Friday, September 19, 2008

1883 Cordes Ranch

Sept 19
Bob and I met at his home in Black Canyon City and went up to Cordes Junction to interview a very interesting fella name Bob Rains. Bob had been with SDOT for 18 years and was about to retire. He is also an accomplished leatherworker.
We had breakfast at the CJ Diner hidden back behind the gas station. What a nice clean and economical place this is hidden back where most people might not find it or even know it is there.
Later we went to interview Cathy Cordes at the 1883 Cordes Ranch 3 miles west of I-17 off Bloody Basin Road which quickly becomes the Crown King Road. What a treat that adventure turned out to be! She manages the original stage stop/general store built in 1883 but burned down in 1910 and rebuilt on the same spot at the junction of the Crown King Road and Antelope Creek Road – the original Black Canyon Highway – the old stage route between Black Canyon City and Mayer. Her great granddad ran the saloon, store and stage stop from 1883. He acquired it after the former owner was stabbed to death by a drunk customer.
Cathy is opening the store on weekends and has an incredible collection of artifacts and antiques. Every vehicle her grandfather owned is in that back yard! And the views and beauty of the landscape is overwhelmingly beautiful. It rained while we were there and the frequent rain this summer has left the hills green and filled with wild flowers. The cattle roam free and have their head to the ground all the time enjoying great grazing.
Cathy’s mom still runs the cattle ranch on the same 160 acres her granddad bought back in 1883.
It’s about 17 miles up the Old Black Canyon Highway from Black Canyon City and I’m told it is good road all the way – graded but dirt. We took the road from Cordes Ranch (called Antelope Creek Road on maps now) to Mayer about 8 miles and it was smooth sailing. It dumps out about where the Dollar Store is on the Highway 69.
In Prescott Valley I had the opportunity to interview Dixie Northcutt author of Trekking Home and a rancher from the Arizona Strip in some of the loneliest land in the northern most part of the state along the north side of the Grand Canyon. It’s almost more a part of Utah than Arizona being separated by that huge canyon. The nearest large town was Kanab Utah. She had interesting stories of ranch life in tough country. Her stories will make a series of articles in the Wild West Gazette.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Arizona SideCar Adventures

Sept 18
Mom’s birthday and she had a doctor’s appointment first thing in the morning. Everything looked good from all of her tests. That is good news to get on your 78th birthday!
TJ and artist Roger Merritt met me in Cave Creek Recreational Area to shoot video of the Arizona SideCar Adventures sidecars driving through desert. He had to pay a fee to shoot up there and later we went to Pinnacle Peak where I think we got even better video in the Pinnacle Peak Patio Parking lot! I know I ended up with a sunburn even with sunblock on.
It was Thursday so that meant Thursday with Bog Marv and once again we documented Pinnacle Peak Patio history by scanning documents of history. Marv’s brother Herman showed up and we were able to get many questions answered by Herman. He is also the world’s leading authority on the artist Lon Megargee and A1 Brewing. Herman and his wife had just returned from a raft trip down the Colorado and both say never again! It was much more strenuous and intense than they had been led to believe. Once begun there is no turning back or early exit from the ride.

I showed Herman an old issue of the Valley National Bank Eagle employee newspaper for which I had been the staff photographer from 1976-1982. One issue had an article about the Lon Megarge art the bank had purchased under the direction of former bank president Walter Bimson. About 17 pieces were in the bank’s collection and most hung at 56th Street and Camelback Road. Of course, the bank has changed hands a couple of times since and Herman had heard they had auctions all of the art off at extraordinarily low prices because no one knew about the auction.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Cave Creek After Dark

Sept 17
I met with the folks from Rim Country Gazette about consulting for their publication. The success of Wild West Gazette has become legendary!

Cave Creek After Dark had about 100 people show up for the Cave Creek Visitor Center ribbon cutting. The Mayor and the Peaglers cut the ribbon of the newly decorated Marshall’s Office. It looks great! TJ Wooten gave people rides in his Arizona SideCar Adventure Sidecars around the block. What great fun! Sue Kern-Fletcher was there and we shared introductions to many people we know.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Carefree Corridor Business Group

Sept 16
The usual Carefree Corridor Business Group meeting at Pioneer Restaurant. Jim Tuemler made a nice presentation of his real estate business and the photography for the virtual tours he has online for his properties. He has a very nice website at www.desertlifestyles.info

Monday, September 15, 2008

Glendale Photography Club

Sept 15
The Mighty Cup & Spoon Coffee Shop hosts the Out of Box Photography Club to about a dozen very interesting photographers. Mike Moore conducted the meeting and has much of his photography hanging in the coffee shop. He had recently returned form a shoot in Jerome and found the Gold King Mine and Don Robertson as photogenic and filled with opportunities as Bob and I had a few weeks ago. It is definitely worth the trip and time to explore. Mike especially liked the old cars. I was amazed at the condition of some in garages there. Between the buildings, tools, animals and views it’s a photographer’s dream location.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Apache Trail in Arizona


The Apache Trail in Arizona was originally a stagecoach trail that ran through the Superstition Mountains. It was named the Apache Trail after the Apache Indians who had used this trail to move through the Superstition Mountains for thousands of years.
The current Apache Trail links Apache Junction at the edge of the Greater Phoenix area with Theodore Roosevelt Lake, through the Superstition Mountains and the Tonto National Forest.

Today, much of the Apache Trail is paved, and the section east of Apache Junction is known officially as State Route 88. It is also the main traffic corridor through Apache Junction, turning into Main Street as the road passes into Mesa, and regains the Apache name by becoming Apache Boulevard in Tempe, ending at Mill Avenue. Prior to the completion of the Superstition Freeway in 1992, the Apache Junction portion of the Apache Trail was part of US Highway 60, which was rerouted to the Superstition once it was completed.

The Trail winds steeply through 47 miles of rugged desert mountains, past deep reservoir lakes like Canyon Lake and Apache Lake. The narrow, winding road is unpaved from just east of the town of Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Dam; there are steep cliff drops. The trail requires caution when driving and it is not recommended for large RVs, or SUVs. Some RV rental companies in the US do not allow their vehicles to be taken on this route.

We begin in Apache Junction. The Apache Trail follows the course of the Salt River which ancient peoples known as the Hohokam would travel along the shoreline through the Mazatzal Mountains for thousands of years.

In the late 1800's settlers found the are attractive for farming but the Salt River was unpredictable and prone to flooding. In 1902 President Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act and Roosevelt Dam was begun, completing construction in 1911. To bring supplies to the dam site a road was built following the ancient trail.

A stretch of the road through the Goldfield Mountains was referred to as the "Little Alps". President Roosevelt was quoted as saying, "The Apache Trail combines the grandeur of the Alps, the glory of the Rockies and the magnificence of the Grand Canyon, then adds an indefinable something that none of the others has. To me it is the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature has ever created."

The drive from Tortilla Flats to Roosevelt Dam takes about 2.5 hours with an average speed of about 25mph.

The entire adventure ride features spectacular scenery to rival any in the state. The twenty mile graded dirt section of the trail provides magnificent views of twisted igneous mountains with dense forests of saguaro and cactus with several deep blue lakes along the way. Fish Creek Canyon is perhaps the most awe-inspiring section. The road hangs on the side of this high-walled canyon and winds its way along tremendous precipices that sink sheer for hundreds of feet below.

Sites along the way: Goldfield Ghost Town a rich gold strike that led to the establishment of Goldfield Mining District in 1892, and old buildings still line the dirt road. The famous Mammoth Saloon, Goldfield Livery, Lost Dutchman Museum, Coffee Cantina and Bakery, Rock Shop, Live Rattlesnake Exhibit, and Gold Mine Tours.

Superstition Mountains, 160,000-acre mountain range has a history of legends, mystery and lost gold mines. The most famous story associated with the area is the Legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine. Lost Dutchman State Park, is where numerous hiking trails led into the mysterious Superstitions.

Tonto National Forest

Canyon Lake was formed in 1925 when the Mormon Flat Dam was completed. The beautiful lake provides a refreshing retreat from the desert sun, has a marina, restaurant and the well-known "Dolly," which provides steamboat cruises on the lake.


Tortilla Flat, an old stage stop which was built in 1904 as a rest area on the way to the construction site of the Roosevelt Dam. During its boom era, the tiny town had 125 residents, a school, church, post office, hotel, livery, general store, saloon and a restaurant. In 1942, a devastating flood swept through Tortilla Flat, destroying many of the homes and most of the town. Today, when you drive into Tortilla Flat, you enter another era -- a remnant of the past. Since the big 1942 flood, a small portion of the settlement has been rebuilt or refurbished, and six residents live there year-round to greet tourist who venture down the Apache Trail.

This is a trip of a lifetime and not to be missed!
Take an Arizona SideCar Adventure trip to many areas of Arizona viewed a a slower pace and up close. It's an "E" ticket ride! Call 602-565-5785 for more information.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Barrett

Sept 11
My daughter’s best friend Karrie had a healthy baby boy Barrett at well over 8 pounds.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Grants

Sept 10-12
University of Phoenix hosted a Grant Institute class with about a dozen students from all over the state and one Californian. Our instructor was from Houston TX by way of Washington DC. We had 3 days of intensive writing and drills for grant writing and ended up earning our certification certificates. It was a good educational experience hearing how others will use their skills to fund projects. I was surprised how many small and large government entities are forced into finding funding through grants for things that are of major safety concern for the general public good.

Sept 12
Bob and I met for dinner at Bill Johnson’s and once again found the Wild West Gazette box empty! The manager Karen says they go really fast and everyone really enjoys our publication. We usually have dinner there every Friday night so we try to keep it full. We doubled up the number this time to see if they last.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Spirit of the West Alive Marshall Trimble Nov 5

Sept 9
Meeting with Mike Savarino at Bison Western Museum regarding the schedule for “Spirit of the West Alive” lecture series. The time slot open all through there calendar is Wednesday nights. He suggested “Hump Day at the Bison” as a slogan.
He will have Gary Martinson call on Marshall Trimble for the first night November 5th.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Spirit of the Old West Alive




Introduction
As much as we love the
"American Old West"
the very things we love about it are disappearing every day.
That's why capturing the stories of the old west,
straight from the
"People Who Have Kept
the Spirit of the Old West Alive"
is an important project.

“Spirit of the Old West Alive” is a project
co-sponsored by the Bison Museum in Scottsdale.


We will be moderating a series of lectures on “People Who Keep the Spirit of the West Alive” to be audience viewed and video taped oral histories. The edited videos will be played online and around the country in museums promoting the history of the west. They will go into archives for future historians. This all starts in October 2008 and the series of lectures should run through at least 2012, Arizona’s Centennial.

As I think of the people who keep the “Spirit of the Old West Alive” I thought of you. You know someone whose efforts keep the time honored spirit of the west. Or you know a company that would want to sponsor these lectures. Or you know a charitable organization that would like to share these evenings to spread their message and raise funds. If you are interested please contact me so we can begin planning and scheduling a time for your participation in any of the three opportunities mentioned above.

Join us as we interview and record oral histories before they fade away...

I would also appreciate your spreading the word to your friends about
“People Who Keep the Spirit of the Old West Alive!”


Thank you for your kind consideration of participation in this worthy project.
LeeAnn Sharpe, Spirit of the Old West Alive
602-565-5785 cell
PO Box 6536
Glendale, AZ 85312-6536

Friday, September 05, 2008

Castle Hot Springs - Hieroglyphic Mountains & Bradshaw Mountains


Castle Hot Springs - Hieroglyphic Mountains & Bradshaw Mountains
Travel the winding dirt mountain roads leading up to one of the richest mined mountain ranges in world history. Dozens of mining towns filled these mountains, all long gone. Their wealth is said to have build the splendor of San Francisco. All that is left in the Bradshaws are mysterious roads leading you through beautiful hidden valleys and unique little oasis of green tucked into a desert.

Castle Hot Springs was a famous luxurious resort that saw the likes of John Kennedy, Clark Gable and Teddy Roosevelt.

You come out on Hwy 74 next to Lake Pleasant which is a beautiful desert lake with a marina and visitor center well worth the cost of admission.

Arizona SideCar Adventures will be your host to a customized trip to meet your time and travel requirements. Call us today to book your tour.

602-639-6303

HISTORY: In 1865 Yavapai County Arizona Territory, Col. Charles Craig, commander of troops at Prescott's Fort Whipple, pursued a group of Indians who had just raided nearby mining camps. This pursuit ended when the troops defeated the Indians and stopped to rest at what is now known as Salvation Peak. The surrounding peaks resembled castles and a creek at the bottom prompted the men to name the area Castle Creek. After finding the elusive "magic waters", or hot springs, of the Apaches, they named the area Castle Hot Springs. Apaches attributed healing powers to the hot, clear water that poured out from the canyon rock.
Frank Murphy obtained the land in the1880's with plans of building a secluded resort hotel. Frank Murphy's brother, Nathan Oakes Murphy, became the general manager of the development and hired other professionals to aid in the project. Civil Engineer, Andrew Barry, surveyed the roads and the site while a landscape gardener named Smith laid out the grounds. Toohey and Webster were also hired as contractors. In 1896 the first "hot springs resort" opened with additions between 1900 and 1905. In 1895, the construction of the north-south railroad, also commissioned by Murphy, allowed the Santa Fe Railway to take guests from all over the country to Morristown, formerly called Hot Springs Junction along what is now Hwy 60, near the junction with Hwy 74 . Guests would take a four-hour stagecoach ride almost 24 miles to the resort. The resort employing a full-time resident physician, masseur, and a masseuse.

Advertising pamphlets were sent eastward to potential clients boasting the “Oasis in the Mountains” as a beautiful and luxurious resort. The pamphlets also described the healing springs as a curative for rheumatism, blood disorders, insomnia, kidney disease, anemia, and other ills. Murphy believed the hot springs to have the perfect combination of healing water and hot dry air of the desert.

In its early years, Castle Hot Springs functioned as the first territorial winter capital of Arizona, as well as the local jail. Hangings were said to have been carried out on the administration building's balcony.

During this time the resort installed the first telephone in Arizona and its number was "1". In 1901, the resort became the first in Arizona to be electrified with the construction of an “electric light” plant and an ice plant.

On June 23, 1917, Frank Murphy died and left the Castle Hot Springs Hotel Company to his attorney, T. G. Norris. Norris maintained the resort and improved the integrity of the structures, replacing the wooden steps, platforms, and stone retaining walls with concrete. The property was sold on March 14, 1925 to Walter H. Rounsevel with the financial support of Thomas Fortune Ryan. The resort continued to blossom until the Great Depression following the market crash in 1929. On August 8, 1930, Natt Head Group bought the property but it was soon returned to the Castle Hot Springs Hotel Company due to a foreclosure agreement

In the 1920's and 30's the Wrigleys, Vanderbilts, Weinberg's, Rockefellers and even Zane Grey stayed in bungalows at the Castle Hot Springs resort.

Closed during World War II because of rationing and food shortages, the site was leased by the military for the recuperation of pilots. In 1945, a young naval officer named John F. Kennedy spent three months at the property recovering from combat injuries. This distinction earned Castle Hot Springs a special dispensation, allowing the American flag to be flown 24 hours a day on nearby Salvation Peak. Today the flag is maintained by the Boy Scouts of America.

The resort was then sold to Oasis Hotel Corporation.

Over the next 30 years the resort continued to operate until the famous "Palm House" burned down in a devastating fire in 1976. After the fire destroyed the main building, the property and its remaining cottages were donated to Arizona State University, by Mrs. Mae Talley, the owner of the resort, which used it as a conference center. ASU sold it in 1987 for $3 million to the Trainer brothers, who visited the property when they were children in the 1950s. Charles and Steve Trainer, two heirs to the Schlitz Brewing Co. fortune, and their partner, Scottsdale developer Fred Unger sold the property to Garrett Hotel Group of Burlington, Vt., whose owner David Garrett envisions a 50-room luxury hotel and spa . When Garrett bought the property, it had 167 acres. He later bought another 40 acres to the west.

The 207-acre property with year-round natural hot springs is about seven miles northwest of Lake Pleasant and 55 miles from downtown Phoenix. Due to the historical significance of the surrounding 405 acres, 16 buildings, and 8 structures, Castle Hot Springs was added to the National Historic Register in 1991.

Now only a caretaker remains and the resort has changed hands many times. Much remains including the main house, the employee house, the movie theatre, swimming pool (supposedly the largest free form pool in the world), golf course and more.

The hot springs are fed by an enormous cistern created by the displacement of tertiary volcanic rock, tens of thousands of years ago. Each day, this underground reservoir produces 400,000 gallons of water at 122 degrees Fahrenheit—the hottest temperature known for a spring which is not volcanically active. The waterfall emerges from a crack in the rock wall, supplying Castle Creek and its three deep pools with water that is quite pure, odorless, and crystal clear. Its superb quality indicates a source depth of 7,000 to 10,000 feet.
Notes on Castle Hot Springs: Castle Hot Springs Road off Hwy 60 on to Hwy 74 east near Wickenburg will take you through the Bradshaw Mountains to Lake Pleasant Road off of Hwy 74

The first two miles off Hwy 60 is asphalt through a neighborhood of luxury homes. As the neighborhood ends, the blacktop becomes a graded, red dirt road in various states depending on recent weather conditions. Some areas are barely wide enough to handle a hummer. Often the road and river bed are one in the same with a small stream at road edge for miles.

The road goes through the White Picacho mining district overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the valley of the Buckhorn and Hieroglyphic Mountain foothills (which actually have no hieroglyphics but do abound with Indian petroglyphs) with the Bradshaw Mountains ahead.

The road goes just north of the rugged Hells Canyon Wilderness. California fan palm trees 45- to 60-foot-tall trees line the property of JL Bar, a retired cattle ranch built in the late 1800s.

Flanked by bougainvillea and emerald lawns, Castle Hot Springs Resort is now closed, a “private” sign and caretaker protecting it's secrets. Perhaps one day the sprawling estate will be reopened to societies elite once again.

Take an Arizona SideCar Adventure trip to many areas of Arizona viewed a a slower pace and up close. It's an "E" ticket ride! Call 602-565-5785 for more information.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Pinnacle Peak Patio Thursdays with Big Marv

Sept 4
Pinnacle Peak Patio Thursdays with Big Marv. Once again (Week 6) we spent the evening with Big Marv and scanned in history and photos from the last 50 years. The databases are getting huge and we find we have to stop after about 6 hours as the computers get over heated from scanning and printing. Bob (Arizona Duuude) designed some really great little wooden blocks to set under the computers to raise them off the vinyl tablecloth so they stay a little cooler longer. We have gone through about 3 ink cartridges so far printing documents. The little Neat Receipts scanner does a great job on anything flat and smaller than 8.5”x11” that can run through it’s feed mechanism. But I also brought an HP All in One Scanner, Copier and Printer for things we need to lay onto a flat bed for scanning. Many large items need to be scanned in sections I will piece together later. Of special interest tonight was Marv’s brand book. He has so many brands and ranch documentation 3 inches thick. He also has a general cowboy collections book of interesting art and books he has seen.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Mental Health

Sept 3

It was a new experience for me today as I was called to court to testify as to the mental state of an acquaintance. The state will take control of an individual for a period of time if he is considered a threat to himself or others as this person was at the time.

The level of pressure such a situation was unknown to me until tossed into the middle of the circumstances I had no desire to be a part of, yet had no control once so involved. You question rights of an individual to control their own life and how much you relinquish when mental illness comes into play. Of course the compassionate thing to do is to be there to help the person with professional support, therapy and medication. So if that person has gone through all society has to offer and still wants to end his life, do we have the right to intercede. As Christians we are taught to protect and preserve life. This opens so many questions about quality of life and responsibility. It makes my head and heart hurt. One thing I do know now is society needs to find more compassion for the mentally ill.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

All Roads to Lead to Yuma

Sept 2, 2008

Today we had another wonderful meeting with Patricia A. Etter, M.L.S., Emeritus College, Arizona State University at the University Club. Ms. Etter has been keeping us updated on the historic trails symposium being planned by the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) for January of 2009.

Billed as “All Roads to Lead to Yuma,” the symposium will feature speakers and tours covering several of the pioneer and early routes that converged on the historic crossing point of the Colorado River, from the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition in the 1770s to the Gold Rush era of the 1840s and 1850s to the stage routes of the late 19th Century. The dates set for the Yuma event are January 16 – 18.

Ms. Etter is on the steering committee along with John Krizek. Registration information through OCTA will be available in the summer at OCTA’s Web site www.octa-trails.org

Yuma’s unique history as the crossroads of the Southwest was recognized by the United States Congress in 2000 with the official designation of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area — the first entity west of the Mississippi River to be so recognized, according to city historian Tina Clark. Ms. Clark is assisting the committee with suggestions for tours and site visit locations. The Yuma Visitors Bureau also is helping
to facilitate arrangements for the Yuma symposium. “For 250 years, all roads in the southwestern U.S. have led to Yuma,” reports Krizek. “What better time of year than January to explore this historic corner of the country.”

Wild West Gazette is planning to attend the conference and report our findings in the March 2009 issue. We strongly encourage those interested in southwest history to consider attending and supporting this worthwhile endeavor.

After getting more familiar with Ms. Etter’s knowledge and experience of southwest history I have added her name to my list of “People Who Keep the Spirit of the West Alive”.