Mary V. Riley

Mary Velasquez was born on December 24, 1908 at Fort Apache, on the White Mountain Apache Reservation to Nalatzalay (Belle née Ivins) and Jesus Velasquez. Her father was born in Fort Davis, Texas to Mexican nationals from Coahuila, Martín and Juana (née Rivers) Velasquez, and came to Fort Apache traveling with soldiers from Ft. Davis, as a child with his mother. He worked for a time as a translator and scout and then managed a ranch where he provided supplies to the soldiers at the fort. Her mother was a full-blood Apache and the daughter of Nadischaay. Velasquez and her siblings grew up on their father's farm, helping with farm chores. She attended three years of school, but was forced to leave in the 1918 flu pandemic to help with sick relatives.

Though she was unable to return to school, Velasquez became fluent in three languages: Apache, Spanish, and English. She read newspapers widely. Velasquez first married Kurt Johnson and then around 1936, married Peter Kessay Riley, with whom she raised her five children, all of whom were also trilingual, and to whom she stressed the importance of gaining an education. She farmed as her father had, raising corn, potatoes, pumpkin and squash, as well as turkey, goat and sheep.

In 1958, Riley became the first woman elected to serve on the White Mountain Apache Tribal Council. She served on the health, education and welfare committee of the tribe and at various times, chaired the committee. She made numerous trips to both the state capital, Phoenix and federal capital in Washington, D. C., lobbying on behalf of the tribe. In an effort to improve situations for tribal members, she evaluated many programs for both economic and socio-cultural gains, looking at federal programs such as Job Corps the Boy Scouts of America, and Bureau of Indian Affairs loan programs for economic development. Riley represented three districts of the reservation and was instrumental in projects, such as the Alchesay-Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery Complex, the Fort Apache Timber Company (FATCO), and the Sunrise Park Ski Resort and Hotel, among others, to expand the tribal enterprises and provide economic stability for the tribe.

Ground was broken for FATCO in 1962 and by 1963 had replaced the hiring of outside operators to manage the timber reserves of the tribe. By managing their own lumber harvests and operating three saw mills, the tribe was able to provide both jobs for tribal members and goods to sell to a wider clientele. Around the same time, the Alchesay-Williams Hatchery was developed to stock the local lakes which had been created on the reservation and protect species listed as threatened or endangered. Employment opportunities for tribal members were increased through jobs at the hatchery, related jobs in the tourism sector, and additional revenues were garnered through the sale of fishing licenses. One of the largest projects was to convert 1.6 million acres of their lands into the Sunrise Park Resort. Constructing 20 recreational lakes, campsites, fishing and hunting venues, a ski resort, and hotels, the Tribal Council utilized their lands to generate a year-round tourist industry.

Riley was interviewed as part of an Oral History Project sponsored by the Arizona State Department of Libraries and Archives in 1977. After twenty years on the council, Riley retired in 1978. She was honored by the state in 1984 during the Statehood Day Celebrations for her leadership and development. Profits from FATCO were used to build the Mary V. Riley Building, which houses the tribal educational department.

Riley died on October 5, 1987 at White Mountain River Indian Hospital in Whiteriver, Arizona. Posthumously, she was inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame, in 1988.