Desert Messenger

16 www.DesertMessenger.com March 4, 2015 Local Resident • FREE Estimates Larry - Cell 928-273-3719 DAY NIGHT SHADES REPAIRED GUARANTEED WORK! Factory Parts! Factory Chords! SEE GEORGE PAGE 26 Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler "In the Shadow of Saguaros" Vol. I & II are now available exclusively at the Tyson's Well Museum and Reader's Oasis Book Store Voices from The Past in Quartzsite, AZ The Spanish American War of 1898 was the shortest war ever engaged by the United States of America although for George S. Hutson of Quartzsite, his service in Company A of the 1st Terri- tory U.S. Volunteer Infantry is remem- bered long after his death on May 29, 1926 at the Soldier's Home in Sawtelle near Los Angeles. Private Hutson, retired, was laid to rest at the Pacifi c Branch of the National Cemetery for Disabled Veterans (known today as the Los Angeles National Cemetery). The War Department of the United States approved the application request of an administrator at the Soldier's Home for a headstone to be placed in honor of Private George S. Hutson. George S. Hutson was born in Penn- sylvania in 1863 and, like many young men of his day, came West in search of adventure and fortune. On July 4, 1898, George, along with his friend Oscar L. Pease went to Phoenix and volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army. Along with 107 offi cers, musicians, wagoners, and privates, George boarded a train for Lexington, Kentucky where he would receive his training. After the Armistice was signed, George was mustered out of the U.S. Army on February 15, 1899 in Albany, Georgia. By 1910 George was back in Quartzsite living on fi ve acres where he used his calming nature to capture wild swarms of bees which he introduced into a "bee box" made up of two "boxes," contain- ing beeswax frames that George hoped would launch him into the business of producing honey that could be sold in quart jars at Anton Hagley's store. George Hutson was the fi rst known bee- keeper in Quartzsite. Our home place on Oldham Lane is the same property where George Hutson started his bee busi- ness. The property was later acquired by Charles R. Mott, who grew George Hutson's bee business to 125 colonies. In 1939 we purchased the bee business and home on fi ve acres where I contin- ued keeping honeybees until 1989. George Hutson had another hobby of sorts. During his stint in the Spanish American War he became interested in photography and purchased a camera, George S. Hutson - Spanish American War Veteran tripod and other equipment. When we bought the Hutson Place from Judge Mott we came across George's old cam- era which my brother Norman attempted to fi gure out how to make photographs. During the winter, while the bees were not active, George Hutson prospected for gold. He had three white albino burros that carried supplies to his various min- ing claims up in the New Water Moun- tains from which he found enough gold to keep his burros and himself in grub and then some. George, like many oth- ers, dreamed that some day he would strike it rich. He knew he was prospecting in the right area because nearby prospec- tors would often high-tail-it to Quartzsite to show off the gold they had found, some with nug- gets as big as their thumb. Al- though another New Water Mountain prospector who went by the name William Buck, was tight-lipped about his success, today the story of his great suc- cess at locating gold is well known. On one hot summer night at his place in Quartzsite, George came up with a brilliant idea on how to escape the swel- tering desert heat. He decided that af- ter the Palo Verde, mesquite, catsclaw acacia, and ironwood trees had fi nished blooming along the Tyson Wash, he would choose a moonlit night to close the entrances to his "bee boxes" with burlap. When that time came, George carefully packed the "bees boxes" onto the bur- ros and headed for the mountains. As long as the burros were moving, the bees didn't try to leave their boxes. After a day's rest, George went back down to Quartzsite to prepare another load of bees. After several trips he had all of his bee boxes up on "Hutson's Mesa" in time for the bees to gather nectar from the later blooming mountain trees. Many of the mesquite, Palo Verde, and catsclaw acacia's were still suffer- ing from the effects of a long drought that had just began to ease in 1904. George enjoyed the summer thunder and lightning storms in the New Water Mountains. Standing in the protection of the entrance to his mine George en- joyed watching the rainwater cascade off the jagged black rocks collecting into ever-enlarging streams of water as it ran across the mesa and on down the moun- tain. Within minutes of the sun coming out there was little sign that there had been a rainstorm, which lead George to come up with another great idea. Begin- ning at where he had observed the water collecting into streams, George used a shovel and a hoe to dig a canal system from tree to tree to tree then cut a bowl around each tree. During each succeed- ing rainstorm George observed where he needed to enlarge or add more canals to preserve the water for the trees around his camp. The trees on Hutson's Mesa thrived and with the help of his honey- bees fl ying from blossom to blossom, improved the pollination which in turn produced a bumper crop of mesquite and Palo Verde beans, thus attracting more deer, coyote, fox, bighorn sheep, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and birds for George to photograph. When the weather turned cold up in the mountains, George would again load his "bee boxes" onto the burros and make the return trip back down to the warmth on the desert. There the honey Craft Fair 1st Sat. of every month! Daily Activities! QIA 928-927-6325 235 E. Ironwood St., Quartzsite BINGO FRIDAY NIGHT Opens at 5pm. Early Birds 6:30pm. Main7pm Concessions Available THRIFT STORE Benefitting the La Paz County Animal Shelter in Parker Supported by your generous donations! 455 E. Main St. Quartzsite Open Tues. thru Sat. 9-3 928-927-4223 March Special 50% OFF

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