[Photos] Local Historian Displays Lummis Books

"With the snow more than two feet deep on a level, and a walk of fifty lonely miles to the railroad ahead, the getting away from Golden did not look inviting. But I was getting hungry for mail; and as the snow showed no signs of disappearing, there was nothing to do but wade it."  

The above quote was taken from A Tramp Across the Continent, a book pulled at random from Charles Fisher's collection of works by Charles Fletcher Lummis. Fisher's collection was on display at Monday evening's meeting of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, as were Lummis' nearly endless liturgy tales of his travels across the Southwest.

"The thing about Lummis was that you can't put him into any one box, he was so many different things," Fisher told the assembled crowd of about 25.

Lummis is celebrated locally for his efforts to document indigenous cultures and for founding the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in Mount Washigton. His home and gardens are maintained as a cultural monument on Avenue 43 in Montecito Heights.

Fisher moved through Lummis' collection from his early poetry written while at Harvard, to his collections of folktales gathered during his travels throughout the Southwest.

All told about two-dozen books were on display inside the Hathaway-Sycamores building in Mount Washington, as well as some first edition prints of Land of Sunshine, the Los Angeles based magazine edited by Lummis.

Fisher also shared stories of Lummis' battle to will himself back to health after suffering a stroke. According to Fisher, Lummis suffered a major setback in his recovery after being shot in New Mexico for publishing an article about the ritual crucifixions that were practiced by a powerful local family.

Lummis gradually regained sensation of the left side of his body, Fisher explained, though sheer force of will.

Of course, with Lummis, it is difficult for even the most astute historians to separate fact from legend. It's perhaps appropriate, though. As Fisher explained, Lummis was deeply dedicated to exploring both.

"He came from a period of time when Americas were still trying to find themselves, but he was ahead of his time in that he didn't believe all the myth and tired to see people for who they are," he said. "But at the same time he documented and preserved the myths."