santa Fe hotel, dancing in
the streets and finally El Baile de
Los Conquistadores (the Ball of
the Conquerors) at La Fonda.
Thus for three days, Santa Fe,
the capital of New Mexico, turns
the clock back two and a half cen
turies just as the whole Southwest
has been turning its thoughts
back all this "Coronado year” to
the days of that great explorer
and his mail-clad conquistadores.
[ ‘DANIEL
BOONE’
86
Bv KARL CRAYSON
(Associated Newspapers.)
WNU Ser% tee.
A MONTH after Fritz Parker
joined the navy and was as
signed a berth aboard the
U. S. S. Marlin he was
dubbed “Daniel Boone," and the
came stuck. There were two rea
sons for it. First, Fritz came from
Kentucky, and secondly, he was an
expert rifleman. Quite seriously he
admitted it.
“Shucks,” he’d say, "I can plug a
dime at 50 yards, if there's a glint
of sunlight on it so’s it can be seen.
Yep. I reckon I’m about the best
shot in the Pine mountain district in
j Kaintuckey.”
At which speech his mates hooted
and laughed. Their merriment bewil
dered Fritz. He couldn’t understand
what was funny about a man telling
how he could handle a rifle. Good
shots, he thought, ought to be pretty
important to the military forces of
a country, especially when there was
a war on.
“You ought to have joined the
army," Jake Russell told him.
"There ain’t much chance for a
sharpshooter to do his stuff in the
navy.”
Fritz looked worried. “But,
shucks, I been livin’ on solid land
all my life an’ I had a hankerin’
fer a boat ride. Don’t the navy fel
lers never get a chance to shoot?”
He glanced around. "Yuh see that
buoy out there, the one with the
bell? Well, heck, I could ring that
bell in one shot.” Seized by a sud
den inspiration, Fritz jammed a
cartridge into his rifle and demon
strated. The bell on the buoy went
"ping” and Fritz grinned. “See
that!” he said. “Well, I guess there
ain’t anyone in the army could do
better.”
This was directly following a deck
drill and there was quite a crowd
around. Everyone laughed, and
there were one or two exclamations
of admiration, because the buoy was
some distance away and its bell was
small.
And then suddenly an ominous si
lence fell. An officer had come up
and his face was dark. “Who,” he
asked, “did that?”
Fritz beamed. “That was me,
sir,” he said proudly. “These jig
gers didn’t seem to think I was
much of a shot, and I—”
“So you pulled a Daniel Boone for
’em, eh?” the officer cut in sar
castically. "Well, sailor, you’re not
in this navy to plug at bell buoys.
We’ve got bigger guns to play with.
Come along with me.”
Fritz spent a ifreek in the brig.
When they asked him where he’d
! got the cartridge he confessed quite
frankly that he didn’t see the good
in carrying a rifle without having a
couple of bullets along in case of
need, and was promptly told a few
things about military regulations.
The young Kentuckian couldn’t un
derstand it. The attitude of the offi
cers puzzled him; the amusement
of his mates brought a ponderous
frown to his forehead. He had the
good sense to keep his mouth shut,
to try and figure the thing out for
himself, but in this he was unsuc
cessful. Men without guns, and guns
without bullets! And there was a
war on!
Eventually the Marlin was de
tailed to join a convoy scheduled to
escort the transport Bragentine to
France. They weighed anchor in
the chill of an early dawn and put
out to sea. Aboard the Bragentine
was a regiment of infantry. It was
important that they be landed safe
ly in France. Everyone knew this,
every sailor and officer and soldier.
And everyone knew that the accom
plishment of the feat depended sole
ly upon the alertness of the convoy
boats.
Least affected, perhaps, was Fritz
Parker. Fritz couldn’t see the dan
ger. He couldn’t understand why a
whole bunch of vessels like that,
armed fore and aft, port and star
board with guns big enough to blow
a whole city to pieces in ten min
utes, should be afraid of one little
U-boat. Fritz had been told about
torpedoes, had read about them and
heard endless discussions about
them. He knew that if a U-boat
ever got the chance to let one loose
it might do a lot of damage. But,
shucks, with all those guns he didn’t
quite see how they were going to
get the chance.
But they did. It happened five
days out of Boston harbor. There
was a heavy sea running, and the
air was murky. The lookouts didn’t
sight the periscope until it was too
late. Whistles sounded, sirens
screamed, bugles blared and orders
were barked like the snapping of
ships. The convoy began to ma
neuver. Deck crews rushed to their
posts. Guns began slowly to swing
into range. Depth bombs were re
leased.
But the periscope had disap
peared. And a white, irregular line
of foam was marked across the sur
face of the sea, now invisible deep
down in the trough of a wave, now
skimming the crest of another. It
came on at a relentless, furious
pace, and its destination was the
hulking broadside of the cumber
| some Bragentine.
Below decks at a forward port
hole, Fritz Parker watched the prog
ress of the torpedo, and into his
mind flashed a picture of all the
things he'd read and heard of the
damage they could do. And into
his mind, also, there flashed a pic
I
hire of a swiftly flying grouse. There
are few birds that can get through
the air more rapidly than a grouse,
few that are harder to hit. Only an
expert marksman can bring one
down when it’s in full flight.
Fritz had accomplished that feat,
and other feats equally as miracu
lous. Memory of it caused a wave
of pride to surge through him. The
torpedo, he thought, was traveling
about as fast as a grouse. It would
require quite a lead to bring it
down on the wing, so to speak.
These thoughts raced through
Fritz’s mind in a split second, as
thoughts are apt to do when a crisis
is at hand. Even as he pondered
the matter his hand reached back
and seized the rifle that leaned close
by. The rifle was now loaded and
ready for use.
Fritz shoved the muzzle through
the port hole, squinted along its bar
rel and got a bead on the torpedo.
Then he swung about the same dis
tance he’d do if it were a grouse,
and pulled the trigger. He worked
the lever frenziedly and shot again.
Officers and men standing on the
decks of transport and convoy ships
were abruptly amazed to hear a
loud explosion and to see a great
geyser of water stream into the air,
fully 100 yards away from the Brag
entine. There was a moment of
awed, wondering silence, and then
pandemonium broke loose.
Below decks, Fritz Parker eased
the firing pin back into place, stood
the rifle against the ship’s side and
sat down with an expression on his
face that indicated he was obviously
sunk in the depths of despondency.
About him men were milling wildly,
babbling incoherently, pounding
each other on the back.
Jake Russell came up and
whanged Fritz between the shoul
der blades. "By God, Daniel, I
never see anything like it! I never
would have believed it if I hadn’t
seen it with my own eyes! That’s
what I call shooting!”
Fritz looked up morosely and
shook his head. His face wore an
entirely earnest expression. There
was a look in his eyes of misery
and chagrin.
"Quit it, Jake, I could stand for
your kiddin’ me before, but I’m get
ting kind of fed up. Shucks!” He
gestured dismally. "That there tor
pedo wasn’t travelin’ no faster'n a
grouse, an’ by jingoes it took me
two shots to bring her down. Guess
now I can’t blame you jiggers for
thinkin’ I ain’t as good a shot as I
let on.”
Scientific Land Usage
For Agriculture Urged
With an ever increasing realiza
tion of the necessity of land-use
planning throughout the United
States, the Commonwealth Club of
California has completed a two-year
study of the problem, conducted by
leading agricultural experts of the
state.
Some idea of the loss that has
been incurred through lack of scien
tific land-use planning in California
alone is revealed in the fact, the re
port cites, that during the last 10
years 300,000 acres of fruit trees
and grape vines, costing from $100
to $400 an acre to establish, have
been abandoned, and the end is not
yet in sight.
From the standpoint of food needs,
the report finds that with an esti
mated population of 131,000,000 in
the United States in 1940, an ade
quate diet for a family of low in
come would necessitate 230,000.000
acres of agricultural land. For fam
ilies of medium income this total
might rise to 286,000,000 acres of
productive land.
This means, the report holds, that
the low-income class would need 1.78
acres per capita and the medium
income group 2.22 acres.
With the advent of shorter work
ing hours and the increased travel
facilities, the report finds it will be
necessary in land-use planning to
consider the amount of land that
will be set aside for recreational
facilities.
The report finds that in 1923 more
than 84,000,000 acres were required
to produce the net export of agri
cultural products and to feed farm
animals used in producing them. By
1933, however, the total number of
acres required had dropped to 40,
000,000.
"Unless we can revive interna
tional trade," the report says, "cer
tain areas must make great changes
in the uses made of their lands.
About a fifth of the wheat crop,
more than half of the cotton and
about half of the dried fruit crop
have gone into export outlets.”
Island of Slogans
Prince Edward Island, officially
known as Canada’s Island Province,
has more inviting tourist slogans
than any vacation district of similar
size. The island, by its location of
nine miles from New Brunswick and
30 miles from Nova Scotia, capital
izes on all the nature slogans of its
two neighbors but distinguishes itself
as an island of “white and silver
biiches” which are so conspicuous
in the island landscape, and for its
Scottish heritage, the “Isle of the
bonnie birchen tree.” Prominent
among the slogans are “Summer
Isle of Eden,” “A Paradise for Deep
Sea Fishers,” “Charlestown, Where
the Federation Was Cradled,” and
“The Isle Where Small Folk
Thrive.”
Of interest to visitors is the pleas
ant old farmhouse at Cavundish, the
scene of L. M. Montgomery’s famous
story of island life, “Anne jf Green
Gables," with the island capitaliz
ing on the story lure of the slogan
"Seeing the Island Where Anne
Sought Her Will-o’-the-Wisp.”
New Autumn Suit Silhouette
Registers Rigorous Changes
By CHERIE NICHOLAS
BEST dressed women have long
since proved through experience
the wisdom of investing in a new
suit at the very start-off of the au
tumn season. In a smart suit and a
goodly supply of eye-thrilling ac
cessories you have an investment
that will yield a hundred per cent to
the good right through until fur coat
time and then likely as not you will
be wearing your suit under your
coat on many a wintry day.
The call for a new suit (with ac
cent on new) becomes positively
imperative this particular fall be
cause lines have undergone such
drastic change they make a last
year model look hopelessly passe.
The new silhouette somehow con
trives to give the impression of be
ing narrow and straight though as a
matter of fact it does not at all
times entirely eliminate pleats and
other devices that insure free and
easy movement. As to jackets, they
are slimmed and lengthened to give
the new long-torso look.
Just now the world of fashion is
all agog concerning the hand
some, neat and trim black silk suits
made either of faille or bengaline
or smart moire. The charming suit
centered in the picture is tailored of
black moire. The skirt is interest
ing because it is skilfully manipu
lated to preserve the coveted slen
der line so indicative of the new
trend, at the same time that un
pressed pleats are introduced. Also
the long-torso contour, which is a
major fashion law this season, is in
terpreted in the smartly tailored
jacket. The fastenings of gold but
tons are especially significant, in
that they confirm the report that
gold jewelry and gadgets are to re
turn this fall and winter. There’s
important news too, in the hat this
fashionably attired young lady is
wearing in that it is one of the dra
matic profile shapes that’s the lat
est, according to expert millinery
advice.
The suit to the left flashes impor
tant highlights in more ways than
one. To begin with, the material
of which it is made is a finely ribbed
woolen and all the fashion notes will
tell you that ribbed weaves abound
in the fabric realm this fall. Again
this model gives accent to the long
er jacket vogue. The slenderizing
narrow skirt is also made a feature
in this instance. It is one of the very
new side drape types. And now for
the most telling fashion stroke of all
which this mode registers—jet but
tons fasten it!
The new tweeds for fall are gor
geous. The challenge is going to be
whether to buy an all black suit
such as the new style program pro
claims for fall or to go in for color
ful tweed with all your might. The
ideal course of action is to acquire
both, black for the more formal,
dignified moments, and a carefree
vividly colorful plaid contrasting a
monotone skirt for nonchalant go
ing about. Make it an all-plaid suit
for that matter for the suit of plaid
looms up on fashion’s horizon In no
uncertain way. The practical thing
to do is to buy a plaid suit, also
a monotone skirt that picks up one of
the colors in the plaid. This will
give you welcome changes that tune
to time and event. For the model
pictured a vivid plaid is selected
for the long-torso jacket, the same
topping a narrow skirt done in mono
tone.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
Long Gloves
In this picture below-the-elbow
i sleeves and long gloves meet in just
the right spot to look fashion-cor
rect. These American-made slip
ons of velvety soft mocha make a
dramatic contrast to the natural
Russian lynx jacket. While the
gloves’ extra length and their ex
quisite finish give them an extrava
gant air, the fact that they are
American made means long wear
and washability, thus keeping them
I in the practical class.
Military Headgear
From New Zealand
The picturesque headgear of the
Australian and New Zealand soldiers
I is influencing much of the new mil
! linery shown by London hat design
i ers. These styles have high pinched
j crowns and wide brims. Some of
the brims are simply flat and
straight, while others turn up at one
ssde and fasten under the chin with
a military looking strap.
Ladylike Fashions
Keynote for Fall
The new autumn style program
places the emphasis on dignity and
conservatism in dress. The major
ity of frocks arriving are simply
fashioned carrying their style mes
sage through an entirely new sil
houette that narrows skirts into easy
natural lines, modifies shoulders in
bodice, blouse and jackets, length
ens sleeves to below elbow or to
wrist.
The early call is for blacks and H
browns and rich greens in suit or
ensembles. Hats are not freakish
and they are styled to fit snugly
and they are tuned to the type of
hairdress you adopt.
Materials say quality at a glance.
The dresses in the new collections
are designed along simple wearable
lines, glorified with fetching details
that bespeak their newness.
And when all is said and done,
you are going to be charmed with
the new order of things in that
good taste is evidenced all the way
through heightened with dramatic
touches of color in jewelry and
gloves and other accessories that
add fascination to the entire scheme
of costume design for the coming
months.
Jersey for Dress
The Coming Season
When you dress up this coming
season, you will probably put on
jersey, but you may not recognize
it as such, it will be so changed.
Afternoon dresses are being made
of uncut velvet jersey and dinner
gowns of ribbed crepe jersey. Eve
ning gowns will be shown in thin
chiffon gauze jersey and a two-faced
iridescent jersey, each side a dif
ferent color, while shiny white vel
vet jersey will be seen in wedding
gowns.
