As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 208.[3] The capital of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, Supai is the only place in the United States where mail is still carried in and out by mules.[4]
Supai has been referred to as "the most remote community" in the contiguous United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.[5] It is accessible only by helicopter, on foot or by mule. Supai is 8 miles (13km) from the nearest road and has no automobiles in the community.[4]
History
In 1910 there was a flood of Supai which affected the town.[6]
In the 1960s Martin Goodfriend, a tourist, began to advocate for the Supai people, and a columnist of the Arizona Republic, Don Dedera, wrote articles about Goodfriend's findings.[7] Dedera stated that Goodfriend countered a view that Supai was a kind of "Shangri-la".[8]
Tourists and some residents were evacuated from Supai and surrounding area on August 17 and 18, 2008,[9] due to flooding of Havasu Creek complicated by the failure of the earthen Redlands Dam (subsequent to the main flooding event[10][11]) after a night of heavy rainfall. Evacuees were taken to Peach Springs, Arizona.[12] More heavy rains were expected and a flash flood warning was put into effect, necessitating the evacuation, according to the National Park Service.[13] The floods were significant enough to attract coverage from international media.[12][14]
Damage to the trails, bridges, and campground was severe enough for Havasupai to close visitor access to the village, campground, and falls until the spring of 2009.[15] Further flooding in 2010 resulted in damage to repairs made previously and closures effective until May 2011.[citation needed] In July 2018, flash flooding forced the helicopter evacuation of 200 visitors.[16] All tourism was suspended from March 2020 until February 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18]
Geography and climate
The Wigleeva rock formations watch over Supai
Located within the Grand Canyon, Supai is accessible only by foot, pack animal or helicopter. It is the only place in the United States where mules still carry the mail, most of which is food.[19][20]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4km2), all land. It lies 3,195 feet (974m) above sea level.
Climate
Supai has a semi-arid climate, with very hot summers coupled with mild nights, and relatively mild winters with nights cooling off to below freezing on many days.
As with many communities living on reservations, the census is often miscounted.[22] In the 2020 census, the population of Supai was counted as zero.[22] In 2023, the Associated Press reported that "about 500 of the nearly 770" members of the Havasupai tribe live in the village.[23]
(The 2020 US Census incorrectly reported the population as being 0 due to "uncertain [reasons]" according to the tribal chairman Thomas Siyuja Sr.)[22]
As of the census of 2010,[3] there were 208 people and 43 households. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.6% Native American, 0.5% White, 0.5% Other, and 2.4% of mixed race. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.
There were 43 households, out of which 34.9% were married families living together, 32.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 14.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 18.6% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.84.
In the CDP the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 16, 10.4% from 16 to 21, 54.8% from 21 to 65, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.2 years. 48.6% of the population was male; 51.4% was female.
Government and infrastructure
Mule train in front of the convenience store and post office
Supai is located inside the Grand Canyon on tribal lands outside of national park jurisdiction and is governed by the tribe.[19]
There is a post office in Supai. Mules are used to ferry mail between Supai and the rest of the United States. Perishable goods are, as of 2016, stored in a walk-in freezer at the Peach Springs, Arizona, post office while they await being loaded onto mules.[25][20][19] According to The Smithsonian, the Peach Springs post office is the only one in the country with a walk-in freezer.[19]
A contractor, who as of 2016 had held the contract with the post office for 25 years, picks up the mail and drives it an hour to the trailhead, where it's loaded onto mules for the journey down the canyon.[19] Each mule carries up to 200 pounds of mail.[19]
Supai lacks a high school.[27] In 1988, Havasupai ES was K-8, and residents went to boarding schools after the 8th grade. The most common boarding school, that year, was Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, California.[28] In 1967, most older students (past the second grade, the upper grade at Havasupai ES at the time) attended school in Fort Apache or Phoenix.[29] In that time period some students went to boarding schools in California.[7] Some other students stayed with host families and attended school district-operated public schools.[30] Prior to its closure, the Phoenix Indian School was the closest Native American boarding high school to Supai.[31]
According to Coconino County's parcel viewer, Supai is in the "Unorganized School District #00".[32] According to Arizona law, an unorganized school district is one that does not have a high school.[33] The 2010 U.S. Census school district map for Coconino County shows Supai as in "School District Not Defined".[34]
Access
Parking at Hualapai Hilltop, the trailhead for the 8-mile (13km) trail into Supai.
Supai can be reached by hiking 8 miles (13km), descending 2,004 feet (611m) in elevation from Hualapai Hilltop through the Hualapai Canyon.[35] Helicopters also fly from Hualapai Hilltop into Supai.[36] Hualapai Hilltop, the trailhead for Havasupai Trail, is located about 70 miles (110km) from the community of Peach Springs, along paved BIA Road 18.
Culture
Reggae music is popular in the Supai community; according to Afropop, the residents feel "a kinship with the Rastafarian faith".[37][38] According Cannabis Culture, Bob Marley had wanted to visit but died before he could make the trip.[39]Tyrone Downie and Cedelia Booker learned of the popularity of the music after Chris Blackwell encountered several Supai residents in a Las Vegas record store buying reggae and helicoptered into Supai in 1982 with a grand piano and played a concert.[37][40][39]
In 1984 an Arizona reggae band, Shagnatty, gave a concert; a photojournalist accompanying the band reported residents told her the music had been popular in the community for as long as 25 years, when visitors from California had introduced it.[38][40] She describes community members joining the band on stage and toasting in Supai.[40]
Tourism
Tourism is economically important.[41] When COVID-19 shut down area tourism, the tribe estimated a 60-day closure of tourism to Supai would result in a 15% loss to the tribe's annual revenues.[42]
As of 2014 approximately 20,000 people visit each year, most to see and hike around Havasu Falls and other nearby waterfalls.[20][36] There is a campground and Havasupai Lodge in Supai on tribal grounds, and a National Park Service campground and Phantom Ranch outside of Supai on national park grounds.
Services
Supai has one small, air-conditioned lodge (Havasupai Lodge), a convenience store and a cafe.[43]
Mule train from Supai carrying U.S. Postal Service boxes
Water tanks above the village, supplying water pressure for plumbing
Supai AZ postmark, unique for its "mule train" design
Coconino County is a county in the North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from Cohonino, a name applied to the Havasupai people. It is the second-largest county by area in the contiguous United States, behind San Bernardino County, California. It has 18,661 sq mi (48,300 km2), or 16.4% of Arizona's total area, and is larger than the nine smallest states in the U.S.
Mohave County is a county in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United States.
Peach Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2020 census. Peach Springs serves as the administrative headquarters of the Hualapai people and is located on the Hualapai Reservation.
Seligman is a census-designated place (CDP) on the northern border of Yavapai County, in northwestern Arizona, United States. The population was 456 at the 2020 census. It is one of the stops on historic U.S. Route 66.
The Havasupai people are an American Indian people and tribe who have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years. Havasu means "blue-green water" and pai "people".
The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range in the San Francisco volcanic field in north central Arizona, just north of Flagstaff and a remnant of the former San Francisco Mountain. The highest summit in the range, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in the state of Arizona at 12,633 feet (3,851 m) in elevation. The San Francisco Peaks are the remains of an eroded stratovolcano. An aquifer within the caldera supplies much of Flagstaff's water while the mountain itself is in the Coconino National Forest, a popular recreation site. The Arizona Snowbowl ski area is on the western slopes of Humphreys Peak, and has been the subject of major controversy involving several tribes and environmental groups.
The South Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Unlike the Bright Angel Trail which also begins at the south rim of the Grand Canyon and leads to the Colorado River, the South Kaibab Trail follows a ridge out to Skeleton Point allowing for 360-degree views of the canyon.
The Bright Angel Trail is a hiking trail located in Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona.
The Hualapai is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Arizona with about 2300 enrolled members. Approximately 1353 enrolled members reside on the Hualapai Reservation, which spans over three counties in Northern Arizona.
Havasu Falls is a waterfall of Havasu Creek, located in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States. It is within Havasupai tribal lands.
The Havasupai Indian Reservation is a Native American reservation for the Havasupai people, bordering Grand Canyon National Park, in Coconino County in Arizona, United States. It is considered one of America's most remote Indian reservations. The reservation is governed by a seven-member tribal council, led by a chairman who is elected from among the members of the council. The capital of the reservation is Supai, situated at the bottom of Cataract Canyon, one of the tributary canyons of the Grand Canyon. Havasupai is a combination of the words Havasu and pai, thus meaning "people of the blue-green waters".
Arizona's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona. The district is in the north eastern part of the state and includes Apache, Coconino, Gila, Navajo, and Yavapai counties in their entirety and portions of Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, and Pinal counties. The largest city in the district is Flagstaff.
Oak Creek Canyon is a river gorge located in northern Arizona between the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona. The canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty. State Route 89A enters the canyon on its north end via a series of hairpin turns before traversing the bottom of the canyon for about 13 miles (21 km) until the highway enters the town of Sedona.
Havasupai–Hualapai (Havasupai–Walapai) is the Native American language spoken by the Hualapai and Havasupai peoples of northwestern Arizona. Havasupai–Hualapai belongs to the Pai branch of the Yuman–Cochimí language family, together with its close relative Yavapai and with Paipai, a language spoken in northern Baja California. There are two main dialects of this language: the Havasupai dialect is spoken in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, while the Hualapai dialect is spoken along the southern rim. As of 2010, there were approximately 1500 speakers of Havasupai-Hualapai. UNESCO classifies the Havasupai dialect as endangered and the Hualapai dialect as vulnerable. There are efforts at preserving both dialects through bilingual education programs.
The Grand Canyon Caverns, located just a few miles east of Peach Springs, Arizona, lie 210 feet (64 m) below ground level. They are among the largest dry caverns in the United States. Dry caverns comprise only 3% of caverns in the world. Because of the lack of water, stalagmites and stalactites are rare in the caverns.
Havasupai Trail is the main trail to Supai, Arizona, and to Havasu Falls. There are other trails, such as the Topocoba, Moqui and Kirby trails. However, these other trails are not maintained. As far back as 1976, they were described as ranging from "in poor repair" to "primitive, dangerous foot trails." Special permission is required to use any such trail.
Havasu Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a tributary to the Colorado River, which it joins in the Grand Canyon. It primarily runs through the Havasupai Indian Reservation. It is sometimes called Cataract Creek, and should not be confused with Cataract Canyon, Utah.
Havasupai may refer to:
Havasupai Elementary School (HES) is a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-operated K-8 school in Supai, Arizona. It serves the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
1 2 3 Brandt, Junemarie (April 29, 2016). "Mule Mail". Postal Posts. USPS. Retrieved July 12, 2022. In 2014, I visited the Supai, Arizona, Post Office™ facility—the last Post Office™ in the U.S. receiving mail by mule.
↑ Witt, Greg (2010). Exploring Havasupai: A Guide to the Heart of the Grand Canyon. Birmingham, Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press. p.76. ISBN978-0-89732-654-4.
1 2 "Supai". Visit Arizona. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
↑ Witt, Greg (2010). Exploring Havasupai: A Guide to the Heart of the Grand Canyon. Birmingham, Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press. pp.88–89. ISBN978-0-89732-654-4.
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