May 2011

Featured

Presenter 2

Experience

Arizona 4

Arizona

Tidbits 5

From the

Marshal 6

Inside this issue:

The Happy Trails Epitaph Happy Trails to Arizona ­ a Destination Gathering for 2011

September 29­October 2, 2011

I t ’ s May on the Happy Tra i l !

Volume 1 , Issue XII

I n Arizona, American Indian tribes contribute

greatly to the spiritual, cultural and economic life of the state. Human ex-perience, occupation and industry in what is now Arizona, can be traced back at least 12,000 years. An-thropologists have identified several groups of these ear-liest occupants in-cluding the Anasazi, Hohokam, Mogollon and Salado people. At museums and Indian ruin sites through-out the state, visitors may

see structures built by these people and artifacts made by them. Native American tribes continue to contribute greatly to the spiritual, cultural and economic life of Arizona, and experi-encing their diversity and heritage is a great addition to your vaca-tion. Home to 22 feder-ally recognized tribes, communities and na-tions, Arizona con-tains a wide variety of vibrant Native Ameri-can cultures. Arizona’s tribes include: the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Cocopah Indian Tribe,

Colorado River Indian Tribes, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Fort Mo-jave Indian Tribe, Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, Gila River Indian Community,

Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab-Paiute Tribe, Na-vajo Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Commu-nity, San Carlos Apache Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Tohono O'odham Nation, Tonto Apache Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation and Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe. The Pueblo of Zuni also has a land base in Arizona, but its population lives in New Mexico. For more than a thou-sand years, Native Ameri-cans inhabited much of the present-day state of Arizona. Ruins of villages and ancient structures in the northern, southern and central regions of the state

attest to the ingenuity of the original settlers. The five-story Monte-zuma Castle, a 20-room cliff dwelling located in the Verde Valley, served as a "high-rise apartment building" for Sinagua Indi-ans more than 600 years ago. Meanwhile, Central Arizona’s Casa Grande, also known as "Big House," is one of the largest and most mysterious prehis-toric buildings ever con-structed. Both sites are among the best preserved Native American struc-tures in North America. Contemporary Native American tribes have con-tinued many of the tradi-tions of their ancestors. Artisans of the Hopi Tribe still handcraft the popular Katsina carvings, which are used in tribal rituals and festivals during differ-ent times of the year. Ex-ploring Native American Arizona can reveal many more cultural aspects of tribes both old and new to the state. Whatever you choose to explore, we know yall’ll enjoy it!

Y’all Come!

Happy Trails to Arizona A Destination Gathering for Department 56 Collectors!

Y’all come and enjoy our special guest—

Gerald Dickens!

Sept. 29—Oct. 2, 2011

Wigwam Resort Litchfield Park, Arizona

(623) 935-3811 or (800) 327-0396

www.wigwamresort.com When calling the Wigwam, ask

for “in-house” reservations and mention “Happy Trails to Arizona”

for the special rate. If you book on-line enter the code—

HAI29A for the special rate.

Happy Trails Gatherin’ details can be found at our website: www.HappyTrailsAZ.com

The “hoop” represents the Circle of Life. Photo Credit Arizona Office of Tourism.

P a g e 2 T h e H a p p y T r a i l s E p i t a p h

(member of the NMRA and The

Thunderbird Model RR club,

Phoenix) scenic painting, and

video production.

In his “younger years”, he

constructed a turn-of-the cen-

tury Christmas village in his

front yard, complete with 3/4

scale buildings, animated fig-

ures, trains, and thousands of

lights. The displays won National

and local recognition by Good

Housekeeping and Woman’s Day

Magazines, USA Today, and

Sears, the Arizona Republic

Newspaper, and many television

stations.

In his column “Lights, Cam-

era, Action,” Mike covers the

“how-to” aspect of villaging, and

has featured many displays that

he has created for himself or

others. In addition, he has

shared ideas and techniques at

various club meetings and gath-

erings. Mike is the deputy in

charge of

this gather-

ing’s display

contest. If

anyone can

spot a win-

ning dis-

play, he can.

He has assisted the Southwest

Villagers with award winning,

“Best-of-Show” entries such as

“Alcatrastle,” “Hooray for Hol-

lywood,” and “Happy H-

Alamo-ween.” His individual

displays have garnered top

prizes in past California gather-

ings.

Mike’s seminars will be a

face-to face presentation,

mirroring the tips and tech-

niques in his column. Expect to

see as many models and villag-

ing samples as space will allow.

W hile on a business trip to

San Francisco in 1993,

Mike discovered the original

three North Pole buildings at a

Christmas store at Fisherman’s

Wharf. Originally put off by the

high cost, he “had to have” these

pieces, regardless of the cost,

and had them shipped home.

Soon, the next set of buildings

were introduced, and since the

collection would finish once

“North Pole” was spelled out, he

figured that he could do that.

Well, we all know how this story

ends. After 135 buildings, his

collection continues to grow,

albeit a bit slower than it used

to.

Mike is a member, and past

president, of the Southwest

Villagers of Phoenix. In addition

to North Pole, Mike also collects

some Alpine, CIC, non-shiny

churches and Christmas Lane.

He, and his wife, Nancy, have

been collecting all things Christ-

mas since before they were mar-

ried; including Hallmark orna-

ments, Nativity scenes and mu-

sic boxes. Almost every room in

the house is decorated for

Christmas, and some of it stays

up all year!

Mike’s other hobby interests

include model railroading,

Look Who’s Makin’ the Happy Trail to Arizona!

This ‘n That Along the Happy Trails...

P a g e 3 T h e H a p p y T r a i l s E p i t a p h

TRANSPORTATION

OPTIONS—

We know y’all need

to git on out to the Wigwam,

and Deputies, Judy and Ed,

have been corralling that in-

formation fer y’all. So here’s a

number of options fer y’all to

make the Happy Trails to Ari-

zona!

Wigwam Transportation

Service—

623-670-7926

www.wigwamtransportation.com

www.David@arizonacorporatecoach.com

$35 per person one way from

the airport.

Holly Forsman,

resort concierge

623-935-3811 Ext. 30

hforsman@destinationhotels.com

Wigwam transportation can take

guests to local locations for a fee

of $15.00 each way.

EZ 2 Transport U—

Reservations: 623-986-9743

or 800-326-5799

www.ez2transportu.com

$20 per person with 6 minimum

one way from airport. See price

list for other options.

Super Shuttle—

www.supershuttle.com

$24 one way from airport

CAR RENTALS—

Hertz—

623-932-4266

Hertz is located four miles from

the resort. Hertz will pick up

guests at the resort and the cars

can be dropped at resort. If

guests are going to reserve with

Hertz, they may use this code for

a 10% discount. CDP# 1797524

It is recommended that res-

ervations be made two weeks in

advance. Hours: Monday-

Friday, 8 am-5 pm; Saturday,

9 am-12 noon; closed Sunday.

Avis—

623-536-3271

Avis is located two miles from

the resort. Avis does not pick up

guests and cars must be picked

up and dropped off at Avis loca-

tions. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8

am-5 pm; Saturday, 8 am-4:30

pm; closed Sunday.

Enterprise—

623-932-2501

Enterprise is located four miles

from the resort. Enterprise will

pick up guests at the resort.

Cars must be picked up and

dropped off at Enterprise loca-

tion. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8

am-6 pm; Saturday, 9 am-12

noon; Sunday 10am-3pm.

DISPLAY

CONTEST

KINFOLK

WANTED!

Deputy Mike,

who’s in

charge of the Display Contest

asked me to let y’all know that

he’s received several inquiries

about the Display Contest, but

has only received a few. So

here’s y’all’s reminder to head

on over to our website—

www.HappyTrailsAz.com and

click on the Display Contest tab

and download a form.

Our great Pardners at the

Wigwam wanted me to tell y’all

that if’n y’all need to ship those

displays or what-nots, y’all can

ship them to the Wigwam, but to

arrive no sooner than September

24.

GENERAL STORE KEEPERS—

Again, the fine folk at the

Wigwam said that our

General Store Keepers

could certainly ship their

saddlebags and steamer

trunks full of their wares to the

Wigwam, but to arrive no sooner

than September 24.

They also wanted y’all to

know that they got great ranch

hands that would be delighted to

help y’all load in and load out. I

don’t know about you, but I’d

certainly rather give a good tip

to a ranch hand than have an

achin’ back!

Birdcage Theater, "the wildest, roughest, wickedest honky-tonk between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." To immerse yourself in the Old West, head first to southern Arizona. Visit Tombstone, Bisbee and Douglas. But don’t overlook central Arizona, which has its own stories to tell in Wicken-burg, Jerome and Prescott, which was the first capital of the Arizona Territory. As you browse this site, you’ll discover that the Old West lives on in Arizona. Desert Caballeros Western Museum—‘Arizona’s Most Western Museum’ is devoted to the art, culture and heritage of the American West. The fine art collection includes works by well-known artists, including Frederic Remington and George Phippen. The Hall of History brings the Old West to life with artifacts displayed in realistic period settings. One of the lesser known gems, the Desert Cabelle-ros Western Museum also mounts special shows that are unique and worthwhile. Find them on the web at www.westernmuseum.org.

Experience Arizona...

P a g e 4 T h e H a p p y T r a i l s E p i t a p h

A rizona has hundreds of stories to tell and we in-

vite you to experience them all. Explore ancient civilizations and contemporary cultures. Treat yourself to some of the best star-gazing in the country. Re-live the Old West and walk in the foot-steps of Spanish missionaries. Discover historic hotels, unique B&B's and authentic ranches... the list goes on. Whether you are starting from Phoenix, Tucson or Flagstaff, you'll find dozens of fun and intriguing things to do.

“The West is color. Its’ colors are animal rather than vegetable, the colors of earth and sunlight and ripeness. Tawny, buff, ocher, umber, tan, beige, sienna, sorrel, bay, blood-bay, chestnut, roan, palomino: the colors of objects bleached, sun-drenched, dry, aro-matic, warm; the color of stubble fields, of barley, of foothills, of sage, of ocean and desert sands; colors capable of reflecting light like a mirror.” Jessamyn West,

“The West -- A Place to Hang Your Dreams” appeared in Women’s Home Compan-ion (1956). Readers who treasure

stories of the Old West count Zane Grey as their hero. In 57 novels, 10 books of Western nonfiction, and 130 films based on his work, Zane Grey helped to shape the way the world will forever perceive the ‘Old West.’ In his day, Zane Grey’s name on theater marquees was a bigger draw than the top Hollywood stars. According to some Zane Grey fans, Grey al-most single-handedly created ‘the myth of the West.’ That myth celebrated frontier val-ues, what came to be known as ‘the code of the West.’ Other western experts, however, usually credit Owen Wister and his novel The Virginian for creating that myth. Western historian, Ramon Adams, identified these quali-ties in his book, ‘The Cowman and His Code of Ethics.’ Adams explained that the code was a rule of behavior. Never written down, it was nevertheless well known and respected every-where on the range. The code demanded loyalty, friendship, hospitality, fair play, generos-ity, curiosity, kindness, caring for the environment, and integ-rity, among other qualities. For enthusiasts of the Old West, Arizona is a fascinating destination because history really happened here. The Arizona Territory was home to some of the most feared outlaws and respected law-men who walked the streets, from Bisbee’s Brewery Gulch to Prescott’s Whiskey Row. During its heyday as a tough mining town, the New York Times called Tombstone’s

Happy Trails

to Arizona!

Authentic artifacts are displayed in realistic looking settings in the Hall of History. Photo Credit: Desert Caballeros Western Museum.

Court all occupied the building after statehood. The historic Capitol, now the Arizona Capitol Museum, continues to watch our state's political story unfold with its central position between the governor's office and the state legislature. It remains the primary symbol of democracy in Arizona. The Museum provides tours,

exhibits, education programs, and a museum store. It partici-pates in commemoration of special events such as Statehood Day.

stretches across southern

Arizona.

Sandra Day O’Connor, the

first woman appointed to

the U.S. Supreme Court,

grew up on a large family

ranch near Duncan, Ari-

zona.

The city of Phoenix

was named for the

mythical Egyptian

phoenix bird—which

burst into flame and was

reborn from its ashes—

because the town sprouted

from the ruins of a former

civilization.

Santa Cruz County (1,237

sq. miles) is the smallest of

Arizona’s 15 counties, but

is larger than more than 72

countries.

Spanish Franciscan Friar

Marcos de Niza was the

first European to explore

Arizona. He entered the

area in 1539 in search of

the mythical Seven Cities

of Gold.

The best-preserved meteor

Prior to President Abra-

ham Lincoln signing the

Arizona Organic Act on

February 24, 1863 to

create Arizona Territory,

Arizona was part of the

territory of New Mexico.

Rainfall aver-

ages for Arizona

range from less

than three inches in

the deserts to more

than 30 inches per

year in the mountains.

Rising to a height of 12,643

feet, Mount Humphreys

north of Flagstaff is the

state's highest mountain.

Roadrunners are not just in

cartoons! In Arizona, you’ll

see them running

up to 17-mph away

from their enemies.

The Saguaro cactus

is the largest cactus

found in the U.S. It

can grow as high as

a five-story build-

ing and is native to the

Sonoran Desert, which

crater in the world is

located near Winslow,

Arizona.

Camels were

imported in the

1850s to survey

the future Route 66 across

northern Arizona.

The Arizona Cardinals are

the oldest continuous fran-

chise in the

National Football

League, dating

back to 1898.

The worst range war and

family feud in the West,

which claimed the lives of

dozens of ranchers, ironi-

cally occurred in a place

called Pleasant Valley,

Arizona.

At 221 miles long, Apache

County is the longest

county in the U.S., stretch-

ing from the Utah border

to just south of Alpine,

Arizona.

The average

state elevation

is 4,000 feet.

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e X I I

The Arizona State Capitol Museum—dedicated as our ter-ritorial capitol in 1901, the cop-per-domed building witnessed many landmarks in Arizona his-tory. Two important events were the writing of the Arizona State Constitution in 1910 and state-hood in 1912. The governor's office, both houses of the legisla-ture, and the Arizona Supreme

A r i z o n a T i d b i t s

ya’ll and so is the Wigwam! The

Arizona Clubs are just thrilled at

the response and are countin’ the

days to give y’all a big Arizona

“Howdy” in person!

We are all just thrilled about

the response that we’ve received

and we too, hope that y’all will

enjoy this beautiful state that we

call home. There are so many

places to go, things to enjoy and

we fervently hope that y’all will

enjoy whatever you pick to do.

Snaggly, that durned, theivin’,

no good snake-in-the-grass, var-

mint snuck through here a bit

ago. The Deputies were hot after

his trail, but he put the slip on

them, dang nabit!

Y’all do remember you were

deputized in Michigan right?

We’ll I think it’s gonna take all

y’all to bring him in.

The good news is that the

Deputies managed to get Thunder

F r o m t h e M a r s h a l . . .

Sue Chretien

Marshal

Phone: 480-773-8575

Email: schretien@cox.net

Web: www.HappyTrailsAZ.com

A Destination Gathering for

Collector Folk!

September 29—October 2, 2011

W ell bless my soul, it’s May

already! May is a fickle

month around these parts—it can

be wonderfully cool fer a couple

of days, and then it sneak right

up to them triple digits. Right

now we’re relishin’ in the cool.

I’ve been checkin’ in with the

fine folk at the Circle 56 Ranch,

a.k.a. the Wigwam, and they, like

the Marshal, are right tickled at

the response we’ve been gittin!

Speakin’ of triple digits, we’ve got

some of those nice triple digits

registered there at the Wigwam!

Yee Haw! So don’t fergit to git yer

registrations in with them fine

folk. Some of you may like

sleepin’ out under the stars and

doin’ that communin’ with nature

and all, but me? I like a nice pil-

low under my head, with a real

comfy bed under my weary self.

The Deputies and I are itchin’

to roll out the welcome wagon fer

and Lightning back from him.

They’ve had a nice bath and some

really good oats, and I did remind

the Deputies that a nice bath

afore y’all got here was a must.

Hard to believe it, but y’all

will be here soon enough. It’s real

easy to think that you have a lot

of time, after all—four months

and a couple of weeks sounds like

a lot of time right? Until you fig-

ure it like I just did—20 more

weeks! Yikes, that doesn’t sound

like long at all! I’d best quit

yappin’ and get all the posse on

double-time duty!

Until the next issue…

Happy Trails!