Sierra Vista Historical Society Newsletter
SVHS NEWSLETTER
Dec
Volu
m
e 13
svhsnewsletter@yahoo.com
emb
Num
WWW.SVHSAZ.ORG
Marion Margraf, editor
er
ber 3
President
Janet Bobar
Vice-President
Charles R. Morrison
Treasurer
Paulette Doyle
ter
n
i
W
/
Fall
Secretary
Ingrid Baillie
ARTICLES
SVHS NEWS
Notes from the president.
Page 2
FIGURES
Cochise County notables Wyatt Earp,
Tom Jeffords, and Col. Arthur W.
Anderson.
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FACEBOOK
Like us on FaceBook, please:
https://www.facebook.com/
SierraVistaHistoricalSociety/
Col. A.W. Anderson p. 3
SVHS members always get a 10%
discount at the Gift Shop.
20% in December!
Cash or check only.
SVHS President Jane
October 2015 membert Bobar at the
with speaker Cindy H meeting
ayostek.
SVHS Newsletter
PAGE
2
Sierra Vista Historical Society
Preserving the Past for the Future
P. O. Box 1088 • Sierra Vista, AZ 85636
Notes from the President –
It was a great start to our 2015-16 year to have so many new memberships and renewals for the Sierra
Vista Historical Society. The winner of our Membership Give-Away drawing was Rick Mueller. Rick is
not only our city’s mayor but a staunch supporter of the Historical Society. Thank you to everyone who
participated.
Society Member Benefits –
As you may know, the Society Gift Shop, located inside the Henry Hauser Museum, carries a selection
of unique items to include books, puppets, jewelry, and clothing. All sales benefit the Museum and its
programs. Society members receive a 10% discount on their purchases. However, during the month of
December, members receive a one time discount of 20%. (Society memberships may now be purchased
and renewed by credit card, but at the Gift Shop only.) It is a great way to find holiday gifts as well as to
help the Museum. There’s still time to find perfect gifts.
A Sign of the Times –
Efforts toward the building of a new Henry F. Hauser Museum have been placed temporarily on hold.
All donations toward the Museum Building Fund have been invested by the Society Board of Directors
in the Arizona Community Foundation where they are accruing interest for this future project. You may
continue to donate to this worthy cause, or you may donate to the current operating budget of the
Society and Museum. It is our hope that as the economy recovers, we will once again be able to resume
our building plans.
Society FundraiserThe SV Historical Society is hosting a Pancake Breakfast at the Landmark Café on Saturday, February
13, 2016 from 6:00 to 11:00 am. Entertainment will be the Arthritis Brothers. Since it is the day before
Valentine’s you might want to bring the whole family to celebrate. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased
at the Society Gift Shop or at the door. Western wear is encouraged.
Hope to see you there,
Janet Bobar
SVHS President
SVHS Newsletter
Curator’s Corner
Our exhibit opening of Sirens,
Whistles, and Badges...Oh, My!
—Honoring the "Good Guys &
Gals" of Public Safety Past and
Present September 26, was a
wonderful success. Over a
hundred people attended the
opening ceremony and dozens
more came to view the exhibit
and vintage cars. Make sure to
stop by the museum and
discover the humble beginnings
of Fry Fire, Sierra Vista Fire and
Police, the Cochise County
Sheriff's Office, and the first
Ambulance Service in the area.
I'd like to take this time to thank
all who researched and wrote
copy for the exhibit and booklet,
or loaned photographs,
newspaper articles, and objects
for this wonderful exhibit!
Namely, retired Fry Fire Captain
Martin Jones, Captain Joshua
Meeker-SV Fire, retired SV
Police Chief David Santor,
Sheriff Mark Dannels, the
Cochise County Sheriff's Office,
and Jeff Hatfield. I'd also like to
thank the Hall of Flame
Firefighters Museum in Phoenix
Nancy Krieski, curator of
the Henry F. Hauser Museum,
will speak on Thursday,
January 7th , at 7:00 p.m. at the
Bisbee Senior Center before
the Cochise County Corral of
the Westerners. Her topic will
be The History of Sierra Vista
Through Historic Plaques.
The placement of these
plaques has been an important
PAGE
for allowing us to bring Fry Fire
District's first fire truck, a 1941
Ford Howe, back home for a
few weeks. We can't thank
Barnett's Towing enough for
transporting the old girl back
and forth for us free of charge,
and Sean Lawley at Lawley
Ford for giving us the space to
display the truck while here in
Sierra Vista! Thanks to all! It
was sad to see her go back.
Our Amazing Arizona
speaker series began in
November with presentations
representing all facets of the
exhibit. Our first speaker was
retired Fry Fire Captain Martin
Jones who shared stories of how
it really was back in the day.
Then on December 1st, newly
appointed Sierra Vista Fire
Chief Ron York gave a
comprehensive history of the
Sierra Vista Fire Department
with intermingled personal
recollections. Our next speaker
will be retired Police Chief,
David Santor, with the
fascinating story of the Sierra
Vista Police Department and its
quite humble beginnings on
part of preserving our heritage
undertaken by the Sierra Vista
Historical Society. The Corral
meets at 7:00 p.m. the first
Thursday of each month at the
Bisbee Senior Center, 300
Collins Rd., Bisbee (off of
Naco Highway near Safeway).
There is an optional 5:00-ish
pre-meeting dinner at Double
P Roadhouse, 600 Romero St.,
3
Tuesday, January 5, 1:00 p.m. at
the Ethel H. Berger Center.
Hope to see all of you there!
Corner Cupboard
Once again it's time to highlight
a special item from our
collections. To acknowledge
our upcoming 2016 exhibit
celebrating Sierra Vista's 60th
Birthday, our featured items
represent a piece of 1980s
Buena High School history.
Doug Stephens recently donated
a letterman jacket along with a
1981 sports poster from former
high school student Dave
Pimple, who was a member of
the track team. These represent
the types of items we're looking
for to add to our collections. If
you or someone you know has
any items related to the past
sixty years, please consider
donating them to the museum.
Nancy Krieski
(520) 417-6980
Nancy.krieski@sierravistaaz.gov
nnn
in Tin Town (Bisbee) off
Highway 92. This is Cochise
County’s Corral and all are
welcome. For more
information contact Sheriff
Doug Hocking
(doug@doughocking.com) or
Christine Rhodes at 432-8350.
Everyone is invited.
SVHS Newsletter
PAGE
4
Tombstone 1881: A Sampling of Rogues--A Glorification of Thugs
Wyatt Berry Strap Earp
Part III: Kansas: Wichita and Dodge City
by Ed Riggs
Besides the prospectors and miners who came to Tombstone to search out wealth in the form of silver ore, others
arrived to search out alternate ways to strike it rich. This is one of a series of articles about those who came to
Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Some were rogues, some were thugs, some were not. You get to decide in which
category they belong.
After his third run-in with the law
in the Peoria area brothel
business, Wyatt Earp left Illinois
in late 1872, and headed with
Mattie Blaylock to central
Kansas, where his half-brother
had acquired a farm in Rice
County near Peace (later
Sterling), Kansas. In 1873, Wyatt
rented some nearby farmland and
equipment for the summer. In
September, news came from
brother James in Wichita, telling
Wyatt that the town was booming
as the new railhead for Texas
cattle shipments. After the
harvest, Wyatt headed off to
Wichita, leaving Mattie to deal
with the farm.
Wyatt quickly set up a
faro bank at a Wichita saloon in
his new career move. Mattie
joined him in early 1874, and
went to work for Bessie Earp, in
her sister-in-law’s brothel. Wyatt
continued his gambling
operation, and also acted as a
collection agent for a local
businessman. In addition, he
applied for a position as a
policeman that year, but was not
offered that job until April of
1875, when he was hired for $60
per month.
Wyatt was often
mentioned favorably in Wichita
papers for the next year, until an
incident occurred with a political
opponent of the City Marshall.
When his annual contract with
the town was up for renewal, the
Town Council deadlocked, and
Wyatt was dismissed from the
police department. He had
continued dealing faro during his
police work, but his luck ran out
there also.
Now almost broke,
charges that Wyatt had shorted
the city on fines collected from
madams and prostitutes during
his police career were made. In
addition, possible charges of
vagrancy were being discussed.
Wyatt and Mattie left town and
headed to Dodge City in 1876,
while James and Bessie moved
on to New Mexico.
The pattern established in
Wichita seemed to be repeated in
Dodge City, with Wyatt setting
up another faro bank upon arrival
there and joining the police
department as a part-time officer.
During the winter, Wyatt and
Mattie traveled away from Dodge
City, usually into Texas, because
of the lack of business for both
during the slow cattle season.
Wyatt met Doc Holliday in Fort
Griffin, Texas, along with Kate
Elder; they later moved to Dodge
City.
Virgil Earp, now living in
Arizona Territory and working as
a constable in Prescott, wrote
Wyatt and James in 1879 about
financial opportunities, including
the silver strike in Tombstone.
Rumors were spreading in Dodge
City that the cattle drives there
would be ending soon. Wyatt
resigned as assistant city marshall
and headed west with James,
Bessie and her daughter, and
Mattie. They ran into Doc
Holliday in Las Vegas, New
Mexico and invited him to come
along. By November, the
traveling party joined forces with
Virgil in Prescott, and the three
brothers headed south to
Tombstone, arriving December 1,
1879. Doc Holliday stayed
behind in Prescott for a while.
To be continued...
Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson,
circa 1876.
nnn
SVHS Newsletter
PAGE
5
SV Genealogy Club
The Leadership Team of the SV
Genealogy Club met in early
June to formulate the 2015-2016
season programs and set the
direction for the coming season.
The new program is based on
the suggestions made on the
Annual Survey of Members
conducted at the April and May
2015 meetings.
The theme for the
2015-2016 season is How Do I
Know What I Know?
The Sierra Vista
Genealogy Club formed in
2006, and is hosted by
Daughters of the Tombstone
Chapter of the Daughters of the
Revolution, centered in Sierra
Vista. The Club became a
project of the Sierra Vista
Historical Society in 2009.
The Club meets the first
Wednesday of the month from
October through May at the
Ethel Berger Center from
1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
The Club's purpose is to
foster genealogical research.
There are no fees, and all are
welcome. For information go
to
sierravistagenie.wordpress.com
The Sierra Vista Genealogy Club
Leadership Team:
Bill Bates, Karol Childs, Agnes Gromek,
Barbara Schirmer, Ellen R. Taylor, and
Donna Brown, librarian.
KIDS 1940s
HOLIDAY FUN
AT THE MUSEUM
The Berlin Candy Bomber
or Uncle Wiggly Wings
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19
11:00am – 2:00pm
ACTIVITIES:
• Make a candy bombing handkerchief
parachute
• Make a period toy and ornament
• Decorate cookies
• Visit with Santa
• Storytime with Mrs. Claus and puppets
• Munch on cookies and hot chocolate
REGISTER BY DEC. 17
Oscar Yrun Community Center
3020 E. Tacoma Street
Nancy.Krieski@SierraVistaAZ.gov
439-2306
FREE Open to the Public
For Kids ages 5!–!12 accompanied by a parent,
grandparent, or guardian. Pre"–"registration
by December 17 is preferred, but “Walk-ins
are welcome!”
Come dressed in your finest 1940s
fashion or World War II uniform and
discover the story of the Post World
War II Era Candy Bomber and
Operation Little Vittles!
Funded by the Sierra Vista
Historical Society.
Sponsored by the
Henry F. Hauser Museum.
Upcoming dates:
January 6, 2016:
Electronic Research
February 3, 2016:
Public Records
March 2, 2016:
Becoming an American
April 6, 2016:
Fun with Charts
May 4, 2016
Sharing Stories
+ Annual Survey
Produced by the City of Sierra Vista Public Affairs Office
11/2015
by Karol
Childs
nnn
SVHS Newsletter
Henry F. Hauser Museum
Oral History Project
Colonel (USAF Ret.) Arthur W.
“Andy” Anderson
Colonel Andy Anderson passed
away on June 14, 2015. His
remains rest in the beautiful
columbarium at Faith
Presbyterian Church in
Sierra Vista. Near him, in the
same columbarium, are the
remains of Thomas C. Shupert,
former SVHS president, who
passed away on July 9, 2015.
The basis of this
biographical sketch is the
interview Tom Shupert
conducted with Andy in 2008
for the Henry F. Hauser
Museum’s Oral History Project.
nnn
Pioneer Military Meteorologist
“The Best Career A Man Could Have”
nnn
Almost overnight, Allied
military leaders became aware
that weather was going to play
a very important part in World
War II. Airplane navigators
needed to know wind speeds,
and bombardiers needed
weather information about
cloud cover. Major attack
decisions based on the weather
had to be made, and quickly.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944
the invasion had already been
delayed one day due to bad
weather, and no one wanted to
delay it any longer. Vital
information was needed to
PAGE
assure there was enough clear
air space for bombardiers to
drop bombs. Five wings of 36
aircraft were ready to take off.
Bombs were usually dropped
from 12,000 feet. But with the
current prediction of stormy
weather along the coastline of
France, would the planes need
to drop their bombs from
7-8,000 feet instead to stay out
of the clouds? As it turned out,
weather forecasters played a
major part in the strategy
ultimately employed that day.
They advised the commanders
that pilots should drop their
bombs at 7-8,000 feet.
Weather also played a
critical part in the attack timing
of the Battle of the Bulge,
which took place in Belgium,
Luxembourg, and a part of
Germany in December of that
same year. The area was socked
in with fog on the day the
attack was planned to take
place. But weather forecasters
predicted that easterly winds
would blow the fog away at the
start of the battle, and they were
correct.
But gathering the vital
and reliable weather
information needed for these
and other important missions
didn’t just happen overnight.
Such accomplishments were
due to the work of Arthur
“Andy” W. Anderson and his
pioneering team.
Recently commissioned
as a meteorologist, Army Air
Corps, 2nd Lieutenant Arthur
6
W. “Andy” Anderson was sent
to England in 1942 and
assigned to the 386 Bomb
Group, which was equipped
with the B26 Marauder. After
reporting in as the Staff
Weather Officer at their Base
Ops located northeast of
London in Great Dunn,
England, Andy located the
control tower building and went
inside to find the weather
station. He found the room all
right, but there wasn’t any type
of weather equipment or
anything else in there! “No
people—nothing! In those days,
the aircrews and the
commanders didn’t understand
anything about weather. They
hadn’t yet realized the impact it
could have on navigators or
bombardiers in the air, or how it
could affect ground missions.”
Lieutenant Anderson
quickly figured out, “Well, it’s
gonna be me if it’s gonna be
done!” Bomber Command
knew of an empty base that
supposedly housed a weather
station located about 10 miles
away. Andy lined up a 6x6
truck, two communicators, and
SVHS Newsletter
go check it out. When they
arrived, they found a complete
weather station just sitting
there! They loaded it up, hauled
it back, installed it at the base in
Great Dunn, and got it
operational within a few days.
Then they searched all over
England for weather maps, and
all the observing equipment
they could lay their hands on.
They then installed that and got
it up and working. With the
help of one sergeant forecaster
and a few good weather
observers, Lt. Anderson finally
had a real weather station up
and running!
Soon, aircraft crews
were being trained to observe
the weather. Observations were
received from planes flying
over their target areas. Reports
on weather situations were
collected from bases all over
England, France, and Scotland.
From these they drew maps and
learned to project weather
forecasts and adjust the
movements in the fronts.
nnn
Arthur W. Anderson was born
in St. Louis, Missouri on June
2, 1918, the son of Arthur and
PAGE
Lorene Anderson. He
was raised in Sparta, Ill. After
graduating from Sparta High
School in 1936 and
attending Blackburn College,
he received his undergraduate
and master’s degree in
mathematics from
the University of Illinois. In
1941, when the U.S. entered
WWII, he was working as an
actuary in New York City. The
Army Air Corps was looking
for meteorologists and Andy
asked, “What the hell is that?”
After he found out, he applied,
was accepted, and sent to New
York University for nine
months’ training as a
meteorologist.
He and his 87
classmates all had Ph.Ds,
master’s degrees, or Bachelor
of Science degrees in physics or
math. They were taught
meteorology. They learned the
basics in weather observing and
forecasting. Upon graduation
Anderson was sent to Broker
Field in Mobile, Alabama as a
2nd Lieutenant, Detachment
Commander of its weather
station. Andy didn’t know a lot,
but fortunately there was a
sergeant there who did, and he
trained him. Then Andy joined
the 3rd Army Air Corps fighter
outfit—but they didn’t have any
airplanes, just people! He
asked for a job in their weather
station and trained there for a
short time before being sent to
England with the 386 Bomber
Group.
7
After the end of WW II,
he was assigned to Scott Air
Force Base in Bellville, Illinois
where he was the Weather
Detachment Commander. Later
he was assigned commander of
the weather stations in the
Arctic, including stations in
Iceland, Newfoundland,
Northern Canada, and
Greenland. He was instrumental
in putting a weather station on
Ice Island at the North Pole and
at a SAC Base in Thule,
Greenland. His next assignment
was that of Wing Commander
of the Weather, operating out of
the headquarters of the Air
Weather Service. He later
became the Chief of Staff of the
Weather Service. Andy served
in the military for 30 years.
From his viewpoint, “It was the
best career a man could have!”
He was awarded the
Bronze Star and achieved the
rank of Colonel in the Air Force
before retiring in 1971. In the
year 2000, he and his wife
decided that Sierra Vista was
the best place to live, partly
because they loved the climate
here! That was the evaluation of
a weather expert!
by Paulette Doyle
SVHS Treasurer
nnn
SVHS Newsletter
Tom Jeffords,
Sutler at Fort Huachuca
Background: Jeffords’s life before
becoming a sutler.
PAGE
Steven Gregory at the Fort
Huachuca Museum has
located a photo of a building
from 1888 labeled simply
“where we go to drink.” That
would apply to the sutler’s
store. It’s in the right place and
seems “large and
commodious.”
Jimmy Stewart
played Tom Jeffords in
Broken Arrow. He rode alone
into Cochise’s (Chief
Cochise of the Chiricahua
Apache) Stronghold and
became the chief’s friend.
“Large and commodious”
Later he was instrumental
during peace negotiations
between Cochise and the
United States. The
reservation included most of
modern Cochise County and
Cochise demanded that
Jeffords be the Chiricahua
Indian agent. The peace held
while Cochise and his son,
Taza, lived. A minor
The sutler was the post
outbreak led to the
trader, his store being a
Chiricahua being moved to
precursor to the modern Post
the San Carlos Reservation
Exchange (PX). The sutler’s
in 1876 with John Clum,
store was also the canteen
later of Tombstone Epitaph
(snack bar) and the equivalent
fame, as agent.
of an enlisted man’s club. The
With his job gone, Tom
store often had card rooms, a
Jeffords went back to
pool table, and bar. The sutler
prospecting and scouting. He
operated on credit in a time
also owned mines.
when paydays were sporadic
and irregular, serving as a
Life as a sutler.
high-risk banker to officer and
On April 15, 1880, Tom
enlisted clientele alike.
Jeffords was appointed post
Jeffords took the post
sutler and postmaster for Fort
at a difficult time. Two
Huachuca, a two-company
executive orders had
post. His store was located at
complicated the life of sutlers.
the mouth of Huachuca
One forbad holding an Indian
Canyon near the road to
trading license at the same
Reservoir Hill on ground that
time as a post trader’s license.
has been graded so that only a
Jeffords had to surrender the
few foundations remain.
one he held for Fort Bowie
8
and Apache Pass. The other
forbad selling alcoholic spirits.
A great part of a sutler’s
income came from the sale of
liquor. Post commanders often
looked the other way to keep
the men happy as long as there
weren’t too many incidents at
the store. This left the sutler
under the thumb of the
commander who could crack
down at any time.
In December 1881, a
complaint was made against
Jeffords by men unhappy with
high prices and inferior goods.
The post officers found against
him. (There are indications
that the post commander had a
friend who wanted to be
sutler.) Prices were set for
beer, wine, and liquor.
Jeffords agreed to
some changes. He agreed to
stock his store with an
amount of goods appropriate
for a five-company post.
This was a significant
overstock and gave
customers broad choice.
October 1883 brought
more intrigue and Jeffords
was removed. In his letter of
rebuttal he noted that he had
built a “large and
commodious store at an
expense of between eight
and nine thousand dollars.”
by Doug Hocking,
SVHS Historian
nnn
SVHS Newsletter
Notes from a
Museum Volunteer
One item I am donating to the
Henry F. Hauser Museum is a
padlock. “Why am I donating a
padlock?” you ask. Well after it
was decided that it was time to
build a new high school in the
early 90s, the school board
declared that the high school
would have no lockers. How
many of us remember how
much a backpack weighed with
just a science and English
book? After
parents,
students,
and teachers
expressed
their
concerns,
the school
board chose
to put in
lockers, but said students would
have to pay for a lock. The
PAGE
padlock I have belonged to my
older sister Alice (class of
1993), who was a member of
one of the first classes to go to
the new school. The lock was
passed down to me and finally
to my younger brother Manuel,
who graduated in 2001.
I want to give a special
thank you to Virginia
Sherbundy Rogers and Roger
Dilley, who went the extra mile
to help me out on my school
project. Thank you both so very
much from this museum
volunteer.
Virginia Sherbundy Rogers is
an important figure in the
history of Sierra Vista. She
grew up here when literally
there was no Sierra Vista and to
occupy the time she would go
exploring. Virginia’s mother
was related to the Carmichael
family. Her father Clarence
Sherbundy was the first (non-
9
paid) chief of police. She along
with Roger Dilley were also
some of the first people to
attend the first Buena High
School. In fact Virginia’s
husband Earl Rogers was in the
first graduating class of Buena
in 1959.
Roger Dilley also grew
up here when there was no
Sierra Vista. He and his family
moved from Wisconsin. An
interesting fact about Roger’s
home here was that it was
located across the street from
the Geronimo Drive-In Theatre.
His house is still there today.
Another great thing about his
house is that is where the
museum’s Retro Kitchen
display comes from. The retro
kitchen will be back on display
for the Henry F. Hauser
Museum’s 60th Anniversary
Exhibition.
by Carolyn Cruz
nnn
In Memoriam
Thomas C. Shupert
October 23, 1935 — July 9, 2015
✦
✦
✦
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The Sierra Vista Historical Society welcomes submissions. Please send articles to the e-mail address on the
banner.
The Society seeks topics related to the history and prehistory of Sierra Vista and Cochise County. Researched
topics, book reviews, and personal reminiscences are encouraged. Please credit photos if they are not in the
public domain.
Submissions may be edited for length, content, and style.
We rely upon the integrity of our submitters. The editor requests sources and facts when necessary. Referencing
sources within the body of articles is valued.
Please submit documents of about 350-500 words. Use word wrap and insert only one space after end
punctuation.
SVHS Newsletter
PAGE
10
Please sign up! We love new members!
Sierra Vista Historical Society
Please mail application with check to P. O. Box 1088, Sierra Vista, AZ 85636
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
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Street: ______________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________________State: ______ Zip: _____________
Phone: __________________E-Mail: ________________________________ Date:
_________________
Yearly Membership Please Circle:
Individual - $15.00
Family - $20.00
Total Enclosed $____________
Birthday Month: Person One ____________ Person Two ______________
Your membership card will arrive shortly in the mail with our welcome gift to you.