Don't Forget Winona And Beale's Camel Corp at Railroad Pass

 August 11, 2023

   Got some cool stuff going on with the reprise of the "66 Kids" book.

   As all the fans of Bobby Troupe's famous rock 'n' roll ditty, "Route 66" know, the lyrics, "Flagstaff Arizona, don't forget Winona" refers to a small spot in the road, on old Route 66, east of Flagstaff. And here's the actual Winona back in the day. 

   I asked online if anybody knows if Winona was named for an actual person? Well, two gents—Dennis Blake and Charles Quinton—offered these explanations.

   "Winona was originally named 'Walnut' when the railway reached the area, after the creek that flowed by the station. The Arizona walnut was very common along the creek, but now are less so due to the decreased water flow caused by upstream dams. The name changed to Winona in 1886 because there was another Walnut on the railroad. The name, 'Winona' was, 'just another name' and was chosen for no special named person. However, an USGS Map from 1899 shows the station at present Winona was named 'Cosnino'. By 1915 however, Cosnino had moved further west to its present location and Winona appeared on the map."

—Dennis Blake

   "Winona is also a feminine given name that means "Firstborn daughter' in the Lakota language. It was the name of the daughter of Wapasha III, a Lakota Sioux Indian chief."

—Charles Quinton

   Speaking of old Route 66, one of my Kingman compadres is coming by the studio tomorrow to pick up a painting he commissioned me to create over ten years ago. Yes, it took me that long to get around to finishing it, but here is the finished piece for the honorable Toby Orr.

Decade Long Whip Out:

"Beale's Camel Corp Entering What Became Known as Railroad Pass In Mohave County"

   And here is the actual scene, taken a couple months ago when I was in Kingman for Bud Linn's funeral.

The Hualapais and Railroad Pass

   So, I asked my Kingman historian amigo, Jim Hinckley, who exactly named the pass and here is what he told me.

  "On page 95 of Lt. Joseph Christmas Ives report there is a Hartley map with the designation R.R. Pass. The report entry dated March 30, 1858 reads, 'The next day, after proceeding one or two miles along the pass which was first like a canyon, then a regular pass, we emerged from the Cerbat range. We called it Railroad Pass.'"

   See, it really pays to know historians who have statues erected of them in Kingman.

Jim Hinckley And His Statue

at the Kingman Train Station

A Satisfied Art Patron

   Becky Weber ordered an art print of "Mickey Free Stares Into The Abyss" a painting I did about ten years ago for a proposed Mickey Free graphic novel that I still want to publish. She framed it for her husband's birthday and sent me this photo of it in her studio, along with a very nice note.

"A lovely frame (mesquite from Madera Canyon) for a lovely print! Thank you!"

—Becky and Peter Weber

"There's no retirement for an artist. It's your way of living so there's no end to it."

—Henry Moore