Hassayampa, Payson Dew, and the People's Open
Cholla Express: January 2021
The long year has come to an end. A fresh start now begins.
I’m not one for making resolutions, but I am one for seeking awareness. On my other blog I’ve done some writing on this concept from psychologist and Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello, but basically it goes like this: We don’t change ourselves through effort or renunciation. At least not successfully. Change is an after-effect that follows from interior restructuring. Once we recognize our attachments, and loosen their grip on our psyche, we become a little more free, and start to live more authentically.
“Disarmed. Everybody needs to be disarmed.”
The concept of awareness is a good consideration year-round, but I find myself drawn back to it especially around the turn of the New Year. One of the benefits of working in the academic calendar is having extended breaks, which are necessary to recharge but also allow for a re-centering of intentions.
Part of this issue’s writing is done from Wickenburg. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to spend time in this quiet town. All I can hear outside is birds chirping. I can look out and see wide open desert landscape — cacti, green shrubs, layered mountains in the distance, and wispy clouds hanging in the blue sky.
The Hassayampa River runs through the town of Wickenburg. The riverbed is dry from my view.
The name “Hassayampa” comes from the Yavapai Native American language, and it means “following the water as far as it goes.”
Maybe there’s something apt in that name, as we turn the page to 2021.
Following the water as far as it goes.
Should we be hopeful? Are the clouds about to burst into rainstorms, ending the drought? Will the river beds soon be filled?
Or is this as far as it goes? Are we living through an era of perpetual drought?
If this is as far as it goes, what’s next?
Wherever the winds of history are taking us collectively, it’s always a good time to practice mindfulness, to take a step back and refine our awareness. To take the next best step forward without knowing, or worrying about, the ultimate destination. To breathe.
That’s the concept that strikes me most readily when I think about following the water as far as it goes.
Happy New Year, everybody.
Prohibition in Arizona
For my birthday last month, Wendy got me a tour of a local distillery. We learned all about the age-old process of turning wheat, rye, or corn into potent intoxicating drinks — drinks that have been the source of much drama in American, and Arizona, history.
Arizona Distilling Company is owned by a fourth-generation Arizonan. They’re located in a small brick building in Tempe that houses the distillery as well as a bar and restaurant. We didn’t eat dinner there, but the kitchen has a brick-fire oven for pizza, and it smelled delicious.
Our tour was given by an apprentice who had made her way into the world of spirits through blogging. We learned many interesting tidbits, both about the distilling process in general, and about the unique elements of this distillery. There are many nods to local history infused into their brand, including the names of the products and the décor in the restaurant. A portrait of the first Governor of Arizona, George W.P. Hunt, hangs just behind the bar.
Whiskey has roots as deep as any other tradition in this country. The drink was so common at the time of the nation’s founding that it was used as currency in the backcountry. The first major internal conflict erupted in 1791 when a tax on whiskey sparked a backlash known as the Whiskey Rebellion. In the mid 1800s, when social problems stemming from drunkenness grew in awareness, the temperance movement took form.
You would think that a place like Arizona, out in the Wild West, would be hostile to attempts to ban alcohol. But the progressive reformers were highly effective in shaping public opinion. Reformers arrived early in Arizona’s territorial history, and sowed a decades-long campaign against the evils of the drink.
W.M. Burke, a prominent Arizona temperance leader and publisher, summarized the simple position of the drys in the early 1900s, writing: “The only solution to the problem of the saloon is no saloon.”
Shortly after Arizona’s statehood in 1912, various temperance organizations combined their efforts behind a proposal to ban alcohol by amending the state constitution. In 1914, organizers successfully gathered enough petitions to get the prohibition amendment — with no exceptions for religious or medicinal use — on the ballot for a popular vote.
A fierce campaign ensued. An odd coalition of Catholic priests, pharmacists, economic boosters, and saloon operators made up the opposition. Ultimately, the long-running efforts of the temperance movement proved overwhelming. The prohibition amendment passed by a razor thin majority, 25,887 to 22,743.
The alcohol ban was effective in Arizona starting on January 1st, 1915 — five years before a nationwide prohibition would be enacted.
As you might expect, bootlegging soon became fashionable. Payson became a boom town for booze, with up to 40 stills operating illegally. “Payson Dew” was so lucrative that an alarm system was concocted to alert the townsfolk before the feds arrived. Bells were tied to mules that were sent through the countryside, a warning to the stills to shut down production.
Violating the law became a norm, for everyday folks as well as the social elites.
Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater recalled the story of how his father bought pieces from a closing saloon and then installed a bar in their family basement. Senator Goldwater wrote in one of his memoirs: “The country went dry but our bar was always wet.”
After years of living through this failed experiment, people’s attitudes about legally-mandated morality changed, and the national prohibition amendment was repealed in 1933.
That Arizona was one of the state legislatures voting to ratify the repeal was no surprise. Voters had already repealed the statewide ban on alcohol in 1932 by wide majority, 63,750 to 36,218.
Additional Sources (other than those already linked)
“The Dry Run: Prohibition in Arizona”, a mini-documentary produced by Arizona Public Media.
Clark, Nancy Tisdale. "The Demise of Demon Rum in Arizona." The Journal of Arizona History 18, no. 1 (1977)
Sports in the Spotlight
Every year in late January, crowds in the hundreds of thousands arrive in Scottsdale to watch the festivities. It’s one of the most anticipated parties of the year. It’s one of the most raucous spectator sporting events in America — but it will have to be toned down this year.
Yes, I’m talking about golf.
The Phoenix Open set a single day record of attendance a couple years ago when 216,818 people showed up to Saturday’s third round. The four-round event that year topped 700,000 in total attendance.
The Phoenix Open — currently sponsored by Waste Management — was first played in 1932, and became an annual event starting in 1939. It has been hosted at various courses, including the Phoenix Country Club and Arizona Country Club, before finding a permanent home at the TPC in Scottsdale, where it has been held continuously since 1987.
The most notorious hole is the 16th, a short par-3 packed with thousands of drunken spectators ready to cheer or jeer, depending on the outcome of the player’s shot. Whatever happens, it’s sure to be loud. The atmosphere has recently been corporatized, as such things tend to be, and now it costs a pretty penny for reserved box seats. To get a sense of the wildness of its younger days, check out this video of Tiger Woods getting a hole-in-one in 1997.
This year, the crowd sizes will be significantly smaller, due to the obvious reasons. Tournament chairman Scott Jenkins told the Arizona Republic, “We want people enjoying themselves but it's not going to be your typical crazy Phoenix Open vibe." He said the crowds this year will most likely be under 10,000.
As for the Bird’s Nest, it’s likely to be empty.
This year’s event will be held in early February, from the 4th to the 7th.
While the pandemic won’t help the revenue of the Phoenix Open, Covid restrictions seem to have increased golf participation statewide.
Several Tucson courses reported playing rate increases of around 15% in April 2020, the first full month of restrictions, compared to April 2019. Industry leaders struck an optimistic tone in this recent Cronkite News piece about golf’s participation trends. The article cites a 2016 study showing golf’s annual economic impact to be nearly $4 billion. This number probably is a bit reduced this year than it normally would be, due to cancelled tournaments and decreased travel from other states, but the golf industry overall continues to thrive despite the pandemic.
Undoubtedly, interest in the game has picked up because golf is one of the few social activities that can be enjoyed outside at a safe distance. Also, here in Arizona golf courses have been unaffected by government-mandated restrictions.
So, while the Phoenix Open party-goers will have to wait another year to indulge, everyone else can still get outside to work on their game.
Facebook Post of the Month
If you’re a Facebook user looking for an interesting nature follow, check out this Hassayampa River Preserve site. I came across it while researching the river. The page has regular content highlighting local plant and animal species, and other informative posts about the physical environment in this area.
This Dec. 6th post (excerpts shared below) is a cool example, talking about the colors of the Cottonwood trees continuing to change through the winter.
FALL COLOR WATCH UPDATE! Our fall colors continue to develop along the Hassayampa River, with over a quarter of the cottonwoods starting to change from green to golden. Did you know that cottonwoods are closely related to aspens and have the same brilliant fall color? Our willows, mulberries, and figs have also turned yellow and are losing their leaves, creating lovely fall scenery along our trails. The cottonwoods will likely reach their peak color over the next week or two…
… the trees going dormant means that water isn't being sucked up like it was in the spring and summer, allowing the water level in the river and in Palm Lake to rise a bit (even with the prolonged drought).
Come visit our scenic trails this autumn at the Preserve!
Final Thoughts
To start the new year, Wendy and I are driving down to Southern Arizona for some hiking and to explore a few places we’ve never seen. I look forward to taking pictures and reporting back the scene.
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Salud.