Tribes Win One Over ‘The Duke’ ‘John Wayne Parkway’ Gets A New Name

No road named “John Wayne” will swagger through the Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix.

Pinal County Supervisors renamed Maricopa Road from Interstate 10 to Arizona 84 “John Wayne Parkway” in May and are facing protests from Native Americans along the route.

Leaders of the Ak-Chin and Gila River Indian Communities don’t want the name of an Indian-fighting film star on their street signs.

As a compromise, supervisors will vote June 18 to designate two names - “American Indian Veterans Memorial Parkway” through the Gila River Indian Community and “John Wayne Parkway” everywhere else.

“John Wayne killed Indians in the movies,” said Leona Carlyle-Kakar, vice chairman of the Ak-Chin Tribal Council.

While “John Wayne” will stay out of Gila River territory, it will run through the Ak-Chin Community, said Brad Gair, Pinal County transportation director.

That’s because the road through Ak-Chin has reservation land on one side only, he said.

Carlyle-Kakar said some members of her community are not pleased with that decision and are considering a push to simply call it by its official name, Arizona 347.

“We don’t think this issue is over yet,” she said.

Members of the neighboring Gila River Indian Community were the first to object to naming it after the Duke.

Carol Jackson, public information officer for the Gila River Indian Community, said its council prefers not to blast John Wayne.

“We felt we worked for years to get this highway, and it should be named to honor Native American veterans,” she said.

Carlyle-Kakar said some members of her community have stronger feelings about the cowboy actor’s name.

“Our children watch TV, and they side with the ‘white eyes’ because the Indians are portrayed as savages who scalp people,” she said.

“The young people don’t know the real story. Many of us were killed. We got down to small numbers. We survived.”

The cinema cowboy’s name wasn’t pulled out of a 10-gallon hat.

The Duke used to own a ranch along what is now the road, and his name was requested by property owners, who include former ranch partner Louis Johnson, Pinal County Supervisor Jimmie Kerr said.

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