100 years ago in Gallup

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — Anyone who has information on who has been stealing the decorations left at a gravesite at Hillside Cemetery are asked to dial the sheriff’s office.

The problem was first reported to law enforcement back in August and it was hoped that a stern warning to those responsible would get the decorations back, but that apparently hasn’t worked.

The feeling is that this is being done by very young children since, as local papers reported, “it is not likely that anyone in this town old enough to know what they are doing would desecrate graves.”

In other news, there was big news in the business world.
T.C. DeShon sold his blacksmith shop on Coal Avenue between Second and Third Streets to E. S. Harrison.

Not much else happened this week, and since we brought up the name of Harrison, we thought this might be a good opportunity to reprint an article that was in The Elk last May and is probably as much of a concern among the Navajos now as it was at that time.

“The Navajos have been holding a pow-wow with Dr. Harrison at Fort Defiance this week. They do not like the department regulation requiring them to only have one squaw and marry and live with her,” the article read, adding that Navajos also don’t like the law compelling each Indian family to live on the 160 acres of land allotted to him and to pay taxes.

“The one squaw proposition is said to be the main kink the Navajo have on the extension allotment deal. Polygamy is as natural to the Indian as religion is to some people and he will consider 160 acres with the white man’s tax regulation attached mighty poor compensation for the loss of two or three squaws and the opportunity to roam the country at will and claim everything in sight.

“Verily humanity is hard to please whether it be white or red.”