Desert Messenger

December 18, 2013

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22 www.DesertMessenger.com Voices from The Past in Quartzsite, AZ Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler Christmas Tree Fundraiser for Salome High In the Fall of 1956, seven boys and two girls were enrolled as seniors at Salome High School and were looking forward to becoming the second graduating class at S.H.S. Donna Orosco from Wenden and Merna Scott from Quartzsite were especially glad that their long daily bus rides to Parker High School was in the past. The three Quartzsite boys; John Mitchell, Fred Brown, and Richard Oldham, along with Lynn Lyen of Brenda and Herb Relf of Vicksburg were excited about the new outdoor half-court basketball area where they would practice for their first basketball game against Gila Bend. Wenden contributed two more players on that infamous "Frogs" basketball team, Sheldon Mitchell and Harold Huthmacher. (More about that first game in a future story.) High on their list of activities for the 1956-57 school year was to plan for and select a location for their Senior Class Trip. Rhae Wease, who in addition to being the teacher for all math classes, industrial arts, as well as coaching the basketball team, was their class adviser. Mr. Wease, a native of Cottonwood suggested Oak Creek Canyon would be a great place to camp, hike, pick and eat wild blackberries, fish, swim over slide rock, and skate at Indian Gardens among the fun things to do. To fund the trip class members planned bake sales, the Halloween carnival, and other moneymaking projects. But by the first of December it was obvious that they might have only enough money to go on a picnic over at the Alamo the first week-end in May. DAY NIGHT ry Factods! Chor SHADES REPAIRED GUARANTEED WORK! Facto r Parts y ! Local Resident • FREE Estimates Larry - Cell 928-273-3719 CUSTOM MADE PET ACCESSORIES The Pet Patio ~ Ray & Verna Maurer EASY TO FIND! Tyson Wells Space 29 Full line of nylon products and comfort harnesses, fleece coats, dog boots, doggles, etc. 661-428-3499 or 206-890-1696 Since 1940, during the first week in December, my husband Charles had purchased a permit to cut Arizona Corkbark Fir trees near the San Francisco Peaks to sell to local stores for Christmas trees in the desert towns of Aguila, Wenden, Salome, Bouse, Parker, Ehrenburg, and Quartzsite. In 1956 Charles asked Richard to let Principal Robert W. Charman know that he would be leaving a little early to go with his father in our big honey truck to cut Christmas trees. Fred Brown heard about the venture and wanted to know if he could go along. The next thing you know several other boys wanted to go and cut trees for their families. When Richard asked his Dad if some of the boys could go, Charles replied, "I'll do better than that. Your class is trying to raise money for your senior trip, so if they will help cut and load trees, I'll let your class sell trees in Salome and Wenden with the proceeds to go into the senior trip account". Three boys went on the first trip and three others on the second one. A couple of the boys had never been in snow that deep. Charles outfitted each with several pairs of leather gloves used in our bee business. Before making camp, they horsed around in the snow and had a ferocious snowball fight. Although the fun began to wear off when their hands and feet started getting very cold. Horseplay brought on a big appetite so Charles showed them how to start a rip-roaring fire for warmth and then set the Dutch ovens on the Gifts for You and The Folks Back Home World-Class Wire Wrapped Jewelry Dichroic Glass Master Flint Knapping December 18, 2013 coals. The boys unloaded the box of groceries and hovered over the fire as Charles cooked the "grub". Butch Hutmacher exclaimed that food never tasted so good. Early the next morning it was up-and-at-em so they could head for home by sundown. Two-bytwo Charles and Butch cut trees while Richard and Fred dragged and stacked the trees at the truck. When they had cut, stacked, and counted their limit, they all pitched in and loaded the trees on the truck. A great time was had by all. Butch and Fred said, "Mr. Oldham, you call this work? I've never had this much fun working". The following Friday the second group of boys were ready to go and this would be the last trip up the mountain because the deadline for tree cutting was that Sunday. The weather had been holding out, but a snowstorm could come at any time and it had been unusually cold on the desert. Charles picked the boys up from school and asked one boy to hold a dozen eggs on his lap with another boy in charge of a half-gallon of milk. When they got to the tree area, the eggs and milk were frozen solid–in the cab of the truck! Not as much horseplay this trip, even the campfire didn't totally relieve the freezing cold at near zero degrees. In the morning, Charles urged everyone to work as a team as fast as they could because it looked like a big storm was brewing. The storm SEE TREES PAGE 23 a-jstudio.com Rice Ranch, Space A-39 234-567-0194 330-831-4399 Sign up now Wire-Wrapping & Dichroic Glass Fusing Classes

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