Desert Messenger

April 20, 2022 www.DesertMessenger.com 11 "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" What happens in Q UARTZSITE goes around THE WORLD! however ... 928-916-7686 425 N. Roadrunner, Quartzsite (off E. Quail Trail near Town Park) Stephanie Adkins, Proprietor The Shear Shed Dog Grooming - All Breeds NOW OPEN YEAR-ROUND! Quartzsite, AZ - Judge John "George" Hagley married Cheryl and Richard Barbee right here in Quartzsite. Cheryl recently passed away on February 27, 2022. On March 24, 2022 Richard, who now lives in Glendale, visited Tyson's Well Stage Station Museum with his daughter Dee Hulsey and son Paul Barbee. Volunteers Shelley and Bob found their the record of their wedding and captured the memories with these photos. As written by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler's book "In the Shadow of Saguaros": "For thirty-one years, the sign in front of Judge George Hagley's home, which also served as the Quartzsite's Justice Court, read "Let's Get Mar- ried", and many couples did. By the thousands, actually over 43,000 with Justice of the Peace Hagely and his various J.P. predecessors assisting couples in tying the wedding knot, many occurring during World War II. At that time, California law required couples who wanted a marriage license, to fi rst get a blood test and then wait three days before the li- cense could be issued. Arizona had no such law, so during all hours of the day and night couples would drive across the border and seek out the "Marrying Judge". With marines, soldiers, sailors, and air force person- nel preparing to be sent to faraway places, many couples wanted to get married. The word was out that, over in Arizona, couples didn't need a blood test and the required three- day wait. Quartzsite was just across the state line and all a couple had to do was get a license from the Clerk of Court, and the J.P. could make it legal in less than 30 minutes. Sweethearts came by car (even though gas ration cards were pre- cious), some by bus, and others even hitchhiked. Greyhound bus drivers knew the routine; let the couple off, point the way to the home-offi ce of the Clerk of Court who, if the couple arrived during the night, kept a porch light on and had a bench where they could wait for her to dress. It wasn't hard to fi nd Judge Hagley's "Let's Get Married" sign on U.S. Highway 60 (now B-10 / Main Street on the NW corner of Moon Mountain Road) because the sign was well-lit during the night. If the couple hadn't already called upon the Clerk of Court, George would point the way to the offi ce of his sister-in-law Elsie Kuehn, who would issue the marriage license. If the soon-to-be newlyweds didn't have the required two witnesses, George would let them know that they could invite the Clerk and she would assist in fi nding a second witness. George also had a bench on his lighted porch for folks to wait while he dressed for the occasion. In 1946, George was elected Quartzsite's Justice of Peace and thus began a career as "The Marry- ing Judge". Robert Goldberg told Desert Mes- senger, "We often do get requests and visitors who stop in to fi nd the record of their wedding." The "Marrying Judge" R������ B����� (������) ���� �������� D�� H����� ��� ��� P��� B����� ������ | C������� �� R����� G�������

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