Dear Reader... This is an interpretive series of pages taken from the personal journal of Mr. JH Thomas. For over 25 years Mr. Thomas hiked, explored and photographed the limestone canyons and vicinity of northern Arizona. As a result he recorded several scientific "firsts" in archaeology regarding the activities of the ancient people we now call Sinagua. He also acquired some basic knowledge of local geology, the native plants and wildlife. It is a pleasure to present some of these observations in this format.
Sincerely, John Vroom, Editor

Centered above is just one of Mr. Thomas' oil paintings created in his studio in memory of local explorations.

Through this portal of personal exploration and observation my inner life is fulfilled.

.... JH Thomas

Since moving to Arizona in 1978 Thomas was obsessed with the regional treasures of plants, animals, geology and prehistory. Behind his oil paintings and nearly everything on this web site are thousands of day hikes and explorations, always following his intuition and curiosity, following the creed of "taking pictures and leaving footprints." This map focuses in on the huge territory he came to call his own. -JV

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Page 01 - Introduction

Here then, are some notes and photos from his journal:

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The Decision of a Child

Thomas' connection with Northern Arizona began in 1952 when he was just nine years old. His family was traveling through Arizona at that time using the now famous Route 66 because at the time it was the only highway across the state.

This stretch of the old "mother road" remains intact today. It lies east of Flagstaff connecting the Flagstaff Mall with Walnut Canyon National Monument. Coincidentally, this is the same stretch whereupon his family camped outside their car in 1952 for a few days, beneath the tree you see in the center of this photo. Yes it is still here and he often sits under it today, reading and contemplating how he came to spend his life here.

The point of the story is this: When he sat under this tree at nine years he looked toward the mountains and vowed, as much as a nine-year-old can, that "when I grow up this is where I want to live." There is no reasoning behind this promise nor does he recall today any momentous feeling that he had then. But he never forgot it. Throughout his life in the years that followed he knew he was going to return, with no real intellectual reason, just a conviction, a feeling of being home, something familiar. In the mid 1970s when his business was thriving he realized that no better opportunity would appear, so the process of investigation as an adult with a family and a business began. In October of 1978 he moved home and business from California.

Without applying any supernatural meaning to it, he knows now that the place where this tree grows is "downtown Sinagua," where, about 900 years ago, thousands of thriving people lived in the pueblos and pithouses we now find. This spot is directly between what we now call Elden Pueblo and Walnut Canyon. It is ALSO about a mile from a canyon filled with petroglyphs and the entire area is saturated with artifacts and evidence of habitation. Little did he realize then that all of that was beneath his feet.

And thus the life decision that brought him here was made.

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The Print Shop and the Parrot - Discovering the HOPI

Soon after moving his complete printing business here he became acquainted with the Hopi culture in a way that predicted his future although he didn't realize it at the time. With publishing motives only he purchased some authentic Hopi artwork from Hopi kachina carver, Neil David Sr. These published images included an abstract drawing of a parrot, which would make its signifance known later.

His business produced t-shirts, tote bags and more imprinting these designs for several years in Flagstaff. His largest retailer for these designs was in Sante Fe, New Mexico, often reordering as much as $15,000 worth of merchandise at one time. His ignorance about the local prehistory and the part this "parrot" would play in his own evolution was not apparent for several years.

Publishing this Hopi design made his company well known amongst other Native American artists and he attracted several others who offered their work for publication, both Hopi and Navajo. In this process he became acquainted with silversmith Michael Sockyma, or "Young Corn" as he is known at home on the reservation. Michael became a friend and remains one today. He has published many of Michael's designs and enjoyed his cultural input and answers to many cultural questions over the years.

In the summer of 1980 Michael made a gesture that would change his opinion of Northern Arizona forever. He and his wife were invited to the August Hopi Snake Dance. With no point of reference he accepted and attended, not knowing exactly what he was in for. After hours of sitting in the hot sun the sound of rattles, chanting and stomping feet entered the plaza. In that moment he realized that he had entered another world and the unconscious inspiration behind his coming here was suddenly apparent. We, modern man, have no real comprehension of what "primitive" people really knew about this world and our place in it. This dance made it apparent. It changed his life.

These earlier experiences created a drive to know more, to explore and seek satisfaction for this hunger and familiarity he felt. He became an amateur archaeologist overnight. -JV

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Images and text are copyrighted. Do not copy.

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The search for information began by visiting all of the local public sites that featured regional archaeology. Because of this interest he attracted many commercial assignments for his business along the way, a double bonus. Here are some:

Elden Pueblo was being excavated and stabilized during Thomas' first investigations. Through this connection he came in contact with the national forest chief archaeologist, Peter Pilles, and he was eventually commissioned to design the official brochure for this site, as well as t-shirts for other archaeological sites.

The Museum of Northern Arizona has many wonderful exhibits on the Sinagua.

Palatki (Red House) is just one of several ancient public sites in Sedona.

Walnut Canyon National Monument is a collection of limestone cliff dwellings. Thomas worked here as a volunteer in 1988 and 1989 in order to access the canyon floor and to discover some heretofore undiscovered petroglyphs. His reputation had begun.

Wupatki National Monument is the major ruin site in this area. Thomas spent many hours here, hiking the local backcountry recording rock art and related sites, with national park permission. One of his oil paintings now hangs in the visitor center.

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One of the privileges I have as the editor and webmaster of this online eZine is that I get to pour over 35 years of photography and illustration done by Mr. Thomas during his career. It is a visual banquet, and as a BONUS to the readers of these pages I am now installing FREE CLIP ART images in this location of each page of "The Intuitive Hiker."

So, enjoy them please and use them as you like on web site pages, presentations, etc. A byline credit to this web page would be considered proper courtesy... John Vroom

FREE CLIP ART
The images below this banner are FREE to use by our visitors.

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IH_001 Sacred Datura Flower

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IH_002 Lucky Old Horse Shoe
Photographed against weathered barnwood.

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IH_003 Cougar
Spot Illustration of Mountain Lion

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Enjoy other FREE Clip Art on other Intuitive Hiker pages,
many taken from or inspired by these outdoor hikes.