Desert Messenger

July 18, 2012

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Page 18 Hi Jolly Cemetery's Pioneers Who Were They? By Dinice Ross, Hi Jolly Cemetery, Records/Historian Elsie Kuehn – Wife of Fred Kuehn. Between the two of them, they carved a wide path in the development of Quartzsite, beside each other and individually. Born: Mar 9, 1877 Los Angeles, CA. Died: Mar 22, 1963 Blythe CA. age 86 Buried: Hi Jolly Pioneer Cemetery, Plot 88. ELSIE M. KUEHN 1877 – 1963 Headstone reads: WIFE Elsie Rhodes (Wilson) Kuehn came to Ehrenberg with her father John Rhodes, a carpenter, in the 1890's. John Rhodes built most of the original adobes in Ehrenberg when the place was growing from a warehouse for supplies into a busy center of traffi c. River steamers and freight lines were transporting lumber and other sup- Mother's maiden name: Lack. Fathers name: John Rhodes. www.DesertMessenger.com plies for the Army at Prescott and for mining operations from Wickenburg to surrounding mining camps. Rhodes, a widower, was accompanied by his daughter Elsie who played the piano for social gatherings in the 1890's. El- sie married Sam Wilson and they had a daughter – Bessie Mae. Sam was a merchant and Elsie assisted him in his stores, fi rst at Gold Rock and then in Ehrenberg and then in Quartzsite. Sam Wilson built his store and ware- house on Moon Mountain Road. Built of adobe, 100-110 feet long. This build- ing was built between the Scott's store and Moon Mt Road on the north side of the dusty track through town and was the largest single structure in town. There were corrals in back, a nice shade in front and a side room for the saloon. Sam Wilson passed away in 1909 leav- ing Elsie and their little daughter, Bes- sie Mae, on their own. (Governor Berry Goldwater purchased an oil painting that Bill Keiser had painted of Indian children playing a game in the streets of La Paz. In the middle of the paint- ing was a girl on a horse; that girl was Bessie Mae Wilson). After Sam died, Charlie Kuehn bought the store and operated it until it was washed away in Full Service Cardiovascular Office in Quartzsite! the great fl ood of 1919. Elsie then married Fred Kuehn in Phoenix, April 3, 1911. Fred and Elsie's home in Quartzsite was built around two adobes that had been erected by James A. Cox. (brick mason for George King and wife the previous year.) A wide hall and screened porch across the front joined the two adobes togeth- er. The adobe walls were approximate- ly 12 inches thick, and the tin roof was shaded by a grove of drooping tama- rack trees. Under the tin roofi ng was a second roof made of wood that helped to diminish the hottest of the dessert's sunshine. Cottonwood beams held up this double roof. In the early days the only cooling sys- July 18, 2012 PERSPECTIVES FROM PAGE 17 tem was wet blankets hung across the breezeway and a prayer for a breeze to stir up. They named their home "Tamarack Lodge". Their home and four rentals were on the north side of the main road through Quartzsite. During this time Fred was appointed deputy sheriff/constable and held that position until he retired in 1954. Elsie became deputy recorder, notary public and served as deputy county clerk for the Quartzsite area, handling auto and marriage licenses. She was organist for the Little Church Beside the Road (built by Buck Conner) and a member of the Women's Auxiliary, which later became Ft Tyson Women's club (now incorporated into the Quartzsite Se- nior Citizens). She was a member of Salome's Women's club- Vi Sa Wen. She cared for the renting of cabins and maintained their upkeep. During their lifetimes, both Elsie and CARDIOVASCULAR DIVISION OF IMS Diagnose and Treat • chest pain • shortness of breath • leg pain • varicose veins • leg swelling • palpitations LOCATED in Palm Plaza 255 N. Central Blvd. #5 Quartzsite Cardiac Services Provided • stress testing • echocardiograms • vascular ultrasound • PAD screening • coronary angioplasty/stenting • peripheral angioplasty/stenting All testing done on-site No need to travel 928-927-6105 Fred Kuehn provided many historical tales of Quartzsite to Roscoe Wilson; columnist for the Arizona Republic; Harold Weight, publisher of Calico Print and other publications, also for other desert writers such as Farn- sworth and Murbarger. She wrote for the Palo Verde Times and was corre- spondent for the Yuma Daily Sun for many years. Elsie was a very civic minded Quartz- ite resident with many pet projects that she loved. One of her favorite projects was to care for and maintain the records for the Hi Jolly cemetery. In 1953 after 52 years married to Fred, she passed away, ending a life journey of love and promotion of the small town called Quartzsite. The next histories are of Fred Kuehn younger brothers: William and Charles Kuehn. They were a close family, tied to- gether by their family history. Growing up playing music, investing and helping each other through the tough dry spells, their bonds held tight until the end blogs. She verbally and viciously at- tacks citizens, Town offi cials, and our Police Chief. In witnessing and hearing audios/videos, one sees her unadul- terated hate for this town and many of its people. As Jennifer disgustingly displayed her twisted questioning at the last Coffee with Cops, and accused Police Chief Gilbert of falsehoods, cut in on him many times while answering her. Chief stated, "You want to come here and ask questions about what- ever that are constructive and that, I'll answer your questions. But don't de- meanor me, my department, my men and women that go out there and serve and protect, including you." Do I need to say that everyone else in the room stood up, clapped, and cheered with endless abandon? Didn't think so. District #3, take heed: and this stands for all elections. You may not always have in offi ce or like the slate of candidates. You should, though, vote for the best candidate or at the very least who would honestly "serve" the entire District fairly as possible and who would do the least harm. Jenni- fer Jones, in my opinion, could not do anything fairly for all concerned. An example? Her paper is about 1.5 years old and hasn't talked positively about Quartzsite to date. In fact, her articles about events often seem to cover most- ly Parker/La Paz items and ads. Since she started running for District 3, all of a sudden she is publicizing District 3 locations like Salome and other places outside of Quartzsite. Yet, it still lacks a real calendar of events for Quartzsite shindigs. Don't forget, Quartzsite in- cludes both north and south of I-10. Let's touch on Ed Foster, twice cen- sured and recalled former Mayor, bless his unforgiving heart. He lost two court cases against Quartzsite and the Judge ordered he pay all court costs to Quartzsite. Of course, you never see this type of news written honest- ly about in Jennifer's paper or any of their anti-Quartzsite blogs. Recently Foster stated on a television interview in Phoenix that he owes money to the Town and will never pay. Quartzsite has a Town ordinance stating no one can run for offi ce if he/she owes money to the Town. Foster and his support- ers claim this Town's ordinance is not legal. There is an Arizona Law (Chap- ter 289, Senate Bill 1137; which is ARS 16-311 amended) offi cially signed and active on May 7, 2012. The Law states in part: "D. The affi davit shall SEE PERSPECTIVES PAGE 22

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