From the Four Corners to the Old Spanish Haunted Trail
A spirit road trip across America by Deborah Desilets
Taking America by Spirit in a 10,000 miles road trip encompassing the highs of Bear Tooth Mountains to the lows of the Badlands and every mountain and dell in between began and ended on the Old Spanish Trail. I was boxing in America S/W/N/E direction. For thousands of years the Old Spanish Trail tied Pacific to Gulf to Atlantic; with its beginnings as the foot trails of the Mastodons in the Ice Age—San Diego to St Augustine. For thousands of years legends, myths and tales came from the Four Corners of the World (a quadripoint at the corners of AZ/CO/NM/UT) where the Hopi Indians have held sacred The Ant People, the Anu Sinom, who twice, during the Time of Fire and the Ice Age, escorted the Indian people whom they met through the Sky God, Sotuknang into earths subterranean worlds. The movie “Ant Man” premiered during my tour in American movie theaters. Before him, “Spider Man”, another Hopi legend, has thrilled millions. We marvel at myths that come from these Four Corners of the world yet very little cosmological roots remain intact. I asked the young Hopi man at the Mc Donald’s counter what he made of Hollywood’s version of Ant Man. He smiled wide and said; “Yes, from our people came many powerful stories and spirits.” I nodded and went to the car under the most beautiful clouds.
In the Four Corners Native Americans hold sacred a world created by four clouds—black, white, blue, and yellow— that contained all necessary for the First World; a world with Insects, Black Ants, Bee People and Wasp People and more. The Navajo give emphasis on the making of the world by a Black God who fashioned man and woman from the dust. Now Marvel can marvel at that! As well the dust of Egypt may hold images of like kind during the time of Akhenaton. On my sprit tour I trained my eye to the sky, dreamt of Isis in times of questions and answers and frequently touched the earth to be grounded. From the Four Corners, to where the eagle soars, to the Wild West where our myths of the greatest train robbery and wild men like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid lived, I visited western towns and museums in derailed trains. The West holds such vital American culture that Pop-Artist Andy Warhol did a series on the Wild West; an installation I saw at the Briscoe Museum in San Antonio.
Traveling East and then South I landed in Virginia where the old stories are infamous. In McDonalds again for a free refill (in the sacred cup that toured America) I asked the attendant if she knew where the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s were from. She leaned in and said, “Around these parts folks ask about The Grinning Man, The Mothman and Men in Black!”, and her eyes twinkled. I went to the car and as my partner navigated us to parts unknown to me I began reading of these Alien presences. I ended my Google searches with FALLOUT 76 an upcoming November 14 2018 online multiplayer action role playing video game where new characters are who the attendant just mentioned. As we pulled into the New River Gorge, I read that Fallout’s virtual world is based on New River Gorge. Just then the twilight music played and I felt the traction of the world. I paused before closing out on the search.
When we arrived home, fire had destroyed it, we were invaded with raccoons and I had a child to visit. Now back on the Old Spanish Trail my mind recounted the myths of other places while I could feel the spirit here pulling at me like The Zombies on the OST and the Crossfire that innocents were caught in during Indian Squirmishes. I recalled Bill Barnhill’s phone call to me about the 1778 Purcell map he found in Tallahassee while I was in Four Corners. I would meet up with Bill to reconvene this conversation in person. In Crestview surrounded by haunts for his Haunted Corn Maze we discussed his family elixir for Zombies passed down for generations and procured by President James Monroe from Native American Indians. I remind the reader, that Monroe is the last American President from the Virginian Dynasty—he surelyknew its’ value. As Bill tells it, “In the early part of the 17thCentury a young woman was with a band of settlers that was traveling through the area. They became caught in an Indian skirmish between some conquistadors and local Indians. Her husband James Whacker was killed in the battle and buried in a shallow grave. Thus began Betty’s career as a Zombie.” This is best told by Bill in his Haunts that are to be found in the last untouched remains of the Old Spanish Trail near to where the battle ensued. For local Zombie Tales Along the Old Spanish trail are now coming to light at the Baker Corn Maze this October. And that’s about as much show biz for now in the South! www.gumcreekentertainment.com
