MILEPOSTS

MILEPOSTS FROM HARD TIME TO GOOD TIMES

During Bisbee's wilder days you had to commit a crime to bunk at the OK Street Jail. Nowadays you just need a reservation.

Built in 1904, the former hoosegow has been converted into a one-suite hotel, the O.K. Street Jail House Inn. Situated in the old mining town's historic district, the inn is roomy enough for one or two couples and boasts comforts its former "guests" never dreamed of: a master suite with a whirlpool bath and a kitchen with a micro-wave. The jail's drunk tank and holding pen are gone, but the new owners - a couple from Massachusetts retained the steel walls and doors and bars on the windows as reminders of Bisbee's rip-roaring past. A big plus is the inn's proximity to local attractions, such as picturesque Main Street with its turn-of-the-century architecture and Brewery Gulch which once was considered the "liveliest spot between El Paso and San Francisco." And nearby are the Queen Mine and Lavender Pit mine.

NEW HIKING TRAIL ARIZONA'S OLDEST SCHOOLHOUSE

In 1885 pioneers built a one-room log schoolhouse in the tiny settlement of Strawberry just below the Mogollon Rim, about 19 To obtain a hotel brochure, write or call Reg Turner, P.O. Box AX, Bisbee, AZ 85603; (602) 432-5439. For information about Bisbee, contact the chamber of commerce at (602) 432-2141.

PHOENIX BITES THE BIG APPLE

Jet-lagged travelers passing through the new Barry M. Goldwater Terminal at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport might wonder whether they're in the Valley of the Sun or New York City when they pass not only a Bloomie's Express (a Bloomingdale's department store boutique), but a Nathan's Hot Dogs restaurant as well. The two are among 33 stores and restaurants in the $280 million terminal that opened last fall. An airport insider reports that some former New Yorkers have visited the new terminal just to get a taste of home.

BRAILLE MENUS

Visitors to metropolitan Phoenix who are visually impaired can use Braille menus to order meals at The Scottsdale Plaza Resort. The convenience is a cooperative effort between the resort and the Special Needs Center at the Phoenix Public Library.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS EXHIBIT

The "Timeless Images from Arizona Highways" exhibit, featuring 38 photographers whose talents have made the magazine known worldwide, opened June 24 at Prescott's Sharlot Hall Museum and will run through September. Included are rare color images by Ansel Adams, who gained international fame while submitting work to Arizona Highways. The museum is open daily except Monday. Call (602) 445-3122 for information.

BY TRAIN ALONG THE VERDE RIVER

miles northwest of Payson. The wild berries that gave the town its name are gone, but the school is still there with its old wooden desks, part of the original slate blackboard, and a beautifully crafted organ. The school is open to visitors through the summer on weekends from 10:00 Α.M. to 4:00P.M.; and a knowledgeable docent will be on hand to answer questions. For information, call (602) 476-3547.

The historic Arizona Central Railroad, which once linked the copper mining town of Jerome with the territorial capital of Prescott, offers a variety of short excursions from Clarkdale (a two-hour drive north of Phoenix) along the Verde River through scenic terrain accessible only on foot or by rail. The route affords passengers dramatic views of crimson rock cliffs, desert flora and fauna, and remnants of ancient cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua Indians.

For information and reservations, contact the Arizona Central Railroad, P.O. Box 103, Clarkdale, AZ 86324; or (602) 639-0010.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Times being what they were, it was considered impolite in early-day Arizona to ask a man's last name. The rough untamed land was a sanctuary for desperadoes who had been chased out of more civilized places, and they didn't want to offer any clues about past transgressions. For many, that meant taking a new name. However, not all name changes involved outlaws on the run. Some folks changed monikers as a matter of convenience. Jack Newman, discoverer of a rich mine in Big Johnny Gulch near Globe, was a Polish immigrant with a last name that included most of the letters in the alphabet. When he arrived at the mining camp, nobody could pronounce his surname, much less spell it, so they just called him "the new man," which eventually became Newman.

Then there was John Smith, an early settler in what would become the city of Phoenix. During the 1860s, Smith mustered out of the Army at Fort McDowell and started a hay ranch in the Salt River Valley about where 40th Street meets the north bank of the Salt River today. As the fledgling town grew up around him, Smith became one of its civic leaders, and he developed political ambitions. When he decided to run for the territorial legislature, though, some irreverent newspaper editor suggested that a man with a name like "John Smith" might be hiding a dubious past.

That flippant remark caused Smith to have his name legally changed to John Y. T. Smith. The Y. T., incidentally, stood for "Yours Truly."

A KID'S LOOK AT THE DESERT

Thomas Wiewandt, a Tucson-based naturalhistory photographer and filmmaker, has produced The Hidden Life of the Desert (Crown Publishers, Inc.), a book aimed at youngsters that gives a closeup look at Southwest desert flora and fauna that few inperson visits could match. The book's superb photographs and interesting text introduce young readers to a kaleidoscope of desert denizens, from a mouse that "howls" to a toad that snoozes underground for a year. To obtain a copy, check your favorite bookstore.

ECLIPSE

On the morning of July 11, the moon will move between the Earth and the sun, producing an eclipse of the sun. When viewed from Mexico, the eclipse will be total; when seen from Arizona, the sun will be partially hidden.

In Tucson nearly 80 percent of the sun will be covered, making the sky perceptibly dark. In Phoenix, about 75 percent will be obscured; while near Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, around 65 percent of the sun will be blacked out - which should produce some dramatic vistas as shadows and colors move across the Canyon. The eclipse is expected to begin at about 10:30 A.M., to peak at 11:43, and to end at 1:04 P.M. Remember, do not look directly into the sun as that can cause severe eye damage.

of the sun will be blacked out - which should produce some dramatic vistas as shadows and colors move across the Canyon. The eclipse is expected to begin at about 10:30 A.M., to peak at 11:43, and to end at 1:04 P.M. Remember, do not look directly into the sun as that can cause severe eye damage.

THE CCC REMEMBERED

If you find yourself near the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, walk across Jefferson Street to Wesley Bolin Plaza to see the new memorial to the United States Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC, a national work program that operated from 1933 to the start of World War II, developed and repaired parks, campsites, and other recreational facilities throughout the country. In Arizona the CCC lined canals in Tempe and Yuma with concrete, improved Tucson's Colossal Cave, and eradicated King Blight disease in the ponderosa pine forests in the northern part of the state. A state version of the CCC began operating on a limited basis last year.

SHORTCUTS

The Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo (billed as "the world's oldest") will take place July 3-7 accompanied by a passel of related activities, including a parade and something called the "Whiskey Row Boot Race" that sounds like a lot of fun; information: (602) 445-2000 Out Wickenburg way, they'll celebrate the Fourth of July with a shopping-cart race along with more usual kinds of old-fashioned fun: fireworks, a watermelon bust, kids' games, and contests; for details, call (602) 684-5479 In July, 1881, gunfighter Johnny Ringo was found dead in Turkey Creek Canyon, Arizona Territory; the mystery of his death was never solved, but rumors of suicide were discounted as the departed had been both shot in the head and scalped If you've wondered why few people have ever seen a Gila monster in the wild, it's because the poisonous but slow-moving and nonaggressive reptiles spend 98 percent of their lives underground; and, says the Arizona Game and Fish Department, there hasn't been a (documented) bite from a Gila monster since 1900 The mile-high city of Prescott will hold its big 1991 triathlon and biathlon July 21 with competitors testing their skills and endurance in swimming, biking, and running events; information (602) 445-5291. To obtain a free and more complete calendar of events, write to Arizona Office of Tourism, 1100 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007.