Desert Messenger

8 www.DesertMessenger.com May 16, 2018 Desert Messenger MyQuartzsite.com E-EDITION: Cemetery Mini Series - Buck Connors By Dinice Ross, Hi Jolly Cemetery Records/Historian Reprinted from Desert Messenger February 1, 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. Part II Submitted by Dinice Ross Born 11/22/1880 Streeter, Illi- nois. Died 2/4/1947 Yuma, AZ. From Coronary Thrombosis. Exhumed 5/30/2008 from behind former Best Mex/Chinese restaurant and interred into Pioneer Section, Hi Jolly Cemetery 5/30/2008 Buck Connor: Actor, Writer, Minister, Father From 1907 to 1910 Buck was with Col. Cody as his secretary and was Indian Agent for the Wild West Shows, Rose- bud Reservation – Rosebud, S. D. He handled all the Indians for the shows, known as Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Pawnee Bill's Eastern shows. Starting in 1911 Buck was in the mo- tion picture industry. He was an assis- tant director, director, story writer and actor. He appeared in approximately 85 fi lms, including the Plainsman in 1936 starring Gary Cooper. Some of the movies he appeared in: • The Phantom Riders (1918) • The Black Horse Bandit (1919) • The $1,000,000 Reward (1920) Action (1921) • In the Days of Buffalo Bill (1922) • The Social Buccaneer (1923) • The Radio Detective (1926) • Hell's Heroes (1930 in fi lm) As one of the earliest movie cow- boys, he counted among his closest friends Will Rodgers and cowboy artist Charles Russell. He traveled Vaudeville routes & Wild West shows as an expert roughrider & roper. About 1913 was the time he started writing. He collab- orated with B. M. Bower on the "Chip of the Flying U" & "Jean of the Lazy A" series and many others. Then he wrote short stories and novelettes under the name Buck Connor and was published in Adventure, Blue Book, Short Stories and other magazines now long gone. From 1910 to 1941the Motion Pic- ture industry was his vocation. This is where he met his wife Hazel. "I met Buck thru friends in Motion pictures in 1922. He was working in pictures and still writing with B.M. Bower. He went to the U. of N.M. soon after this. When he came back we renewed our friend- ship and were married in 1924 –.After a while we decided to go the Quartzsite and homestead. His sister" (Jessie Keiser) "and her husband, Bill Keiser sort of talked us into it. The next years were divided between Q. and Holly- wood." 1931 June 16 George Washing- ton Conner homesteaded 80 acres in Quartzsite, AZ. Some reports show he homesteaded 160 acres. They had two sons: 1st son George II born 1928 died in 1932 at age 3years 6 months of Bright's disease, Froehlich Syndrome/Bronchitis, pneumonia. 2nd son Powell "Paul" Soren Conner Born Jan 23, 1933, Yuma died Oct 13, 1999 at age 66. He and his family lived in QTZ the greater part of 23 years. Buck was an ordained Episcopal Chaplain and was chaplain of the orga- nization "The Chuck Wagon Trailers". To be eligible for membership in the Chuck Wagon Trailers, every member must have ridden the open range be- fore 1905. As cowboys, cattlemen, trail drivers, stage drivers or peace offi cers they did their part in making the his- tory of the great West. He and his wife presented the Epis- copal Diocese of Arizona with approxi- mately two acres of land, together with a small adobe building. It was on this site that St. George P.E. church was built (The Little Church Beside the Road). The plaque in front of this church read "ST. GEORGE P.E. CHURCH GIVEN AND DEDICATD IN LOVING MEM- ORY OF GEORGE W. CONNOR II BY HIS PARENTS CHAPLAIN AND MRS. G.W. CONNOR JANUARY 6, 1939" The last service in the church was in 1960, after that it was traded to Mr. Woods for 10 dug wells that were never dug and a promise to build a fi ne new church which was never accomplished. The church was then rented to Rich Roland for his cooler and refrigeration sales and repair shop. During a strong storm, the roof blew away and the adobe walls melted and crumbled away in the heavy down pour, ending in a total loss. Buck also built a museum which was directly across the old highway from the Hi Jolly tomb and Quartzsite Cem- etery. This was destroyed in the same storm as the church. At the time of his death, all of his art work and most of his other mementos of his careers were stored in an adobe building on Judge Hagely's property (the ruins of which can be seen on the Northwest corner of Moon Mountain Road and B-10). All are missing including the double barrel shotgun that Doc Holiday used in the famous O.K. Corral in Tombstone AZ in 1881. His loyalty to the United States was just as strong the day he died. He died of a heart attack in Yuma in 1947 and it was reported he still had a six-shooter strapped to his belt and was an honor- ary member of the Yuma County Sher- iff's Department. 2001 was the beginning of the proj- ect to have Conner's gravesite declared a state historical monument. The gravesite lay forgotten and ignored behind what was known as the Mex/Chinese restau- rant on Main Street (across the street from Quartzsite Yacht Club). The site was overgrown, surrounded with rub- bish, old cars and machinery, not acces- sible to the public and about as discarded as a gravesite can get. After many years working on this project to no avail, on May 30th, 2008, the Town of Quartzsite exhumed Buck Conner and his young son George II's remains, and then they were interred in the Pioneer Section of the Hi Jolly Cemetery, giving them the respect and honor they so richly deserved. He was a small man with a handle bar mustache and long, silver wavy hair. He rode tall, walked tall and fi lled some mighty big boots! For more information, visit the Tyson's Well Stage Station Museum, Quartzsite. READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) T��� ����� ������� �� D����� M��������

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