By Larry Fraher (Guest Contributor)–
It was a sunny day in Prescott, Arizona. My dad, in his 6’7” frame, with 6 of his 8 children trailing him over the boulder pile next to our house, wound up on the eastern side of the boulders. There, standing on a perch we discovered a carving:
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Don Maguire
1879
“The Rocks,” as we called them, were a childhood adventure and playground. Growing up next to this boulder pile was a gift that fostered both the intellect and the imagination. Many hours each month were spent on perches, in alcoves or caves contemplating the events of life and dreaming of the future. Other times, with the neighborhood boys, The Rocks became the places of major battles in World War II re-enacted with sticks for rifles, the hiding place of boot-legged treasure, or the locale of great discovery in the US Westward Expansion. Our discovery of the inscription by Don Maguire in 1879 only increased the mysteries of The Rocks.
The Maguire inscription was a curiosity in our family lore. Who was this man whose name was carved as a permanent memorial in an obscure piece of granite over-looking Prescott, Arizona? There were multiple theories. Some of us believed it was done as a memorial for a person who died in the vicinity, possibly even having been buried in the area. Others believed that he must have been a significant contributor to Prescott life and history. In my adolescence, I pursued answers, and in the days before Google, never found anything, adding to the mystique.
In adulthood, I moved away from Prescott and The Rocks. First for college in Minnesota, and then for work, trading the mild climate of Prescott for the deserts of the Phoenix Metro area. My mother, a native of Prescott who spent her entire 82 years there passed away on February 26. On the second weekend of March, I led an expedition, this time with my 3 young adult daughters trailing me over the boulders, in Mom’s honor. We made it to the summit, and I shared the places of childhood with my girls. I showed them the Maguire inscription. Something they refused to walk up to because it was, “kind of creepy,” in a goose-bumps sort of way.
That journey reawakened my curiosity about Maguire. I turned to Google and found this blog as well as Dr. Gary Topping’s book. Thus began a series of coincidences: I visited the Rocks on March 9, my mother’s funeral was March 10, Michael O’Brien made a blog post dedicated to Maguire on March 12 (https://theboymonk.com/my-utah-hometown-contribution-to-irish-catholic-history/ ) I contacted Dr. Topping on March 14. Suddenly, I was invited to encounter the man who had inscribed his name in the rock pile. With a care package from Dr. Topping, I found that Maguire had been in Prescott for Christmas 1878 and through the middle of January 1879. Maguire reports that he took multiple days off between New Year’s Eve and January 5, and that he had been staying in the western part of town, which happens to be where these rocks are located (Topping, Gila Monsters and Red-Eyed Rattlesnakes, 159-165).
Grief does funny things to people. Above all else, it causes us to reflect on the meaning and work of our lives. The discovery of the truth behind Maguire’s carving – that he most likely did it as a marker of the New Year celebrated in Prescott in 1879, helped me to understand two principles of life and faith that my mother tried to live: First, notice God’s presence in the events of life. God is not going to whack you upside the head very often, and usually His presence is much more subtle. The re-discovery of my fascination with this inscription and the increased activity around it over the last six weeks have provided moments of grace. Second, she encouraged us to, while retaining faith, humility, and gratitude, live life with bold love.
Inscribing one’s name in granite, especially while young is something of a bold move. But Maguire didn’t just put a name and the year, in an ego-driven manner. He marked himself as a person of faith. That mark is one that indicates Baptism and points to something greater than self. As I have read about Mr. Maguire, I seem to have found a like-hearted forebear, if geography can provide lineage, who invites us to be people who are willing to both notice God’s presence in the world and boldly mark the world with a cross and our names below.
My prayer since these discoveries is that I may be so bold.
Larry Fraher holds a Ph.D. in Art and Religion from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA; a Master’s Degree in Systematic Theology and a Bachelor’s in Theological Studies, both from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN. He is a lay person who has served the Catholic Church in Phoenix in various parish, school, and diocesan roles for 27 years. He is married and has 3 daughters.
