Sunday, August 2, 2009

Memory Mondays~Do You Believe in Monsters? Part One

My sister Gena is here this week! With her she brought her adorable hubby Steve, the twinsies Allison and Emily, along with Michael who had gone home for a visit & is now back for the start of school at U.V.U. A visit by Aunt Gena is always eventful, full of laughter, long talks, card games, and contraband candy sneaked into the house by HERS-truly.

My mind is blank tonight as I try to think of a memory to share. I wanted to write that promised pioneer story but cannot find it in print anywhere in the family histories I have. I want to get the names and details correct so I will have to call my mother who has been traveling and get her to re-tell it to me!

It was Gena who came up with this idea for the memories are partially hers as well. I now present to you "The Monsters of Arizona".

Everyone who has been to Camp Geronimo for scout camp or Camp Lo Mia for girl's camp (both near Payson and Pine) has heard the legend of "Minnie Minnosa", or "The Hairy Lady". (shiver!) There are as many versions of her story as there are boys and girls who have told it. The story I heard goes like this...She lived on the Mogollon Rim of Arizona a looong time ago. One day she was away from home leaving her daughter Mona at the cabin alone. While she was gone the natives attacked and burned the cabin to the ground. Don't ask me where the husband and father was...he's not in the story! When Minnie returned from her errand she found her home destroyed and no sign of poor Mona. She went insane with grief and vowed to roam the Rim for eternity looking for Mona. She wanders the mountains at night wailing and crying Mona's name. She especially likes the Girl's Camp because she feels sure to find her there one day and will take her into her ice-cold arms and into the great beyond with her!!! (yikes)

At this point in the story telling a Jr. Counselor or Stake Camp Leader would ususally be heard outside of the cabin crying "Mo-n-aaaa...Mo-o-o-o-nnnnn-aaaa!" There would be scratching on the cabin walls and a well aimed flash light would reveal the hideous white face behind a mass of tangled hair! All of the first-year girls would then scream and some would cry. None of them would sleep that night!

There is also the story of the Mogollon Monster, a hideous beast, perhaps even a Bigfoot who feeds upon the Boy Scouts at Camp Geronimo over the ridge from Lo-Mia. The stories of scouts who had vanished, never to be seen again would curl any boy or girl's toes! The girls not only had to be worried about being mistaken for Mona but also had to be worried about the monster who might wander into the girl's camp by mistake. (Go Mogy! You eat the boys! Just don't come over here!). Oh, by the way, for you Non-Azironians (as my Dad would say) you pronounce Mogollon, Mo-gee-own, or as my Dad would also say, "Mog-o-log-on" just to make us crazy!

There are no known photos of Minnie or Old Mogy. If you google his name you get a lame-o picture of some guy in a Bigfoot suit! There are, however, plenty of testimonials from terrified young campers who have witnessed the horrors! How about you? Have you heard the legends? What's your version? For the Non-Zonies out there, do you have your own camp monster stories? Let me know!

Coming next week: The harrowing tales of home made monsters, designer monsters , if you will, created just for me and later my little sis as well! How I was terrorized by my own dear brothers with more Monsters of Arizona!!!!!

8 comments:

Marianne said...

My first year of camp, after hearing those stories I was comforted to know you were a mere 50 yards away, sleeping in the lodge (in spite of the fact that we had just ended our "kicking each other on the couch to defend our turf" phase). And isn't it nice to know our old fashionedly sexist father would never tell us those stories with the same relish he used to regale the Boy Scouts with? (shiver)

Marianne said...

BTW, the previous comment was Gena, not HairyMannairy....

Anonymous said...

Since I am a Non-Zonie, I was not familiar with those "cute" stories. I did, however, go to Girls Camp for 9 years (as a leader, not as a young girl) but unfortunately since I was the stake YW president for 8 of those 9 years, I was usually in the "stake" cabin trying to figure out ways to keep the Boy Scouts out of our camp and other boyfriends who couldn't stand being away from their honeys for a week. Believe me there was always some crisis going on and I had "go to girl" printed on my forehead. I know we had cute legends and traditions because my daughters have told me about them but I was never a participant...Dang It! I love the Mona story best, I can just picture the screaming girls!!

URFAVE 5+A Few said...

Well my Stk. was wierd and we never went to Camp Lo Mia we went to Taylor's Ranch. Anyway, our Stk. now however does go to Camp Lo Mia and I have been once and did hear the frightening tales of Mona (shiver). The girls were all scared to death!

I'm not sure if Brian has any stories from Camp Geronimo but Blake did mention when he got home last summer some pretty scary stories. The scariest part for those young boys is that for part of their camping merit badge they have to build a little place to sleep in and camp out aways away from camp with just one other boy by themselves. Scary! Especially if they've heard all these scary stories!

I love your memory Mondays. It sounds like you and Gena are having a great time together. Next time she comes you all need to drive to St. George and we'll all meet you there. We could all have a great time playing together!!!

Have fun! Love you all!
JoLynn

P.S. You and Gena look like your daughters (so youthful and young) especially on Gena's blog in the last picture she has posted.

Helen Ellsworth said...

How well I remember all the stories that scared my two girls to death. And how your brothers loved to add fuel to the fire. Altho' I didn't hear about most of it until you were almost grown. What happened to the other story you were going to tell? I am so glad you and Gena are together and enjoying it. She needs to see you more often. She needs her sister and the love you give.
Mom

☂niki. said...

haha. this is too funny.

i vaguely remember a 'mona' story from girls camp but it was nothing like that one...

in fact, all i remember is the name mona, along with some moaning and being scared...guess i heard it as a first year.

i think my great uncle, or some relative is the founder of camp lo mia. i'll have to ask my mom who exactly it is.

Dean said...

Well, if you doubt the stories of the Mogollon Monster, go to the mental hospital and visit the three boy scouts who witnessed the killings, their hair turned white, and they never recovered their right minds. At least that is what Uncle Joe told us. There are other monsters out there! The Ooogler who lives in the Mesa desert for instance. And the one who lives in the outhouses of Geronimo known as the bahoussy beast (true spelling unknown) a creation of your father while initiating some green scouts to Geronimo. You didn't go to the outhouse alone or in the dark!!

Hey, not fair picking on loving older brothers who were just having fun. I'm sure it was just Richard and not me. Mother coached me on signing in. She thinks I am technically slow. So if it doesn't work I know who is at fault.

Your blog is a lot of fun but I don't know where you all get the time. Keep it up, we enjoy it.

By the way, have you checked under your bed lately??? Ooooooohh.

Marianne said...

Dean! You are so MEAN! Ha ha! That rhymes! So you were just having fun were you? Wait until next Monday!

I guess I have more time to blog than you because I don't play the Wii all afternoon!!

Love Ya!