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Page 26 By Dinice Ross, Hi Jolly Cemetery Records/Historian Quartzsite Pioneers I will be writing a miniseries on the History on 20 of our pioneers in the Hi Jolly Cemetery, one series a month. If you desire more information, the Tyson's Well Stage Station Museum is a great place to browse and gather those extra tidbits that make these pioneers come to life. The first is a two parter on one of our most interesting pioneers: George "Buck" Conner (part 1 of 2) Headstone reads "George W. Conner MUS. 2 W. VA INF. SP. AM. WAR" Born 11/22/1880 Streeter, Illinois. Died 2/4/1947 Yuma, AZ. Exhumed 5/30/2008 from behind previous Best Mexican/Chinese restaurant and in- We're Back @ Main St. Laundromat Wash the dog, & the clothes! HOLLYWOOD PETS Mobile Grooming Professionally groomed by Robin Barbour Award winning groomer! 23 years experience! Pamper your pet in our state-of-the-art fully mobile grooming parlor Best Rates in Town! 218-426-5317 terred into Pioneer Section, Hi Jolly Cemetery 5/30/2008. Most of the facts and information here were obtained from Buck Connor's re- sume, articles by Lee A. Silva and the writings of his wife Hazel. QIA Craft Fair 1st Sat. of every month! Daily Activities! BINGO Friday Nights Open at 5 pm. Early Birds 6:30 pm. Main at 7 pm. Concession stand. 928-927-6325 235 E. Ironwood St., Quartzsite Nails Plus by Joyleen (JO ) AT CACTUS CURLERS Full service of acrylics, manicures and pedicures for both men and women. Call for your individual service! Cactus Curlers, Cowell St., behind Senior Center R' CUSTOM Magnetic, Street & Stand Signs License Plates, Flag Banners, Removable & Permanent Decals & MORE! Tyson Wells Center • Space #5 • 121 W. Kuehn 928-927-5400 www.DesertMessenger.com "Buck" Conner's wife Hazel wrote in 1970 that "First, last and al- ways Buck was at heart a Military man". This man should be remembered as one of Quartzsite's true historical building blocks. Buck wrote in a resume the following regard- ing his service record. "1898 U.S. Vol. Infy. (West Virginia) Bu- gler. 1899 to 1903 U.S. Navy. Ratings: Landsman, Ord. Seaman, Seaman and Coxswain. Completed Washing- ton Branch of Seaman Gunner School. Newport, .I. branch, Torpedo's, Mines, - contact and control Elementary Elec- tricity and Gun Cotton Manufacture. Reason for the uncompleted course was discharge from service by expira- tion of enlistment. 1903 to 1907 U.S. Signal Corps (U.S. Army). Detailed to Army War College, 22 Jackson Place, Washington, D.C. Slept with confiden- tial files of the college. Later helped to move the College to Washington Bar- racks, Washington, D.C." (This later was called the Pentagon.) "The first enlisted man to be detailed to duty with the College. Navel Ser- vice: Guarded and acted as Rodman with Captain Maxim, C.E. Corps. U.S. Navy, at Olongopo, and Subic Bay, P.I. Detailed as Coxswain in charge of the Tugboat "Daisy" at Norfolk, Va. under the Captain of the Navy Yard to carry Wayne's Pet Service Need someone to take care of your pet(s), in your home, while away? REASONABLE RATES! January 4, 2012 Ammunition, war heads, etc, to the Fleet at Hamp- ton Roads, VA. Services in Philippines: Panay Islands up the rivers of Dumungus, and Capiz. Operating in Gandara, Catubig and Pambujan Rivers of Samar Islands. Hold three citations for my naval service." There are two stories with regard to his time during the Mexican Rev- olution. The first is that he spent two years as a Texas Ranger and for a time was sent into Mexico clandestinely to photograph the Mexican Revolution. The other report was that he was as- signed by one of the first motion pic- ture companies from St. Louis, MO to go south of the border and take mov- ies of the fighting during the Mexican Revolution in early 1910 and ended up fighting in the revolution instead of merely taking pictures of it. During World War I, the govern- ment needed an emergency airstrip along the flyway, 2,600 feet by 75 feet. "Buck" built an airstrip just south of his old ranch house and just north of Des- ert Gardens in Quartzsite, which was dubbed Connor Field. The Armistice was signed November 11, 1918 ending the hostilities of World War I and the need for the airstrip. During WWII the Air Force renewed their agree- ment to use the air strip for a location to begin flight training for 30 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The WASP's were trained in interstate planes. From here they would go on to Texas and other locations for more intensive training to shuttle larger air- planes from manufacturer to wherever they were needed for the war effort. Part II Actor, Writer, Minister, Father Call 928-927-4329 Now Open in Quartzsite! WiGo Communication Computer Sales & Accessories Computer Repair Center Cell Phone Service Provider & Accessories 395 N. Central Blvd. Wireless, Keyboards, USB Cords, Data Storage, Routers, Switches, More! Open Mon-Fri. 10-5 928-927-5958 He was a small man with a handle- bar mustache and long, silver, wavy hair….. To be continued in the February 1st issue of Desert Messenger. F I G E I D S L S E N S