V6N4A

Sacaton, Arizona

Another interesting site we visited in Arizona was the Japanese Relocation Center that was operated during WWII. Just north of Casa Grande in Sacaton we found the center that was "home" to 17,000 citizens of Japanese descent.

We first went to the Gila Reservation Arts and Crafts Center of the Pima Indians to view the information panels which are seemingly never located at the sites. We found the information that we were looking for after having gone to the Post Office in Sacaton to ask for directions to the site. We were directed to the Arts and Crafts Center only to be informed that the site was closed to the public. We left the Center and went to the Pima Restaurant where we had lunch which was an Indian Fry Bread Taco.

Upon leaving the restaurant we spoke to a workman at the center about obtaining permission to enter the reservation to see the relocation site. He gave us directions to the site and we left to explore. We found it out in the middle of a citrus farm which was apparently not being worked at the time. The actual monument that had been erected we could see from a couple of miles away on top of a hill. As we drove toward the top of the hill we could see the remnants of the buildings that had once stood long ago. The actual buildings were gone but concrete slabs, footings and pilons which once held the buildings were clearly evident at the site. There were also plaques at the site which depict the facts of the sites and the longevity at which they operated. This had been the 3rd Internment Camp that we have visited over the past several years. Manzanar in California and Poston in Arizona were the others.

We also leaned that Ira Hayes from WWII and Iwo Jima fame was a Pima Indian and his hometown was Sacaton, so there are some panels in the center which show his family and tell how he died at the age of 32 from problems with alcohol

All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon and we fell upon a goldmine during our inquiry of the Relocation Center. The information at the center really called a spade a spade when they referred to the site as America's Concentration Camps. There were 2 at Sacaton...........One called Butte and the other called Canal. The whole community was named Rivers, Arizona.

Great Sand Dunes NM

On the day we visited The Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Alamosa, Colorado we had somewhat of a dilemma on our hands. We had two very high mountain passes to go through and the weather appeared not to be cooperating. From 10 miles away we could see the huge dunes at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. As we approached, the 12,000 foot mountains nearly disappeared as the dunes loomed. The contrast between the snow-covered mountains in the background and the tan colored dunes was striking. They're misplaced. Where's the beach you wonder. Our visit was short because of the weather, but we had seen other dunes in the past, in Maine, Michigan and New Mexico. These dunes, however, were unusual to say the least. As we gazed overhead, it was time to go. The clouds which showed up after the Wolf Creek Pass, were now threatening the LaVeta Pass. As luck would have it, the snow started after we crested the summit.

Hovenweep NM

Hovenweep National Monument is located in the southwestern corner of Colorado near 4 corners. It's a Pueblo Indian community that existed 700 years ago and exists now only in the remains of the buildings. The Indians have moved on to northern Arizona and Southern Utah.

Hovenweep is a Paiute/Ute word meaning "deserted valley." While it remains that today, the community could have been several thousand strong in the time of it's heyday. With only a few remaining structures here in the Square Tower Group, speculation abounds on the size of the actual community. There are 6 separate sections of the total community, but to get to the remaining groups is very difficult because they are remotely located.

The buildings are constructed of different shapes but the materials of construction are all the same. Boulders of various sizes were piled and mortared to form towers either square, round or D-shaped. Some of the structures are constructed using large boulders as a base for the mortared interior. What remains to the present day is impressive. The "houses" are built on the rim of the canyon with their door openings facing toward the canyon. Probably more for defensive reasons than anything else. It sure wasn't for personal safety.

While walking the rim of the canyon we observed at least a dozen structures mostly in a state of deterioration. But some of the buildings are still twenty or so feet in height and still in a very recognizable state. Some of the destruction was caused by early archeologists and cowboys who used some of the interior timbers for firewood. Our visit was very informative and it's always nice to see original structures and not rebuilt ones. Even though sometimes they need to be stabilized by park rangers.

FUN WITH THE LOGOS

We hope you all enjoyed the humor in the logos this year. Santa in December, Sharon waving by herself in January, Lincoln and Washington in February, The Leprechaun in March and The Easter Bunny for this month. Why Sharon in January you ask? Why not!

Someone has to let her know that he appreciates all the "stuff" she has to put up with during these winter months. All I know is that she's a lot of fun to travel with. Besides, who else do I have?