Desert Messenger

4 www.DesertMessenger.com July 10, 2019 T��� ����� ������� �� D����� M�������� Head Start openings Now and then... 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! By Archie Lumbert Quartzsite Historical Society Visitors who arrive at our Quartzsite town signs often ask, "Why the camels?" Prior to the U. S. Civil War, the American southwest was a huge barren wilderness. Moving sup- plies, particularly for the military was a challenge. One of the temporary solutions was to buy, train and operate a camel corps to survey the area and pro- vide the troops with their necessary equipment and move the mail. In 1855 after Jefferson Davis be- came U S Secretary of war, a naval vessel, USS Supply was outfi tted and sent to The Levant (Eastern Mediterranean) to purchase and re- turn camels to the U S Army in the southwestern territories. Supply made two trips returning 34 camels on their fi rst trip in 1856 and 41 on the second voyage, arriving at Indianola, Texas in 1857. Camel han- dlers were hired to help purchase, train and care for the beasts during the voyage and after arrival. Aboard the USS Supply's second voyage was Phillip Tedro, who was born around 1828 in Syria. He had converted to Islam after his pil- grimage to Mecca, where he took the name Haji Ali which has been Americanized to Hi Jolly. Hi Jolly worked for the army un- til the Great Camel Experiment was over. Then he acquired some of the camels that he bought from the Army at auction. In 1870 he was released from the government service. Using his cam- els, he operated a freight service, carrying water and supplies for the mines east of the Colorado River in the Arizona Territory and beyond. He became a US citizen in 1880 and took his original name Phillip Tedro when he married Gertrudis Serna in Tucson, Arizona. He went to work for the U.S. Army again in 1885 as a scout and packer for General Crook. After 1898, Hi Jolly spent his fi nal years in a cabin in Quartzsite near the present museum. Here he pros- pected for gold like many before and since. In December 1902, during a rag- ing dust storm, Hi Jolly overheard a prospector telling of an encoun- ter with a camel on the desert near Quartzsite. Learning the where- abouts of the sighting, Hi Jolly re- turned to the desert in search of the animal. According to legend, he was found deceased days later, half-bur- ied in the sand with his arm around the dead camel. A wooden cross marked his simple grave in the Quartzsite cemetery until 1935 when the Arizona High- way Department erected a pyramid made of local rocks and topped with a copper camel. At the foot of the monument in a metal receptacle were interred the ashes of Topsy, the last known surviving govern- ment camel who died in 1934. Additional information about Hi Jolly and other notable town icons can be studied at the Quartzsite Museum, which is about midway between the camel signs that wel- come our visitors into town. Ehrenberg, AZ - Applications for Head Start are being accepted in the area. Children at least 3 years of age must not have reached the age of 5 by September 1st of the current school year. Applications for Early Head Start are accepted for children 0-2 years of age. Head Start is a comprehensive early childhood education program for pre- school age children whose families meet current Department of Health and Human Services income eligibil- ity guidelines. WACOG Head Start endorses the tenet that each child must be treated as an individual in an inclusive community that values, re- spects and responds to diversity. The program offers a broad range of individualized services in the areas of education and child development, special education, health services, nutrition, parent/family develop- ment. In addition, the range of Head Start services is responsive and ap- propriate to each family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage. Serving western Arizona for over three decades, WACOG Head Start has a long tradition of delivering high quality services designed to enhance the healthy development of children. The primary focus of WACOG Head Start is children and their families. It is the program's mission to provide the foundation for the development of self-suffi - cient, healthy, caring and produc- tive children and families. Please be aware that applying for the program does not constitute en- rollment in the program. Note: If your child or family has previously applied for Head Start or Early Head Start, please apply in person at one of our Head Start cen- ters and staff will be happy to assist you with updating and submitting a new application. To learn more call (928) 923-9866. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com /DesertMessengerNews Follow on Twitter @DesertMessenger @QuartzsiteRain NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO? 24 HOUR CRISIS LINE: 1-866-495-6735 Arizona Complete Health - Complete Care Plan

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