Colony Photos Archives - Las Colonias - The Mormon Colonies in Mexico

NEW(?) PHOTOGRAPHS ON PANCHO VILLA

Rondal R. Bridgemon

I am an amateur historian of the Mexican Revolution with special emphasis on the events that took place in and around the Mormon colonies of northwestern Chihuahua. As such, I have seen numerous pictures of Pancho Villa. Recently, friends (Sullivans) shared a couple of photos that I believe could well be rare photographs of Villa. One is alleged to have been taken in Colonia Garcia (Villa with midwives and their spouses) and the other (Villa at a natural spring) was possibly taken in Madero around 1915. Let me give you a brief background as to how these pictures came into my possession.

Tito Carrillo, a friend and fellow Mata Ortiz aficionado, has been a long time trader and tour guide to Mata Ortiz (Pearson). He has been going through a period of dialysis and during his recent stay at the Life Care Rehab in Tucson; he struck up a friendship with patient Loren Perry. During one of their conversations, Loren pulled the two photos from his wallet. Ron and Vicki Sullivan (Sahuarita, Arizona residents) scanned the photographs and Ron did a brief phone interview with Loren to get more of the historical background on names, places, and faces. Loren is Mormon and apparently his grandmother knew Villa. The photographer is unknown. The photo captions are what Ron and Vicki pieced together.

There is writing on the back of the bathing photo that appears to have been done by three different people. Initially believed to say “Madera,” the writing in the middle appears to say Madero, a small village just south of Nuevo Casas Grandes. This really is more reasonable than Madera as there are natural springs and pools in the Madero area.

Answers could solve a few questions that come to mind. When did the village take the name of Francisco I. Madero – by 1915? Does the name in the middle mean the Mormon Clifford Whetten and did he own property in Madero? Does anyone recognize any of the people in the photographs? If so, please contact me through Las Colonias Magazine.

While I can’t locate the Colonia Garcia photo anywhere else, there is a partial, low resolution photo of Villa in the swimsuit (image reversed) on The Mex Files website: (http://mexfiles.net/2010/05/11/pancho-villa-as-youve-never-seen/). I believe this photograph comes from the collection of Ciudad Victora, Tamaulipas, historian Osiris Villa Huerta who is hoping to find a better image. I will send the “Loren Perry” photographs to him.

Poncho Villa with midwives and their husbands of Colonia Garcia

Handwritten description of Poncho Villa bathing suit photo

On July 24^th 2014 over sixty Mormon colonist descendants ascended Temple Hill overlooking Colonia Pacheco to honor their pioneer ancestors. They came to pay tribute to the original men who scouted future Mormon settlements for colonization by unveiling a new plaque and capstone to replace an older plaque that and capstone, which were both missing since the 1950’s.

The original monument had been constructed by the Pacheco Boy Scout troop in 1935. Dan Jarvis helped spearhead the project of replacing the original plaque and monument that was originally placed by his uncle Ray Jarvis who served as Scout Master.

Later that evening a Pioneer Day celebration was held at the home of Ed and Gayle Whetten with most of the Colonies residents attending.