Connection
MAY 2012
Vol. 29 No. 5
An Open Forum publication allowing all voices to be heard since 1983
ARIVACA YESTERDAYS by Mary Noon Kasulaitis
1918
was a momentous year for Arivaca, because of the Mexican Revolution, the Great War in Europe, and the Flu Epidemic. But to start off on a light note: Perhaps the first movie to be filmed in or around Arivaca happened in March of 1918, when director Edwin Carewe found it to be a suitable location for his film, The Trail to Yesterday. The film starred Bert Lytell, Harry S. Northrup and Anna Q. Nilsson. Over a hundred cowboys were employed. Surprisingly, or perhaps unbelievably, the paper reported: “As a saloon is necessary to the picture and as Arivaca does not enjoy such an institution, some old beer signs were dug up out of storage for the film artists.” The 10th Cavalry was reportedly involved as escorts due to rumors that outlaws from below the Border were planning a raid on the town. Apparently, during the two weeks they were in Arivaca and vicinity, every member of the company was armed, even Anna. (Well, they were looking for the Wild West.) (Extensive
Arivaca in 1918
searching by Bart Santello and myself have not unearthed a copy of this film for public viewing.) Shortly after this, another film company arrived in the Altar Valley to film Light of Western Stars with Dustin Farnum at the Las Moras Ranch. Early in 1918, rancher W. D. Coberly passed away. His name is almost unknown now, but in the early part of the 20th century, the Coberlys had one of the biggest ranches in the Altar Valley, started back in 1900. In the middle of the valley, the Palo Alto, Pozo Nuevo and Secundino Ranches, as well as the Buenos Aires and La Osa Ranches at the south end were all in their hands by 1913, making up about 17,000 acres. They bought a home in Tucson, where they were known for entertaining. The son, W. B. Coberly, ran for County Supervisor and was instrumental in starting to get a passable road built from Three Points to Sasabe (this took several years). In 1915 they sold their ranch to the La Osa Cattle Company (J.C. Kinney, Ramon Elias and Jose C. Camou) and moved to Los Angeles. (It should be noted that the teen years were busy with land swaps of various kinds in the
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Altar Valley, with J.C. Kinney heavily involved. He named all his ranches La Osa.) The United States had gotten into World War I when President Wilson declared war on Germany in 1917, but the effect in terms of being called up for service had not affected citizens until somewhat later. Once the draft got under way, every day the Tucson newspaper listed the names of those who had been called up and a number of Arivacans were so noted. In late 1917 the newspaper proclaimed that those who had gone to Mexico to avoid the draft would lose any exemption they may have gotten if they cross the border. A flood of aliens and presumably citizens as well had headed south at the threat of the draft, leaving homes and sometimes families behind. The effect of this in Arivaca was that some people, despite having lived here for years, lost their property to those who realized the opportunity and moved in on the vacated land. They did not necessarily realize what they had lost until the War was over and they returned. On August 27, 1918 the Mexican
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Revolution spilled over into Arizona. An issue between a Mexican customs official and an American sentry on the border in Nogales escalated quickly into a fierce fight between American and Mexican troops. Shooting went on for an hour and a half until a truce was called. Other troops were brought in from Fort Huachuca and Douglas after deaths occurred on both sides. Three Americans were killed and 28 wounded, while on the Mexican side, there were many more casualties, with 14 killed, including the mayor of Nogales, Sonora, Felix Peñaloza. By the next day, commanders on both sides had taken control of the area and Mexican President Carranza expressed his regrets that the episode, now called the “Battle of Nogales,” had happened. In 1918 an influenza epidemic hit the world, killing as many as a hundred million people worldwide. Many of us have heard about this epidemic from family members, and most of us are descendents of the survivors. Young adults were most severely affected, as the older generation may have had some immunity. This particular influenza is a respiratory disease that Continued on Page 2 PRE SORT STD US Postage
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