I have always heard the term "Pima Cotton" without knowing what it meant--other than being aware it was supposed to be a good grade of cotton.
I have just finished reading a book about Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian who was one of six Marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima.
It turns out that Pima Cotton was developed on the Pima Reservation in Arizona and named after that tribe.
Good factoid.
Keep 'em coming.
Well now, I could have told you about that. ;D There is a big cotton growing region between Phoenix and Tuscon. The cotton blows all over and gets stuck in the fences and you can see huge bales in the fields awaiting pick up during harvest season. The Pima cotton has a very long fiber that is strong and smooth....makes very nice socks, the kind I love. Thanks W. :-*
Dang it, Diane. I get tired of you upstaging me. You've traveled so many places and know so many things.
I've spent most of my years out here on the plains, and I'm just that --- plain.
You're so fancy!
Sorry, not fancy at all. And I didn't meant to up stage anyone. But I have family and friends in AZ, so we've gotten to know a bit about the state.
By the way, we may yet get to come out and see the "home of my blood lines in June." We're trying to figure it all out. More to follow! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
When I was a young teen, I spent a summer on the Gila River Indian reservation at Bapchule Az. My uncle was a missionary there, and they grew crops on irrigated land from the Gila river. It was a whole different sort of life, getting used to strict water useage. We carried our water in barrels on a pickup truck from a public well. We did laundry outdoors once a month, and of course you always had to inspect the outhouse for scorpions before visiting. Quite an experience for me; I enjoyed it.
It sure is different out there. But really beautiful in it's own special way. You're right, water is a very precious commodity, hard to come by, not to be wasted, but always to be shared. Did you ever use black light to help find the scorpions? Most of them glow.
Sixdogsmom
Ira Hayes was from Bapchule, Arizona, so it must have been the Pima Reservation you were on?
This is really getting interesting. :)
Yes, it was the Pima reservation. Uncle Rollie was a missionary there for many years. The countryside is beautiful, and the people were the greatest. I had a room mate who was from the reservation, and close to my age. We had a lot of fun together, and she taught me a lot about their culture. Of course we got into our share of 'dutch' also, as we spent a lot of time home alone. That was a great summer!
Was there any talk of Ira Hayes while you were there?
In 1932, Bapchule consisted of a store, a school, and a church.
Did it get any bigger?
I was just a kid; not interested in ancient history like that! Had I known what I know now, I would have looked his family up. Perhaps I did in fact meet them, who's to say? I did have some impressions that have never left me though; such as how neat and clean the homes were even though most had earthen floors. They sprinkled them with water, it not only kept the dust down but also made it cool. Nearly everyone had a water cooler for comfort in at least one room. I also remember a funeral we attended; that had to be the loneliest almost unnatural cemetary I have ever been in. I shudder in my skin when I think of it; not a green thing in sight, and decoration with pebbles and stones only. The brush arbors were also a change for me; they had me terrified with tales of gila monsters and snakes getting up into them and falling out onto the people below. I suspect now it was probably a joke, but everyone was terrified of gila monsters. I loved the road runners, they were so much fun to watch. They would jump out in front of your car and run like crazy! Suspect it was a competition or nest protection display.