Let’s Create Our Own Memory Trail – Part I17th Century Pilgrim Experience Can Benefit Tourism By Les Conklin
Tourism is very important to Arizona, Scottsdale, and all of us. In recent years, the City of Scottsdale has spent a considerable amount of time, effort, and money in attempts to lure tourist attractions from elsewhere. The heart of this proposal is a series of stand-alone outdoor historical exhibits, designed by residents, and located near Scottsdale Road. The purpose of the exhibits is to help attract and entertain visitors and strengthen Scottsdale’s sense of community. Together, these exhibits form what we’ve referred to as the Scottsdale Memory Trail, an adaptation of an early Native American travel amenity noted by Pilgrim travelers in 1621. This is the first part of a two part article. In this part, we’ll introduce the idea of the Scottsdale Memory Trail and describe actions Friends of the Scenic Drive and the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association are taking to begin creation of the trail. A subsequent article will report on our progress and describe a proven approach that might be used to expand the trail to the other parts of Scottsdale. Pilgrim Travel Experience In his best selling nonfiction book, Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick writes that on July 2, 1621, Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins left the Plymouth settlement with their guide, Squanto. The two Pilgrims were on their way to meet with the Indian sachem Massasoit at his village, located 15 miles west of modern Middlebury, Massachusetts. As the three men walked along an ancient Indian trail, they were joined by a small group of natives who had been gathering lobsters in the waters off Cape Cod. “… the Englishmen learned that to walk across the land in southern New England was to travel in time. All along the narrow, hard-packed trail were circular holes in the ground that had been dug where ‘any remarkable act’ had occurred. It was each person’s responsibility to maintain the holes and to inform fellow travelers of what had once happened at that particular place so that ‘many things of great antiquity are fresh in memory.’ Winslow and Hopkins began to see that they were traveling in a mythic land, where a sense of community extended far into the distant past. ‘So that as a man travelleth …’ Winslow wrote, ‘his journey will be less tedious, by reason of the many historical discourses [that] will be related unto him.’” Adapting the Idea Now, we’re not proposing that tourists be expected to walk the 27-mile length of Scottsdale Road and that the City of Scottsdale
dig “memory holes” in the pavement. We’re proposing that we adapt the idea to our current society and that the City of Scottsdale, with the help of local nonprofits and businesses, establish small “memory” parks in convenient locations along the length of Scottsdale Road. The location of the exhibits would be described in pamphlets and on the Web. A CD or DVD could describe the parks and also provide supplementary historical information. Now is the Time! In 2000, Scottsdale voters approved the Scottsdale 2000 Bond program, which included approximately $27 million to acquire, preserve, and restore desert along Scottsdale Road. The program, which is now in its early stages of implementation, includes designing and enhancing portions of the road to reflect its “signature status to the community.” The program envisions enhancements to landscaping, street hardware, street signs, overhead power lines, walkways, and more. Other tourist destinations can replicate roadside infrastructure but they cannot duplicate our history. By including exhibits about our city’s unique history, we will clearly differentiate our community and signature road from others. During the last few months, participants in Scottsdale’s leadership training program at Scottsdale Community College have been involved in a project that could facilitate the creation of “memory” exhibits. Students have been conducting a city-wide campaign to collect historic photographs. The program has helped to increase the awareness of our community’s unique historical footprint. Blueprint Exists
As a first step in implementing the Scottsdale Road enhancement program, the city retained a consultant to develop an initial set of guidelines. The document, “Scottsdale Road Streetscape Master Plan & Design Guidelines,” has been delivered to the city. The plan divides Scottsdale Road into six districts. The southernmost district, District 1 - Southern Gateway, covers from McKellips Road to Earl Drive. The northernmost is District 6 - Desert Foothills Scenic Drive, covering from Happy Valley Road north to Carefree Highway. We propose that a small amount of available city-owned land near Scottsdale Road in each district be set aside for that district’s memory park. Potential locations include the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive exhibit area located just south of Jomax Road, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, and City Hall Plaza. The general areas near each of the above districts have unique and interesting stories to tell. For example, Arabian horse farms were located near Bell and Scottsdale Road, settlers near Indian School and Scottsdale Road grew cotton, and a mine operated on Black Mountain, just north of Carefree Highway. Who is better prepared to pass along those stories to travelers than the residents and organizations in each district? Setting an Example Starting a project is often the most difficult part. As we mentioned earlier, the northern-most division of the proposed enhanced Scottsdale Road streetscape is named the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive. That part of Scottsdale already has an area assigned that can become a memory park. Even better, there is space on an existing monument that can be used to add information about history related to that division, i.e. area. Friends of the Scenic Drive has formed a committee, which will develop informative plaques
and art that can be placed on the back of the Scenic Drive monument sign, located on the east side of Scottsdale Road just south of Jomax. The “memory” exhibits would cover topics including Hohokam settlements, Apache foraging, Fort McDowell military road, mining, ranching, homesteading, tourism, Scottsdale annexation, and preservation, all part of the area’s unique history. Friends of the Scenic Drive and the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association plan to fund the new exhibits using membership fees and the proceeds from the Cookout at the Ranch XII, which will be held at MacDonald’s Ranch on October 27th. We’ll report on the committee’s progress in the November issue of The Peak. We hope that other organizations in other parts of Scottsdale will follow our example and create their own memory exhibits. How You Can Help There is one other aspect of memory holes that the Pilgrims did not include in their comments. Digging a hole and using the intelligence and energy of residents to create a tourist “exhibit” did not cost much wampum. History, used properly, is a gift. If you are an elected official, work for the City of Scottsdale, or are a resident, your enthusiastic support is welcome. The ongoing project to enhance Scottsdale’s signature road provides a unique opportunity to help our tourism industry, educate the public about our history, and strengthen our sense of community. Editorial Comment The author of this article (and many others) is a direct descendent of Roger Williams. Williams served as the assistant pastor for the Plymouth settlement from 1631 to 1633 and made a concerted effort to learn the Indian’s dialect and ways. It’s likely that he observed the memory holes discussed in this article. In 1636, after he was banished from Massachusetts for his “slanderous and perilous” views, Williams founded Rhode Island based upon principles of complete religious toleration, separation of church and state, and political democracy (values that the U.S. would later be founded upon). He also successfully advocated that the Pilgrims and Puritans pay for the land that they were taking from the Indians, a radical notion at the time.
Les Conklin has lived in what is now north Scottsdale since 1983. He is the president of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association and editor of A Peek at the Peak magazine. Les is on the board of directors of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and a member of Pinnacle Peak Rotary. He founded Friends of the Scenic Drive, served two terms on the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission and on the inaugural Scottsdale Pride Commission. E-Brief Monthly, August 2007 |
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