Sedona

S·E·D·

The knotty pine interior of Walter and Ruth Jordan's Sedona home wears the gentle patina of time-worn wood. Age also sits well in a living room rich with the shared memories of more than half a century. The Jordans have been married for fifty-six years: all spent in this same house.

Not that the house has stayed the same, of course. What began as a one-room cabin in 1931 grew piece by piece to accommodate evolving needs and circumstances: three children, a thriving orchard business, modern conveniences.But then much about Sedona itself has changed. Old-timers like the Jordans point out that every year brings more and more people, more buildings, more traffic, more bustle.

"When I first arrived in Sedona in 1928, it was just like God built," recalls eightynine-year-old Walter. "There were rattlesnakes, deer, mountain lions, and even bear. But there weren't many people. Our nearest neighbor's place was at least half a mile away."

Such solitude in a place of Sedona's rare beauty was not destined to last. In 1902, the year the community was officially established, there were about twenty pioneer families. Progress came slowly to the village, with electricity finally arriving in Sedona in 1936, but not reaching the upper canyon area above Indian Gardens until 1949. The 1940s also brought the first telephone, a Forest Service line that served a few key people until a second line was installed in 1951.

The remoteness of the area also insulated the community against ready access. When John James Thompson, the first white settler in Oak Creek Canyon, homesteaded in 1876, there were few roads. According to his granddaughter, Laura Purtymun McBride, Thompson was instrumental in building the shortcut route over the Mogollon Rim now known as Schnebly Hill Road; it opened in 1904. For decades supplies were hauled in and out of the area by teams and wagons, their "long-way-'round" journey from Red Rock to Flagstaff typically taking six days. What is now U.S. Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon remained a makeshift road connecting individual homesites until it was finally paved in 1939. It was Hollywood's discovery of Sedona in the 1920s that helped put the area on a wider map. Although the number of settlers stayed low through the 1940s and into the '50s, word about this spectacular setting was spreading. By 1978 Sedona's population had burgeoned to 4400. Today there are close to 12,000 residents, with the figures increasing daily as this startlingly beautiful red-rock haven continues to attract people from all over the United States and, indeed, the world.

ONA ... The Magic Persists

Among the more recent arrivals is architect Rich Caragol, a charter member of the Sedona Historical Society and its former president. Eight years ago, Caragol and his wife, both disillusioned with corporate life in Denver, began searching for a new life in the Southwest. They found exactly what they were looking for in Sedona.

"Our first sight of those red rocks in the Village of Oak Creek really awed us," says Caragol. "We drove on to Sedona, hung around Tlaquepaque for awhile, and went on up the canyon. It was the combinationof the environment, the climate, the varied nature of the community, the vegetation, Oak Creek Canyon, and Sedona proper. Everything clicked for us; so we stayed. And we still feel that way-this is a really beautiful place."

The approximately two and a half million tourists who visit the area each year obviously agree. And so strong is Sedona's magnetism that people from every state pull up their roots, sell their possessions, and take up residence here. Countless others dream of the day when they, too, can forsake former life-styles for Sedona's enduring charms.

"There's a certain air about the community-an air of wanting to get the best out of life," says Millie Martin, a resident for the last thirty years and one of 1600 members of the community's very active Artists Club. "I love the place. It definitely has my kind of people."

Now eighty-five, Martin still sings in the church choir. "They haven't told me to go home yet, although I've suggested it myself. When the director hears the first sour note, that's when I'll retire."

Still, no amount of enthusiasm can mask the fact that Sedona is growing so

Preston, now he or she is just as likely to be a young person eager to escape the hassles, smog, and traffic of large metropolitan areas. According to Sedona's chamber of commerce, however, retirees still make up some forty percent of the community's total population.

Wealth also has come to Sedona. "The old homestead my father sold for 4100 dollars would sell today for around four million," says Frank Jackson, whose family was the second to homestead in Grasshopper Flats, the local name for West Sedona. "Our family was very poor, but so was everyone else; so we didn't know the difference. Out in the flats, for instance, we camped under a cedar tree at first. While Dad went off for work, we kids cleared forty acres for fields, with beans and potatoes our staples in those days." Jackson, now seventy-six, has his own philosophy about present-day settlers. "The people moving into Sedona today are people with money, and they are different from people with no money. They're progressive." Not that Jackson is any stranger to progressive attitudes. With his former partner, Ed Black, Jackson ran Sedona's second store. The two men were staked by "Dad" Hart, then owner of the only existing store. The enterprising partners went on to build another store in Indian Gardens, as well as the Indian Gardens skating rink that soon became one of the better known places for kids' entertainment in northern Arizona. Reminisces Jackson: "On their ditch days, all the kids would come to us." And if the life was more relaxed then, business attitudes, too, were much more casual. Ed Black recalls that when the time came to decide who of the two would move up to Indian Gardens, then still a wild and remote spot, they tossed a coin. Jackson lost.

The area around Indian Gardens was - and remains-the home turf of Laura Purtymun McBride. An enthusiastic amateur historian and author of the book Traveling by Tin Lizzie, McBride at seventy-six exudes energy and health. As an old-timer, she expresses concern at the many changes but is wise enough to realize that there is little she can do but accept them.

Today she still lives in the same cabin she and her husband bought from her parents in 1938. Like the Jordans, she has kept adding to the Oak Creek frontage residence over the years, including embedding bits and pieces from her many travels into the walls of the house. Bits of color twinkle in the slices of glass, shell, china, and pebbles. There is even part of a dinosaur's leg.

she and her husband bought from her parents in 1938. Like the Jordans, she has kept adding to the Oak Creek frontage residence over the years, including embedding bits and pieces from her many travels into the walls of the house. Bits of color twinkle in the slices of glass, shell, china, and pebbles. There is even part of a dinosaur's leg.

McBride explains she is prompted to write about the past because she would like today's generation to understand just how hard times could be for those early settlers. Bringing water up from the creek was a major concern, as was making do with what amounted to only the most rudimentary housing and amenities.

Vestiges of that past can still be seen in the so-called milk house built over a natural spring where, McBride remembers, "Grandma stored her milk." Even before white settlers arrived, the spring had been used by Tonto Apaches to irrigate their crops of squash, corn, and beans.

Like old-timers anywhere, early Sedona settlers are often nostalgic for a vanished childhood, when life seemed slower and activities comparatively innocent. "Kids In addition to its glorious natural environment, Sedona offers ample man-made amenities. (CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE) Golf at the Oak Creek Country Club at the Village of Oak Creek. French classic and nouvelle cuisine at L'Auberge Resort. Sculptor Ken Ottinger teaching bronze casting at Sedona Art Center. The fitness center at The Ridge residential resort. The elegant Spanish-style architecture of Los Abrigados Resort.

used to run off their energy in these hills," says Fred Schuerman, whose family was the first of the white settlers along what is now known as the Red Rock Loop Road. "We spent our time chasing skunks and knocking porcupines out of trees. Today things are a lot different."

Schuerman still lives in the house where he was born in 1927. And yes, the house has been expanded as the need arose. But all that remains of the original land parcel is sixty acres, a green shelter of quiet which Schuerman shares with his wife, Geraldine, his daughter and grandchild, and an assortment of very contented pets. Gone are the hundreds of apple and peach trees, as well as the grapevines, the fruit of which once found a ready market in nearby Jerome and Cottonwood.

Walter Jordan is another who long ago gave up his orchards. He and Ruth have sold most of their farm to the development project known as The Orchards, retaining only four acres for themselves. In its heydey, his farm boasted ten acres each of peaches and apples and some 5000 grapevines. To irrigate the land, he devised a pump system that hauled water a distance of 5000 feet from the creek, up a 300-foot lift. Given such sustenance, the fruit trees thrived: one Halberta Giant peach weighed in at twenty-four ounces. Says Jordan: "I gave that peach to a lady from Sun City [northwest of Phoenix), on the condition that she show everyone she met that the best peaches in the world grow in Oak Creek Canyon."

Superlatives and Sedona are synonymous, however. Such is the power of the red-rock panorama that most people respond with a physical jolt. Wonder.

Astonishment. A deep-welling joy. And no matter how many times one has encountered it before, that first glimpse of red as the car rounds the curve on State Route 179 never fails to thrill. Iron-oxide-rich soil that warms with its unmistakable hue. Red sandstone that startles with its splendor. Pinnacles and spires that strain some 2000 feet upward to a deep blue Arizona sky. Small wonder that so many succumb to Sedona's spell.

Among the community's latest attrac-tions has been the attention given to Sedona as a natural focus of "healing energies." In fact, an entire industry has sprung up around the idea of marketing Sedona as a desirable location for spiritual and emotional rejuvenation and com-muning with Mother Nature's forces on elemental levels.

Old-timers, on the other hand, regard this energetic preoccupation with a com-placent eye: "All I know is that the year-round climate in Sedona is nearly perfect," says Schuerman. "It's as good as it gets anywhere in the U.S."

At an elevation of 4300 feet, Sedona is about twenty degrees cooler than Phoenix in summer, yet some thirty degrees warmer than Flagstaff during the winter. Add to that the community's proximity to major cities (it is only 120 miles north of Phoenix), and you have an area bound to be in constant tourist demand.

To cater to that interest, there have been numerous recent commercial developments. New resorts include Los Abrigados, built on the site of the old Black Ranch. The land was sold to the resort developers by the Morris family with the stipulation that the old stone house be left on the property. The house occupies the exact site of Sedona's first hotel, owned by T. C. Schnebly and his wife, Sedona, for whom the town was named. Today the historic house serves as a lux-ury retreat for resort guests. Other tourist destinations include John Gardiner's En-chantment, in Boynton Canyon, as well as the Poco Diablo Resort.

The cluster of studios and shops that is Tlaquepaque, brainchild of Abe Miller, remains the focal point of tourist delight. This interpretation of a Mexican arts and crafts center offers a welcome pedestrian respite from busy road traffic. The cob-bled roadways, the specialty shops and restaurants appeal not only to tourists but also to entrepreneurs keen to start new businesses within the shaded courtyards, amid cool tiles and fountains.

Have the amenities of civilization made Sedona a better place to live? Frank Jackson isn't sure. "When times were hard, you had to stick together. You had to learn to give and take. Because there were so few of us in the early days, you couldn't afford to get mad at your neighbor-we all needed each other."

And it wasn't all work. "We put on the dog then just like they do today," says Jackson. "We'd have dances at the old schoolhouse, and marshmallow roasts, and people were all friendly and you knew everybody else. But I also realize that while I loved Sedona in the old days, the main thing was that I was young. And although there have been several changes today, Sedona has a good bunch of people living here. It's one of the cleanest little towns in the country."

So perhaps old-timers survived because they showed a resilience and optimism that gave perspective to their lives. And maybe it's that same outlook on the part of newcomers that will guide whatever future direction the community takes.

And then there's the fact that despite Sedona's state of flux, some things really do last forever. As Geraldine Schuerman confidently points out: "Those red rocks, they never change."

In that persists the magic of that very special place called Sedona.

Selected Reading

Arizona's Red Rock Country: Seasons in Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, by Larry Russell, photographed by Dick Canby. Northland Press, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1984.

WHEN YOU GO

To get there: Sedona is 120 miles north of Phoenix, twenty-eight miles south of Flagstaff. Visitors can drive there easily via Interstate Route 17 and State 179, or by U.S. 89A, or fly into Sedona Airport. Service between Sedona and Phoenix Sky Harbor is available daily.

Part of Sedona's continuing attraction is the mildness of its climate. Its elevation of 4300 feet makes for year-round comfort. If you are visiting from the southern desert, however, remember to bring a sweater or jacket for rather abrupt temperature drops during the evenings in spring and autumn.

Sedona attractions: Known the world over for its red rock panoramas, Sedona offers numerous scenic thrills. It also is the gateway to Oak Creek Canyon, a sixteen-mile stretch of creekside beauty that beckons motorists and hikers alike to experience the changing seasons. In summer many picnickers pass the time at Red Rock Crossing, southwest of Sedona, off the Red Rock Loop Road. For fishermen and their families, Oak Creek is trout heaven during the May-September season. Sections are stocked weekly. Nearby lakes offer fishing challenges too, as well as family fun. Summertime also means camping in the cool uplands. Numerous campgrounds exist in the immediate Sedona area; the largest, Cave Springs, has eighty sites.

For additional information, read Outdoors in Arizona, A Guide to Camping and, in the same series, A Guide to Fishing and Hunting. Both are published by Arizona Highways Books.

If your interest lies in getting deeper into the lush sceneryand away from other visitors-take a hike! Here are just a few suggestions: the Harding Spring Trail, from Cave Springs Campground to the East Rim of Oak Creek Canyon; the A. B. Young Trail, Bootlegger Campground to the West Rim; North Wilson Mountain Trail, from Encinoso Picnic Area to the Wilson Mountain Trail...and there are many more. For detailed information on trails, contact the Coconino National Forest's Sedona Ranger District, Box 300, Sedona, AZ 86336; (602) 282-4119.

An increasingly popular way to explore the red rock vistas is by jeep. At least three companies operate tours on trails and back roads that bump tourists up and down examples of Sedona's sandstone splendor. Easily identifiable rock formations include Bell Rock, Cathedral or Courthouse Rock, and Coffeepot-which really does resemble an old-time coffeepot when seen from the right angle.

For those seeking less athletic pursuits, Sedona is a mecca for shoppers and art lovers. The community boasts a surprisingly wide selection of arts and crafts galleries.

Among the main tourist draws is Tlaquepaque, a pedestrian shopper's delight complete with fountains and shaded courtyards. Uptown Sedona also is a favorite shopping area. Here is the Sedona Arts Center-known locally as the "Art Barn" -a showcase for local artists as well as traveling exhibitions.

Sedona offers a range of accommodations, from inexpensive and informal bed and breakfast establishments to luxury resorts. Choice of dining includes everything from fast food to elegant Continental cuisine.

Major annual Sedona events include the St. Patrick's Day parade, Easter sunrise service, Autumn Arts Festival and Jazz on the Rocks in September, Fiesta del Tlaquepaque in October, and the Festival of Lights in December.

Attractions of the surrounding area: Appealing enough in itself, Sedona also serves as the hub for several sight-seeing excursions into the central Arizona countryside. Just off 1-17 at Camp Verde is Fort Verde State Historic Park, a restored centuryold post built during the Apache wars. Nearby, visit Montezuma Castle National Monument, a five-story cliff dwelling believed to have been built by the Sinagua people early in the twelfth century. Approximately eight miles farther north is Montezuma Well, also part of the monument. It's not a well, however, but a limestone sink formed by the collapse of an underground cavern. Both the Sinagua and the Hohokam peoples are thought to have used the water for crop irrigation. Fed by natural springs, the well is 1750 feet in diameter.

Near Clarkdale, off U.S. Route 89A, is Tuzigoot National Monument, the ruins of a Sinaguan village built sometime between A.D. 1125 and A.D. 1400. Tuzigoot stands atop a ridge overlooking the Verde Valley. There are trail walks and a museum, as at Montezuma Castle.

Just southwest of Tuzigoot, on the slopes of Mingus Mountain, is Jerome, a restored near-ghost town with a fabulous view, good restaurants, and numerous shops. Don't miss Jerome State Historic Park. It will transport you back to the region's romantic copper mining heyday.

For more information, contact the Arizona Office of Tourism, 1480 East Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014, telephone (602) 255-3618; or the area's chambers of commerce.