TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

Arizona Oddities, Attractions and Pleasures

{taking the off-ramp} Arizona's Heritage in Architecture

When Isabella Selmes Greenway, Arizona's first U.S. congresswoman (1933-36), started a furniture factory for disabled World War I veterans, she suddenly owned more tables and chairs than she knew what to do with.

"Someone told my grandmother she had enough furniture to build a hotel," says Greenway's granddaughter, Patty Doar. "So she did."

Standing at 2200 E. Elm St., 3 miles from downtown Tucson, the 86-room Arizona Inn opened in 1931 and has remained largely unchanged since. Constructed of fired clay brick, covered with stucco and painted rosy pink with cobalt blue accents, the buildings of the hotel reflect the Spanish Colonial Revival style popular in the Southwest.

Greenway wanted to build a hotel where her guests, including the likes of Clark Gable, Eleanor Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, could enjoy "privacy, quiet and sunshine"-three things the luxurious Arizona Inn offers in abundance.

To read more about the inn and other buildings that enliven Arizona's urban and rural landscape, pick up a new travel guide by Ann Patterson and Mark Vinson, Landmark Buildings: Arizona's Architectural Heritage, published by Arizona Highways Books. The volume highlights 45 of the state's most arresting edifices. To order, call toll-free (800) 543-5432 or visit arizonahighways.com.

Forgotten Land

The Devil was given permission one day To select him a land for his own special way; So he hunted around for a month or more And fussed and fumed and terribly swore, But at last was delighted a country to view Where the prickly pear and the mesquite grew And now, no doubt, in some corner of hell He gloats over the work he has done so well, And vows that Arizona cannot be beat For scorpions, tarantulas, snakes and heat...

Charles O. Brown, "Arizona: The Land That God Forgot," 1879

THIS MONTH IN ARIZONA

1872 A Prescott newspaper urges an end to an exodus of Arizonans fleeing the Territory for riches in the silver mines of Sonora, Mexico.

The Los Angeles Express newspaper says about Tucson's festival: "Here nightly are gathered together one to two thousand people of all classes, nations and colors who walk, gamble, drink, dance and howl like a pack of coyotes."

An elderly Nogales woman drowns in her own bed after storm waters flood local houses.

Bisbee's public school begins its fall term with 306 pupils.

Fire destroys Jerome, a booming mining camp. Searchers recover 12 bodies.

1911 The Territorial inspector of weights and measures determines that 30 out of 33 scales in Tucson give short weight.

The Republican campaign headquarters on Tucson's Meyer Street passes out free liquor to citizens, resulting in two shootings.

Native Apache Trout Swims Again

Arizona's Apache trout-the first native fish to be placed on the federal endangered species list-may become the first removed from that list within a few years as a result of a 30-year recovery effort. lives only in the streams and lakes of eastern Arizona's high country, primarily in waters on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

A hundred years ago, Apache trout swam in 600 miles of cool streams, but in 1955 all those streams were closed to fishing following recognition of the trout's endangered survival. Now, through hatchery propagation of genetically pure strains and restoration of streams to keep away competing species, fishable populations are returning to a variety of locations.

Granite Creek Mural in Prescott Ties Past to Present

Eager to unite the past with the present, Prescott artist Elizabeth Newman pioneered a mural project along Granite Creek, which wends through the town that grew up along its banks. Seventh-graders from Mile High Middle School, armed with interest and community pride, scoured the archives at the Sharlot Hall Museum to create a historical profile of the creek and the communities it has served over the centuries. This 12-week project of the Arizona Folklore Society was unveiled in 2001 and portrays the Yavapai creation story as the central theme with pictorial storylines of Spanish explorers, early pioneers and modern-day Prescott. Stretching 75 feet long and reaching 11 feet high, the colorful mural depicts everything from traditional Yavapai basketry to an RV caught in a flash flood 40 years ago. "I started the project in hopes that someday the whole creek will be lined with murals," said Newman. "It is here to inspire people to remember their stories."

SHARLOT HALL'S COPPER DRESS

Sharlot Hall-pioneer, poet and historian - chronicled Arizona Territory and opened a museum to preserve the past on the old capitol grounds in Prescott. While working on her first book of poetry, Hall was asked to represent the Republicans in the Electoral College. To long-time friend Alice Hewins she wrote: "... if the Party does win and I go, it is probable that I will be presented with a gown of Arizona copper cloth to wear while officiatingno small ad for Arizona copper and also solving the dress problem for me in a unique way." Indeed, Calvin Coolidge won the presidential election a short time later. Hall traveled to Washington to cast Arizona's electoral votes. On February 24, 1925, the blue silk dress and its copper mesh overdress arrived just in time for a luncheon held by the Senate wives honoring Mrs. Coolidge. The copper dress, its matching copper mesh handbag and hat ornamented with cacti were a hit, and Hall reported to Hewins with relief that the unusual ensemble "... is really very pretty and not a bit freaky." Hall wore the copper creation again at the inaugural ceremonies on March 4 and noted with pleasure that Mrs. Coolidge also honored Arizona by wearing a silver-and-turquoise necklace sent by the Smoki People, an organization dedicated to preserving Indian ceremonies and dances. The full-length copper overdress weighs 7 pounds and can be in seen in its fully restored glory at the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott. Information: (928) 445-3122, www.sharlot.org.

Get a Haircut and a Fishing Report at Henry's Barbershop

For two-thirds of a century, Henry's Barbershop, on Springerville's Main Street (U.S. Route 60), has kept men's hair looking sharp and served as a local social venue. It opened in 1940 as Franklin's Barber Shop, named for the founder who always kept a bottle of redeye whiskey under his chair to share with clients.Henry Reyes, who began working for the founder 35 years ago, bought the shop after Franklin retired and continues to cut hair the old-fashioned way, every Tuesday through Saturday. Both Henry and sidekick Clement "Clem" Garcia are on top of the latest news, sporting events, the best fishing spots and where the deer and antelope play and the elk roam.

Long a male bastion, the shop now has some female clients seeking a quick trim. Others come with their partners to join in continuing general conversations."See you next year," said a summer visitor, pausing at the door, after getting her Betty Pagelike bangs trimmed.

Information: (928) 333-2511.

A Rare Find for Book-lovers

With numerous large bookstores covering the urban landscape, The Antiquarian Shop, 40 years at the same Scottsdale location, offers a unique selection of "rare, unusual and worthwhile books." Two other sellers of out-of-print and limited editions, Acluin Books and Charles Parkhurst Rare Books, have joined the Antiquarian, creating three unusual shops at one location.

Serious collectors can pick up rarities such as a signed, first edition of John Steinbeck's In Dubious Battle for $8,000, or a first edition of Frank L. Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for $12,000. Collectors with a smaller budget might be intrigued with finds like Extracts from Adam's Diary by Mark Twain, for $350,bound in its original red cloth cover, or a 1954 numbered edition of John Milton's The Masque of Comus for $150. There are treasures galore and, would you believe, no cappuccino machine?

Information: (480) 947-0535, theantiquarianshop.com.

Question of the Month

What is a dust devil and how does it differ from a tornado?

A dust devil forms from hot surface air trapped on the ground beneath the cooler air above, while a tornado evolves from hot air in the atmosphere trapped beneath cooler thunderstorm clouds.

Dust devils can take off a few shingles from a roof or rearrange the desert a little. In September 2000, a dust devil hit the Coconino County Fairgrounds and scattered debris up to 300 feet.

Fine Flagstaff Food in History's Shadow

Once occupied by the Babbitt family (of later Arizona politics fame), Josephine's Restaurant brings a touch of sophistication to Flagstaff. The residence was completed in 1911 and was the home of John Milton Clark, a prominent Flagstaff businessman involved in local politics.used in modern architecture around northern Arizona.

The architecture reflects the utilitarian Craftsman Bungalow movement popular near the turn of the last century. The house was the first in Flagstaff constructed in native malpais rock, which is still Today's visitors at the house, now a chef-owned eclectic eatery, start their meals with champagne vinaigrette salads with grapefruit and candied pecans. They move on to ancho-marinated steak with cheddar polenta, tortilla-crusted halibut with cilantro rice, cedar pink salmon or lemon-tarragon roasted chicken, accompanied by a choice from the wine list.Find Josephine's in the historic district at 403 N. Humphreys St.

Information: (928) 779-3400.