Desert Messenger

February 6, 2013

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Page 44 www.DesertMessenger.com Hi Jolly Cemetery Pioneers Who Were They? By Dinice Ross, Hi Jolly Cemetery, Records/Historian William Ellsworth Scott -1908 Election returns from the Quartzsite Precinct showed total votes cast for Delegate to Congress as 14. In 1909 voting population was up to 339 in Quartzsite. With the assistance of his children and wife Angela, William E. Scott became a "one man town"; operating a general store and saloon, a feed store blacksmith shop and board-and-batten butcher shop. He went into mining, ranching, and later became postmaster, barber and dentist. As a father of 12, he had to have imagination and perseverance just to keep food on the table. Headstone reads: Scott W.E. ANGELA G. 1862-1933 1882-1966 Born: 1862 -headstone (death certificate has date of birth as 6/19/1861 Pennsylvania). Died: 8/8/1933 in Quartzsite of uremia and carcinoma of prostate at the age of 72. Buried: Hi Jolly Pioneer Cemetery, Plot 76 Father: Joseph R. (Joseph was a Civil War veteran. He worked as a blacksmith and made axes for the Army.) Mother: Hannah Ann Miller Scott. Married: Angela G. Gonzales 1898. Before moving to Arizona Territory, William was a carpenter in Pennsylvania. He worked his way west, spending some time settling his parents in Downs, Kansas, then began replenishing his grubstake by helping build frame houses for the farmers who had grown tired (more likely their wives had grown tired ) of their sod houses. He went to work for the railroad to get farther west. He built logging flumes in Oregon then drifted south to Tyson's Well, AZ. He was a tall likable man with great aspirations. Together in their partnership, Angela and William helped each other, saving their money to buy land, build a large grocery store with a saloon, feed store and blacksmith shop, first in a tent then in an adobe building. (In the early '30's, he sold bootleg whiskey out of the store & saloon basement to help the family survive). He was a miner, prospector, rancher, barber, and after buying a pair of forceps, was also the town's first dentist. Later as automobiles became more popular, gasoline pumps were installed for a Shell Gas Station. William was appointed Postmaster of Quartzsite from 1909 to 1914. They purchased additional cattle, leased a large range of land and built seven corrals with wells and windmills for the cattle. While all of this was going on, Wm. still retained his mining claims and his interest in mining. They purchased more mining equipment and another stamp mill. For a time he owned the Guadalupe Mine, now known as the Gold Nugget. He also had claims in Cherry Gulch (in the Dome Rock Mountains). They hauled water and sold it to the miners for 50 cents a barrel; bacon at a bit (12 ½ cents) a pound; a 24-pound sack of flour sold for 75 cents and can milk for seven cents. Almost all of the coffee that he sold was Arbuckle's whole grain coffee which the miners ground themselves as they needed it. With his experience as a carpenter, another job that usually fell to him was building pine boxes for anyone that had a death in their family. On Dec. 16, 1902 when Hi Jolly passed away, Wm built the pine box to lay him in. He and several other local businessmen buried Hi Jolly in the little cemetery at Quartzsite, with a large piece of DENTURES $350 Full Set QUARTZSITE SNOWBIRD SPECIAL: • US Military trained w/ 30 plus years experience • Satisfaction Guaranteed! • Partials starting at $175 Same Day Dentures and 1 Hour Reline/Repairs!! Dental Laboratory Service Call: 623-444-4013 • Goodyear, AZ sandstone for a grave marker. (Little did they know that one day this almost forgotten man would be universally known for his part in the famous Camel Corps of the Southwest and his many other services to his adopted country.) March 30th, 1911 'Palo Verdi Valley Herald' "W.E Scott of Quartzsite, AZ took an $800 bar of gold bullion to Wickenburg. More than $10,000 gold had been recovered in his stamp mill." (He may have been crushing more than his own ore.) 1919 - The first Scott home on the South side of the road was wiped out in a flood. Three of the boys were asleep in it just before the flood. A neighbor woke up and got them out. The rest of the children were in another house. At the time of the great flood, there were about ten saloons. Genung's Saloon, Trilby's Wilson's Store and Anton Hagely's Hotel; they were all washed away. After the flood they settled the town where it is now. Census April 1930 showed he owned his home worth $2,500. Early in 1932 the State Highway Department constructed the main highway through Quartzsite. When this happened Scott sold a right-ofway through his property and then erected a new building directly across the highway from his old store building. This new building consisted of a Grocery Store, Bar, Gas Station and Garage. As the family grew, each of the 10 children helped with the different business interests while they remained in Quartzsite; marrying and continuing the Scott name in Quartzsite over the next 5 generations – 118 years and growing! These children continued the hard work, shaping and forming Quartzsite around the Scott name. Of the 10 children, 7 stayed and were buried in Quartzsite. Read about their inroads to adulthood in the next miniseries 'Hi Jolly Cemetery's Pioneers Who Were They?' February 6, 2013 Cactus Dodgers updates Snow Birds, welcome back and all you new comers! Come and join us for a night of fun. Monday's from: 7pm9pm for little Square or Round Dance. If you haven't danced in awhile come-out and just watch or see if that body remembers the steps? (Rounds between tips. Mainstream and some Plus) at the Quartzsite Improvement Association Building (QIA), 234 E. Ironwood, Rd. Cactus Dodgers Square and Round Club was started in 1974 in the Quartzsite area. (Free RV..dry camping night of dance ONLY) 2013 Square and Round Dance (www.cactusdodgers.8m.net) Feb. 11 Caller... Bob Jones, Surprise, Az. Feb. 18 Caller... Bob Stutevoss, Yuma, Az. Feb. 25 Caller... Mike Wilder, Kingman, Az. AA Meetings QUARTZSITE, AZ Don 907-440-6419 Monday & Thursday 5:30pm Local Survivors Group 375 Sunrise St. Wednesday & Friday 5:30pm No Name Group 103 Moon Mountain (Winter only) Monday & Wednesday 10am Keep It Simple Group 103 Moon Mountain (Winter only) Friday 10am 12 x 12 Book Study 103 Moon Mountain (Winter only) BRENDA, AZ Tuesday & Saturday 11am Black Rock RV Park (behind clubhouse) BOUSE, AZ Ted 308-383-7880, Russel 509-998-3301 Thursday 11am Bouse Boozers 27928 S. Evans

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