PIECES OF HISTORY

1 BIG DRY WASH
Mogollon Rim
On July 17, 1882, 58 Apaches fled the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. U.S. cavalry troops and Apache scouts chased the “hostiles” to the top of the Mogollon Rim and into the pine-forested highlands. Warned by scouts of an ambush, the soldiers flanked the Apaches, killing at least 20 of them — the remaining Apaches escaped during a blinding hailstorm. The Battle of Big Dry Wash was the last Apache-versus-Army battle in Arizona, and was likely fueled by the cavalry’s 1881 attack on a ghost dance along Cibecue Creek. During that attack, the cavalry killed the revered prophet Nock-ay-det-klinne. The General Springs/Mogollon Rim marker describing the battle is located 7 miles south of the actual site, while a stone marker on the southern end of the site lists the soldiers’ names.
Directions: From Payson, drive north on State Route 87 for approximately 28 miles to Forest Road 300 and turn right. Continue on FR 300 for 12 miles to the marker.
Information: Tonto National Forest, Payson Ranger District, 928-474-7900 or www.fs.usda.gov/tonto

2 CAMERON SUSPENSION BRIDGE
Cameron
The Cameron Suspension Bridge, which was built in 1911 in response to the dangers of flooding and quicksand at Tanner’s Crossing on the Mormon Honeymoon Trail, was once a one-lane bridge for vehicles across the Little Colorado River Gorge. Today, the bridge is used to carry an oil pipeline. It was named for Ralph Cameron, a Grand Canyon miner, trail developer and United States senator. In 1916, Hubert and C.D. Richardson built a trading post near the south end of the bridge. That post, Historic Cameron Trading Post, still exists today.
Directions: From the intersection of State Route 64 and U.S. Route 89 in Cameron, drive north on U.S. 89 for 1.7 miles to the bridge.
Information: Historic Cameron Trading Post, 800-338-7385 or www.camerontradingpost.com

3 CAMP CRITTENDEN
Sonoita
Named for Thomas Crittenden, a Union hero of the Civil War, Camp Crittenden was built in 1867 as a base from which to battle the Apaches. The camp was located near Fort Buchanan, which Union forces had burned to the ground in 1861 to keep it from falling to the advancing Confederates. Although troops from Camp Crittenden saw considerable action from 1870 to 1871, they abandoned the fort on June 1, 1873. The physical remains of Camp Crittenden and Fort Buchanan are on private property, but the public may view Camp Crittenden’s historic marker.
Directions: From Sonoita, drive west on State Route 82 for 3 miles to Milepost 29.5. The marker is on the right side of the road.
Information: Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, 520-287-3685 or thenogaleschamber.org/

4 COUNCIL ROCKS
East of Benson
Approximately 4 miles southeast of this marker — near Dragoon Springs — is the site where most historians believe Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache chief, and U.S. Army General Oliver O. Howard ratified a treaty that ended years of warfare. In 1872, Cochise surrendered to the Army, stipulating that his people’s reservation be located in the Dragoon Mountains, and that his trusted friend, Tom Jeffords, would become their agent.
Directions: From Benson, drive east on Interstate 10 for 13.5 miles to the rest area exit on the right at Milepost 320. The marker is on the left side.
Information: Cochise County Tourism Council, 800-862-5273 or www.explorecochise.com

5 DEL RIO SPRINGS
North of Prescott
Camp Whipple, named for Brigadier General Amiel Weeks Whipple, was established at Del Rio Springs in November 1863. When fighting between miners and the local Yavapai Indians increased near Prescott, the fort and its garrison were moved south to the banks of Granite Creek. In January 1864, Territorial Secretary Richard McCormick and Judge Joseph Pratt Allyn arrived at Fort Whipple with a California infantry to help defend the fort against Yavapai attacks. The Territorial government operated from the site for five months that year. Then, in 1909, the AT&SF Railroad and Fred Harvey Co. bought the property to supply milk and eggs to Fred Harvey restaurants and as a winter home for the company’s famed Grand Canyon mules.
Directions: From Prescott, drive north on State Route 89 for 22 miles to the marker, which is located on the east side of the road at Milepost 333.
Information: Prescott Convention and Visitors Bureau, 928-778-2929 or www.prescottvisitors.com

6 FARMER-GOODWIN MANSION
Tempe
In 1886, Hiram Bradford Farmer, the principal and sole instructor at the Territorial Normal School in Tempe — now Arizona State University — purchased a one-and-a-half-story, three-year-old Victorian-styled adobe home. His wife began taking in female boarding students, and the first ASU dormitory was born. Mrs. Libbie Goodwin, wife of former Rough Rider, Territorial legislator and prominent Tempe rancher J.C. Goodwin, inherited the property in 1902. In 1972, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and now ranks as one of the best-preserved and most unique adobe structures in Arizona.
Directions: The home is located at 820 S. Farmer Avenue in Tempe.
Information: Tempe Arizona Tourism Office, 866-914-1052 or www.tempetourism.com

7 FORT LOWELL
Tucson
Fort Lowell Park, which was the site of the supply depot and departmental headquarters for Southern Arizona during the Apache Wars, includes the sutler’s store, officers’ quarters and remains of the guardhouse. Established in 1862 near Tucson’s present downtown, the fort was occupied by California Volunteers who had captured the town from Texas Confederates. In 1873, the post was moved 7 miles northeast to its present location. More than 250 officers and enlisted soldiers were stationed at Fort Lowell, but the need for the post declined after Geronimo’s surrender in 1886. The Army closed the post in 1891. There are three historic markers at Fort Lowell.
Directions: The Fort Lowell Museum is located at 2900 N. Craycroft Road in Tucson.
Information: Arizona Historical Society, Fort Lowell Museum, 520-885-3832

8 FORT VERDE
Camp Verde
Originally known as Camp Lincoln, Fort Verde was Major General George Crook’s headquarters during his 1870s campaign in the Tonto Basin. At the time, Anglo settlers were fighting the Dilzhe’e Apaches and Yavapai Apaches who lived on the rich lands along the Verde River. Despite an existing reservation, the government forced 1,400 Yavapai and Apache Indians from the Verde Valley in 1875, pushing them onto the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. Construction of 22 new buildings around a parade ground began in 1871, and Camp Verde was renamed Fort Verde. The buildings were abandoned in 1891.
Directions: Fort Verde State Historic Park is located at 125 E. Holloman Street in Camp Verde.
Information: Fort Verde State Historic Park, 928-567-3275 or azstateparks.com/

9 FORT BOWIE
Southeast of Willcox
Fort Bowie, which was the site of the Bascom Affair and the Battle of Apache Pass, also served as home base for the military operations that led to Geronimo’s surrender. In addition, many of the battles for control of Apache Spring occurred near Fort Bowie. The military operated the settlement between 1862 and 1894, and today, the National Park Service protects the fort’s remaining adobe walls as a National Historic Site. It’s one of Arizona’s least-visited but best-known landmarks.
Directions: From Willcox, drive southeast on State Route 186 for 20 miles to the Fort Bowie turn off. From there, drive 8 miles on the unpaved road to the Fort Bowie Trailhead. The hike to the ruins is 1.5 miles one way.
Information: Fort Bowie National Historic Site, 520-847-2500 or www.nps.gov/fobo

10 FATHER EDOUARD GERARD
Phoenix
In 1881, Father Edouard Gerard founded the first Catholic Church in Phoenix. As the first priest ordained in Arizona, Gerard tended to the Catholic people of Phoenix and Florence, where he was pastor of the Church of the Assumption from 1877 to 1885. He also served as Vicar General of the Vicariate Apostolic and Diocese of Tucson. It’s there that the French missionary is buried — in Holy Hope Cemetery. He died in Prescott on Christmas Day 1936.
Directions: The Father Edouard Gerard marker is located at St. Mary’s Basilica, 231 N. Third Street in downtown Phoenix.
Information: St. Mary’s Basilica, 602-354-2100

11 INDIAN GARDENS
Sedona
Indian Gardens is the site of the first known Anglo settlement in the Sedona area. Pioneer James Thompson built a cabin on the site and cultivated the gardens until his death in 1917. Prior to Thompson’s arrival, local Yavapai Indians had grown corn and squash in the fertile soil that lines Oak Creek. The historic marker that pays homage to Thompson sits beneath a big tree in the shadow of Sedona’s world-famous red rocks.
Directions: From the roundabout intersection of State Route 89A and State Route 179 in Sedona, drive north for approximately 4 miles on SR 89A. The marker stands beneath a large tree on the east side of the road, across from Indian Gardens Store & Deli.
Information: Sedona Tourism Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, 928-282-7722 or www.visitsedona.com

12 LAST CAMP OF HI JOLLY
Quartzsite
Turkish immigrant Haiji Ali, also known as Hi Jolly, managed the camels of the 1857 Beale Expedition, which scouted a road route across Arizona. Although the camels were well-suited to Arizona’s desert terrain, the U.S. War Department abandoned their use and eventually sold or released them. Ali kept a few of the beasts for himself and used them to haul freight between Yuma and Tucson. Meanwhile, several camels escaped. The copper dromedary that sits atop the Hi Jolly Monument might represent a camel known as Red Ghost, a legendary derelict camel that wandered the desert with a corpse upon its back, thrashing whatever humans crossed its path. When Ali died in 1902, the Arizona Department of Transportation erected the camel-topped monument and buried Ali with the ashes of the last government-owned camel.
Directions: From the Quartzsite exit (Exit 17) off Interstate 10, drive a short distance to the west end of town, turn right (north) onto Hi Jolly Road and drive a quarter-mile to Hi Jolly Cemetery. The Last Camp of Hi Jolly Monument and its historic marker are located at the flagpole.
Information: Town of Quartzsite, 928-927-4333 or www.ci.quartzsite.az.us

13 LEHNER MAMMOTH KILL SITE
Sierra Vista
Approximately 11,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians killed and butchered at least nine immature mammoths (North American elephants) at this site. The animals had probably been drinking at a small creek. Among the other bones found at Lehner Mammoth Kill Site were those of tapirs, horses and bison, which led to the site’s designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1967. A short interpretive trail with educational panels crosses the site.
Directions: From Sierra Vista, drive east on State Route 90 for approx­imately 3.8 miles to Moson Road. Turn left onto Moson Road and continue for 0.2 miles to the site.
Information: Bureau of Land Management, 520-458-3559 or www.blm.gov/az

14 MINERAL PARK
Kingman
Only a few foundations and a cemetery mark what was once the largest town and the county seat of Mohave County. In 1872, approximately 700 residents called Mineral Park home, but after 1883, an Atlantic and Pacific Railway shortcut to Kingman slowly wiped it out — the town eventually lost its population and its position as the county seat. Because the remains of Mineral Park are located on private property, visitors must obtain permission from the current mine owners before entering the site.
Directions: From Kingman, drive north on U.S. Route 93 to County Road 255 (Milepost 59). The marker is located to the right of the intersection.
Information: Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce, 928-565-3311 or www.goldenvalleychamber.com

15 MORMON HONEYMOON TRAIL
North of Cameron
Until the early 20th century, Mormon couples who wanted to get married in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple would travel to Saint George, Utah, for the ceremony. Many honeymooners later described the three-month wagon journey as one of the best events of their lives. The eastern route ran through Safford and followed the Gila River Valley westward. From there, it turned northward through Fort Apache and Show Low, crossed the Little Colorado River at present-day Winslow, and crossed the Colorado River at Lees Ferry. The western route, through Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe, headed north through Fort McDowell to join the other branch of the trail at Winslow. Today, a marker honoring the Mormon Honeymoon Trail can be found just north of Cameron.
Directions: From Cameron, drive north on U.S. Route 89 for 23 miles to the marker.
Information: Arizona State Parks, 928-567-3275 or azstateparks.com/

16 NAVAJO COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Holbrook
In 1879, government officials divided Yavapai County, which was enormous, into six smaller counties. One of those, Apache County, was further split to create Navajo County, and Holbrook was named its county seat. There, in 1895, the county built a huge courthouse with preassembled, escape-proof jail cells in the basement. Four years later, the infamous execution of murderer George Smiley took place at the courthouse. Legend has it that Smiley’s ghost paces the courthouse, along with the spirit of a woman known only as “Mary,” who died in one of the cells. Today, the old courthouse is home to the chamber of commerce, a museum and, of course, that old ghost.
Directions: The Navajo County Courthouse is located at 100 E. Arizona Street in Holbrook.
Information: City of Holbrook, 928-524-6225 or holbrookaz.gov/

17 PALACE SALOON
Prescott
A description from the Arizona State Inventory of Historic Places best describes this Whiskey Row icon: “The Palace Hotel (Saloon) is a two-story masonry structure 75 feet wide and 125 feet deep. Construction materials included native grey granite, iron and pressed ornamental bricks.” Three gaming tables encouraged faro, poker, roulette, kino and craps at the old Palace Saloon, and a glass of beer would have cost about 5 cents. But in 1900, a Territorial law drove extensive gambling and “hostesses” from bars, and later, Prohibition closed all of the saloons. In 1996, owners Dave and Marilyn Michelson began restoring the saloon to its 1901 appearance.
Directions: The Palace Saloon is located at 120 S. Montezuma Street in Prescott.
Information: Palace Restaurant and Saloon, 928-541-1996 or www.historicpalace.com

18 PICKETPOST MOUNTAIN
Superior
Picketpost Mountain was used as a lookout point during the Indian wars, and a roadside marker is located just east of the entrance to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Nearby, at the head of Stoneman Grade east of the mountain, an outpost of Camp Pinal housed soldiers who protected Pinal City and the Silver King Mine from Apache raiders.
Directions: The historic marker is located at Milepost 223 on U.S. Route 60 in Superior.
Information: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 520-689-2811 or azstateparks.com/

19 PINEDALE SCHOOL BELL
Pinedale
For decades, beginning in 1892, the Pinedale School Bell rang to announce the school day, calling people to church and social events, and warning of possible disasters. Later, the bell was relocated to a site between Pinedale and Mortensen, where it rang for both communities. In 1922, it was moved to another school at its original site — a heavy snowfall in 1967 demolished the original Pinedale School, but the bell survived.
Directions: The Pinedale School Bell is located at 1300 Pinedale Road in Pinedale.
Information: Navajo County governmental office, 928-532-6000 or www.navajocountyaz.gov

20 POSTON’S BUTTE
Florence
Because of his lobbying efforts for the creation of the Arizona Territory, Charles Debrille Poston may have been justified when he billed himself as the “Father of Arizona.” After arriving in the area in 1854, he served as superintendent of Indian Affairs, agricultural agent, mine promoter, U.S. consul and Arizona’s first congressional delegate. Although Poston envisioned a Parsi Sun temple on Primrose Hill near Florence, he never built it. When he died, he was buried in Phoenix, but was later exhumed and reburied atop his hill, now called Poston’s Butte.
Directions: From Florence, drive north on State Route 79 (Pinal Pioneer Parkway) for 1.7 miles to the historic marker, which is on the left (west) side of the highway.
Information: Florence Visitors Center, 866-977-4496 or www.visitflorenceaz.com