Desert Messenger

8 www.DesertMessenger.com May 2, 2018 Desert Messenger MyQuartzsite.com E-EDITION: Desert Messenger News offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Cemetery Mini Series - Buck Connors 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 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! By Dinice Ross, Hi Jolly Cemetery Records/Historian Reprinted from Desert Messenger January 18, 2012 edition. If you de- sire 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 fi rst is a two part article 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 Mex/Chinese restaurant and interred into Pioneer Section, Hi Jolly Cemetery 5/30/2008. Most of the facts and information here were obtained from Buck Con- nor's resume, articles by Lee A. Silva and the writings of his wife Hazel. "Buck" Conner's wife Hazel wrote in 1970 that "First, last and always 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 follow- ing regarding his service record. "1898 U.S. Vol. Infy. (West Virgin- ia) Bugler. 1899 to 1903 U.S. Navy. Ratings: Landsman, Ord. Seaman, Seaman and Coxswain. Complet- ed Washington Branch of Sea- man Gunner School. Newport, .I. branch, Torpedo's, Mines, - contact and control Elementary Electricity and Gun Cotton Manufacture. Rea- son for the uncompleted course was discharge from service by expiration 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 confi dential fi les of the college. Later helped to move the College to Washington Barracks, Washington, D.C." (This later was called the Pen- tagon.) "The fi rst enlisted man to be detailed to duty with the College. Navel Service: 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 Ammunition, war heads, etc, to the Fleet at Hampton Roads, VA. Ser- vices in Philippines: Panay Islands up the rivers of Dumungus, and Capiz. Operating in Gandara, Catu- big 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 Revo- lution. The fi rst is that he spent two years as a Texas Ranger and for a time was sent into Mexico clandes- tinely to photograph the Mexican Revolution. The other report was that he was assigned by one of the fi rst motion picture companies from St. Louis, MO to go south of the bor- der and take movies of the fi ghting during the Mexican Revolution in early 1910 and ended up fi ghting in the revolution instead of merely taking pictures of it. During World War I, the govern- ment needed an emergency air- strip along the fl yway, 2,600 feet by 75 feet. "Buck" built an airstrip just south of his old ranch house and just north of Desert Gardens in Quartzsite, which was dubbed Con- nor Field. The Armistice was signed November 11, 1918 ending the hos- tilities of World War I and the need for the airstrip. During WWII the Air Force renewed their agreement to use the air strip for a location to begin fl ight 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 airplanes from manufacturer to wherever they were needed for the war effort. Part II Actor, Writer, Minister, Fa- ther: He was a small man with a handlebar mustache and long, sil- ver, wavy hair… To be continued in the May 16th edition of Desert Messenger.

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