December 6Rained this morning. In the afternoon, drove with President C.I. Robison [Charles I. Robson, president of the Maricopa Stake from December 4, 1887 until his death on February 24, 1894] to Papago Ward and attended a Relief Society Meeting of the Pima and Maricopa Indians. A number of them testified to the truth of the Gospel. A native choir furnished the music. After meeting, drove on to the Mesa and looked at an old ditch, evidently dug many long years ago. The depth in one place was twenty feet, and extended over a great extent of country. Rained tonight.
[John Morgan is talking about the Hohokam Canals. They are still visible in a number of places including the Park of the Canals. Click on this link and scroll down to the bottom to see a photo of part of the canals. When a new group of Mormon settlers arrived in the Valley and moved to the top of the mesa, they used some of the existing Hohokam canals as the basis for their irrigation system.
Additionally, a history of the city of Mesa, Arizona, explained the location of "Zenas" mentioned by John Morgan on December 5. Zenos was the name of the Mesa Post Office from 1886 to 1889.]
Sources:
See linked items.
Forty Years Among the Indians (Daniel Webster Jones) for his account of the Indian mission, see in particular Chapter 46 through 51.
The Planting of Mesa, a history of early Mesa based on McClintock's Mormon Settlement in Arizona
Photo of the prickly pear and fruits from www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/2735004962/.
No comments:
Post a Comment