APRIL 13,’ 1979 PAGE 3
F ir e C laim s M y rtle F r a n k ’s H em e
Myrtle Frank brushed away
tears as she watched her Simna
sho home of 40 years go up in
flames Monday, April 2. The
home in which thirteen children
and some of their friends had
been raised burned in about 15
minutes.
Myrtle’s daughter, Lydia
Murphy, had been cleaning the
house Monday after a Spring
Vacation visit by some of the
grandchildren. She lit the stove,
then went outside where: she saw
smoke billowing out from be
tween the ceiling and the roof.
The two women then began
hastily removing some things
from the house with the help of a
non-Indian couple who were
passing by.
The alarm was called in at
3:16 p.m. by Simnasho grade'
school teacher Rich Little. But
by that time the home was
already involved in flames.
With 12 firemen responding,
the Warm Springs fire engine
arrived at the scene at 3:45, 30
minutes after the siren blew. The
second fire truck got there 20
minutes later. Firemen learned,
however, that the house was
gone before they were halfway
there.
An overheated woodstove is
believed to be the cause of the
fire. The house had only a stove
pipe instead of a regular chim
ney, according to the fire report.
Myrtle and her daughter are
staying temporarily in a two-
bedroom tribal house in Siinna-
sho next to Matilda Mitchell and
Sylvia Wallulatum. But Char
lotte Herkshan says her grand
mother is depressed and un
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HOUSE HOLDS MEMORIES
IN SHOCK — Myrtle Frank sat in stunned disbelief Monday, April 2, as firemen mopped up the aftermath
of a fire that destroyed her Simnasho home of 40 years. The cause of the fire is believed to have been an
overheated woodstove. Myrtle says she wants a new home rebuilt at the same site just like the old one.
Spilyay Photo by Rangila
happy there. “ It’s not her own.
She wants another house built on
the same site. She doesn’t want a
large house»just what was there
— a small, two-room house,”
Charlotte explains.
The tribal fire fund and
relatives have helped in replac
ing some of the furniture and
household items lost in the fire.
But what the elderly woman was
most upset about the loss of
irreplaceable photos. The day
after the fire, Charlotte and
other family members went over
to the charred house and were
able to retrieve some of the
photos. They found pictures of
Myrtle’s late husband Charley
and some of other family, now
gone. Her cupun (root-digging
stick) was also saved.
“What she really needs now
is moral support,” said Char
lotte. “I’d hope that somehow
her children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren could get
together to support her morally,
materially and financially. She
h as,a lot of relatives that are
willing to help her — it just
somehow needs to be organized.”
Charlotte stressed that her
grandmother is very depressed
and would like some of her
grandchildren to come visit her.
The home was an old two-
room CCC house which was
moved down the hill next to the
the old Longhouse about 40
years ago. Shortly after it was
relocated, Myrtle moved into the
house following the death of her
late husband Charley Frank. Her
youngest son Elvis was just a
baby a t the time.
From then on, the small
"'home became the hub of activi
ties for relatives and friends. “I
don’t think there was any young
people from the North End who
didn’t live there at one time or
another,” Charlotte mused. An
assortment of animal life includ
ing chickens, fawns, wildcats,
and an old dog which acted as a
babysitter all vied for attention
from those in the household.
People would always stop
and eat there too. “People would
wonder why she bought so much
food,” said Charlotte. “But she
always had food there for her
grandchildren, family, and pass
ing horse riders. The first thing
she’d ask when you came in the
door was, ‘Have you eaten?”
Myrtle also had her own
little root garden out back which
she planted years ago. “She had
all types of roots out there and
every year she can tell when the
roots are ready by her own little
garden,” Charlotte explained.
“Some people laugh about it, but
she knows what she’s doing.”
“It was almost like a death
in the family to see that house
burn,” Charlotte said sadly. “It’s
what I think of when I think of
home — there are so many
memories there.”
All-Indian World’s Fair
Offers Non-Stop Fun
When leafing through the 20-
page agenda for the All-Indian
World’s Fair in Phoenix, it be
comes obvious that, those attend
ing will need plenty of stamina.
The fair is programmed for
seven days of 24-hour, non-stop
activity beginning April 23.
By the looks of things, a
growing number of people from
the Warm Springs Reservation
are planning to attend the fair.
Inquiries should be directed to
the Culture and Heritage office
at the Community Center where
Nathan “Éightball” Jim has a
copy of thè huge agenda on hand.
Warm Springs is the “Host
Tribe” on Thursday, April 26,
from 1:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. Those
planning to join in on the Inter-
Tribal War Dance that morning
1:30 a.m. — 1:45) had better
rest up sometime during the day
— that is if you don’t mind
missing the rodeo, all-Indian
sports competition, or the Indian
Hand Game tournament.
If you decide to make a night
of it, it might be worthwhile to
check in with the Mission Indian
Medicine Man specializing in
headaches. He is on the agenda
later that same day at 10 a.m.
In keeping with the theme
“Our Heritage is America’s
Heritage” , each day is dedicated
to a famous Indian individual or
group in American history. The
opening day is “Ira Hays Day” .
Opening day ceremonies in
clude appearances by §uch digni
taries as Forrest Gerard (Assis
tant Secretary of the Interior),
the Secretary of State, the Gover
nor of Arizona, and the Mayor or
Phoenix. A parade is scheduled
to begin at 10 a.m. that day, and
it will enter the Arizona State
Fairgrounds (site of the fair) at
about 11:45 a.m.
Sprinkled throughout the
seven days are powwows hosted
by a variety of tribes, Indian
hand game tournaments, dance
contests, sports competitions,
bow and arrow target shooting,
and Indian name-giving cere
monies by Chief Watchtaker.
At 6 a.m. each morning
P o lic e R e p o r t
sacred and rare practices (reser
vation and village dances) will
take place around a dim bonfire.
These are legendary and tradi
tional, according to the agenda,
and no photographs or tape re
cordings will be allowed. No
lights or modern equipment will
be used.
On Saturday, April 28, the
finals of the Battle of the Bands
will take place at 5 p.m., the
crowning of Miss Indian U.S.A.
will begin at 8:30 p.m., and
all-night ceremonies will start at
10 p.m.
Sunday, the final day of the
fair has been designated “Chief
Watchtaker Day” . Watchtaker is
a famous Commanche Indian
Rainmaker and
many-times
world champion Indian
war
dancer, according to the agenda.
The closing prayer for the
first All-Indian World’s Fair and
lowering of the flag will take
place at 7 p.m. Sunday night. The SOME THINGS SAVED — Myrtle Frank was most upset about losing
closing ceremonies follow a- old photos of family in the fire that destroyed her home. She and her
wards to all-Indian world cham son, Delbert Frank, Sr., shared a light moment as they went through a
pions and the inter-tribal pow box containing some photos and a bracelet. Other photos were
retrieved from the house the next day by family members.
wow grand finale.
Spilyay Photo by Rangila
Four Car Accident Injures Two
On Wednesday, April 4, at
6:22 p.m., a four-car accident
occurred when Mona Smith, 20,
Warm Springs, driving a 1979
Chevrolet pick-up, failed to stop
at a stop sign at the Kah-Nee-Ta
junction on Highway 26. Her car
was struck broadside by a ’77
Ford pickup driven by Robert W.
Appleby, 55, Redmond.
After being hit by Appleby’s
vehicle,
Smith
accelerated
across the highway and struck a
1978 Pontiac driven by Kennedy
Smith, 21, Warm Springs. The
impact caused him to strike a
fourth vehicle, a motorcycle
operated by Glenn Max Whiz, 19,
Warm Springs.
Mona Smith and Celestine
Supah, a passenger in her vehi
cle, were transported to Mt.
View Hospital in Madras, Smith,
for leg and neck injuries and
Suppah for abdominal injuries.
On March 30, a 1965 Volks
wagon bus driven by Carrie
Johnson. 21. Warm Springs,
rolled three times near the
Agency Longhouse. Johnson ap
parently lost control of the
Volkswagon on a turn. Johnson
and Geraldine Suppah, a passen
ger in the vehicle were treated at
Mt. View Hospital for cuts. No
citations were issued.
The theft of stereo equip
ment is under investigation after
it was stolen from the back of a
pickup on April 7 at the Kah-
Nee-Ta Hamlet. The stereo
equipment was valued at $800.
Secretaries Week
Proclaimed April 23-28
On March 30, 1979, General
Manager Ken Smith signed a
proclamation declaring the week
of April 22-28 as Secretaries
Week. This action, in compliance
with National Secretaries Week,
also features Wednesday, April
25, as Secretaries Day.
Also to be held that week will
be the fourth annual Boss-Office
Worker Workshop at Kah-Nee-
Ta. Two sessions each, lasting
two days, will cover topics
ranging from organizational
structure, department functions
and communications, how to
cope with stress, letter-writing,
filing and general office proce
dures. All topics will be present
ed by local resource people,
helping to localize the workshop.