LETTERS & E-MAIL

Arizona Oddities, Attractions and Pleasures {taking the off-ramp} Rancho Linda Vista Artists Colony

Some ranches raise cattle. This one nurtures artists. Rancho Linda Vista in Oracle once welcomed greenhorns to its rustic cabins when it was one of the pioneering dude ranches in Arizona. The rocky terrain provided the scenery for a 1924 movie, The Mine With the Iron Door, by Tucson writer Harold Bell Wright.

The cattle and the Hollywood crews are long gone, replaced by sculptors, painters, potters, fabric artists and writers seeking a companionable place to create their art. The artists' community was formed in 1968, and residents now live in an officially designated historic place.

Resident artists and invited contributors from around the world display work at the Barn Gallery, which is open on Sunday afternoons from 1-5, or by appointment. Information: (520) 896-2988.

One-room Museum for the Dead

Skeletons greet visitors to La Galeria Dia de los Muertos in Patagonia. One drives the Volkswagen bus outside, two frame the front door. Inside, miniature skeletons cavort across the tables. Welcome to a celebration of the dead, as practiced in Mexico on November 1 and 2 of each year.

The collection in the tiny one-room museum includes the art that marks the annual honoring of the dead, an altar with family mementos, tiny sugar skulls, toy skeletons representing characters from ballerinas to Tiger Woods. Admission is by appointment only, but during the festivities held on a weekend close to Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, the museum opens its doors to all, living and otherwise. Contact curator Dr. John Arnold for the dates of this year's celebration. Information: (520) 574-8744.

Wrangling at Cowboy College

Itching for the hot, dirty work, they come in droves, clamoring for a taste of the Wild West. Since opening in 1989, Arizona Cowboy College has trained some 800 wranglers from as far away as Bavaria, Germany, and Ecuador.

If you've yearned for a temporary home on the range, the Scottsdale-based family owned-and-operated weeklong adventure vacation camp could be well worth your while.

While you won't earn a degree, you'll earn your keep. After nailing down cowboy basics-from knot tying to horse saddling and shoeing-you'll tend to tasks on the ranch, located just outside Scottsdale city limits near 152nd Street and Dixileta Drive. Chores may include fixing fences, moving water lines, herding cattle and castrating bulls. Information: (480) 471-3151 or toll-free (888) 330-8070.

THIS MONTH IN ARIZONA

1872 This year's growing season proves ripe for farmers, yielding watermelons weighing up to 46 pounds and 4-pound sweet potatoes.

1893 Public schools in Phoenix close their doors for the day, as the circus comes to town.

Tucson's mayor earns $80 per month from a $725 monthly city budget.

The Tucson City Council authorizes its clerk to buy bread, giving half a loaf to each "hobo" traveling east.

1897 A disagreement over mining claims near Prescott leads to a gunfight among four miners. Two of them die, and the other two are wounded.

1906 A Mojave Indian brave surrenders in Jerome after eluding three posses for four days. He is wanted for killing seven Indians.

Phoenix votes down public gambling.

1940 Big Nose Kate (Mary Catherine Elder), Doc Holliday's wife, dies at the Pioneer's Home in Prescott at the age of 90.