The Supai Weekly News

Located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and home to the Havasupai Tribe is the community of Supai, Arizona. Accessible only by hiking, horseback, mule, or helicopter, the town is remote, and The Supai Weekly News offered a way to share information throughout the small community.

The Supai Weekly News appeared in the 1950s, published by Marian Collins, whose husband, Arthur “Vic” Collins, was the Bureau of Indian Affairs agent to the Havasupai Tribe starting in about 1952. Vic often administered insulin shots to community members with diabetes and handled tourism inquiries, according to a 1959 Arizona Republic [LCCN: sn 83045137] article. As reported in the Verde Independent [LCCN: sn 94050876], Marian rotated roles as a nurse, mediator, and postmaster in Supai. Marian also taught at the Indian School in Havasu Canyon, according to a 1953 article in the Arizona Republic.

The Supai Weekly News was geared toward the Havasupai community. Each issue featured a list of birthdays that week, as well as a weather report that detailed the daily temperatures from the week prior. The publication included important news such as public health updates, the upcoming visits of a relocation officer, and notices of tribal council meetings and elections. Though only two or three pages in length, most issues were packed with listings of personal updates from community members. These updates often highlighted the little things in life, such as someone going sledding or someone cooking a steak dinner. These snippets of news sometimes answered questions, such as one in the June 26, 1957 issue: “All the shouting and screaming every afternoon is coming from the ‘old swimming hole’ where all the folks get away from the heat.” The paper also sometimes took on a more poetic tone, such as in one 1959 issue: “When we go to bed at night the Valley is bright with the beautiful moonlight. When we get up early in the morning the Canyon is still light from the moon’s beams. It is so pretty it makes some folks want to write poetry about it.”

The paper also featured religious news about the Supai Bible Mission, such as when different services were being held and the names of missionaries. The paper frequently encouraged readers to attend church services, and most issues included a bible verse.

Though initially a weekly publication, by 1959, the paper was published more sporadically and dropped “Weekly” from its name. By 1960, the Collinses moved to Cottonwood, Arizona, and The Supai News ceased.