Archive All Issues October 1999

THE VERDE CANYON RAILROAD

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Train travel has long been viewed as romantic, but never more so than on this railroad''s excursion through a Verde River wilderness. Along with sightings of bald eagles soaring on the thermals, passengers on this line might also witness a marriage proposal or even a wedding.

Featured in the October 1999 Issue of Arizona Highways

All Aboard

A single one has been very meaningful. It's very romantic."

And that's been going on since November 23, 1990, when owner David Durbano reopened the Verde Canyon to thousands of passengers on the railway's excursion trains.

The Verde Valley Railroad's 38 miles of track, built in 1912 at a cost of $1.3 million, became the lifeline of the mining communities of Clarkdale and Jerome. Often referred to as the "Verde Mix," the railroad transported people and cargo from Clarkdale to Drake, where it met up with the Santa Fe line coming south from Ash Fork. Now the railway takes visitors on a sight-seeing excursion through the rough-cut canyon to the Perkinsville Ranch before returning to Clarkdale.

The train runs year-around, but the autumn colors of the canyon's riparian forest make an especially stunning backdrop for wildlife watching in October and November. The deer, javelinas, and pronghorn antelope become more active during the fall, and migratory birds mountain bluebirds, northern harriers, lesser night hawks, swifts, great white egrets, and herons - begin to arrive for the mild winter ahead. Yearround raptors like great horned owls, Coopers hawks, and American kestrels dominate the sky, but the 30 wintering bald and golden eagles elicit the biggest response from passengers on the train. The canyon ranks as one of the country's prime habitats for the regal raptors.

The eagles have shared their habitat with the train since its inception and remain undisturbed by the daily excursion schedule. But with dwindling habitats, bald eagles have become a relatively rare sight, making the chance to see them in the Verde Canyon a highlight of any trip.

The train, pulled by two of North America's 12 remaining vintage FP7 locomotives, departs from the Clarkdale depot each afternoon, passing the man-made accumulation of slag produced during the Clarkdale smelters' 40 years of operation. This waste material covers nearly 40 acres to an average depth of 40 feet. Upon leaving the yard and the mining operations, the train travels alongside the smoothly flowing Verde River and past the remains of a Sinagua cliff dwelling tucked in a limestone cave about halfway up the canyon face.

Chuck Buesser, another guide, pointed out a deteriorating rock wall snaking across the desert terrain. Sinagua hunters, he said, used the wall, which once rose to eight feet, to funnel game into an arroyo where they could be caught.

A middle-aged couple, intent on their search for waterfowl, leaned over the open-air viewing car's rail and pointed excitedly at a great blue heron standing in the water. Farther downstream a bevy of ducks drifted on the surface, searching for mesquite pods and other edible treats. About 80 percent of the food for local wildlife comes from the Verde River, which makes the preservation of the canyon's riparian habitat a critical concern. Biologists consider the cottonwoodwillow habitat one of the most productive ecosystems in North America, which explains why it draws some of the most diverse accumulations of birds found anywhere. It's also one of the most endangered habitats in North America, which makes the Verde River's long meander of trees ecologically invaluable.

sedimentary layers, including white limestone and red sandstone deposits that are of the same geological stratum as the red rock formations around Sedona. About seven miles along, the train, ambling at an average of 10 miles an hour, began to travel down the grade into the inner canyon. There the guides pointed out a monocline fold, a place where the layered rock was bent and twisted at a 45-degree angle deep within the Earth millions of years ago. As the train continued down the grade, we passed the confluence of the Verde River and Sycamore Creek. The wilderness area past this point belongs to the Prescott National Forest on the north.

The Verde Valley, in prehistoric times a shallow lake, shows the colors of multiple The Sycamore Wilderness harbors scattered Indian dwellings, petroglyphs, and old mines, including the Gold Tooth, where, the story goes, fortune-seekers didn't find enough gold to fill one tooth. The purplish-brown Tapeats sandstone, grayish-blond Martin limestone, and reddish-pink Redwall limestone dominate the canyon walls.

This area abounds in rock formations in the shapes of animals, and angels can be seen sitting atop sunny promontories and hiding in shadowy crevices. Frogs, a turtle, and an elephant are just a few of the rock animals to watch for along the way. A stone profile resembling Abraham Lincoln inspired the name of President's Canyon, and a guardian angel nearby overlooks the winding track.

Glenna Douglas and Mark Koehler, enjoying a quiet interlude inside the plush first-class coach, sat spooning and watching for rock formations and eagles through the large picture window. "We're enjoying this quiet time together," said Douglas. "We don't have to focus on the kids or work, just each other. This is something we'll definitely relive again."

Among some of the other passengers, the rich diversity of plantlife on the trip became a topic of discussion when guide Chuck Buesser pulled out his collection of desert plant concoctions. He handed out copies of recipes for cactus soup, tumbleweed salad, and sauteed cactus.

"It's amazing the way the Indians utilized the plants in so many ways," he said as he pointed out such desert mainstays as ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, creosote, and mesquite.

Other plants scattered along the tracks added to the list: canotia, barberry, graythorn, fourwing saltbush, cliffrose, and Apache plume. Fifteen-and-a-half miles down the track, the train entered a 680foot-long man-made tunnel. Carved out of solid limestone, the tunnel supports itself except for the final 30 feet, which builders reinforced with steel beams. The tunnel curved, keeping the light from penetrating the solid darkness, and the guides warned passengers to keep their hands safely inside the cars because at some points the train comes within six inches of the stone walls.During the final four miles, the railroad leaves the canyon and enters the Perkinsville valley where A.M. Perkins settled on a cattle ranch in 1900. Two years later, the railroad put in a water station to refuel the steam engines and dubbed the place Perkinsville.

At the community's peak, only 10 families lived in the area, then when the railroad switched to diesel locomotives in the early 1950s, the hamlet became a ghost town. Perkinsville provided the backdrop for several scenes in the film How the West Was Won.While passengers reclined in the cars' love seats and overstuffed chairs, the teal and white locomotive detached and traveled on a loop to the other end of the train to hook back up for the return trip. Suddenly, a guide on the loudspeaker called out an eagle sighting. The alert transformed the leisurely passengers into a mob as they scurried for the open-air viewing cars, craning their necks for a glimpse of a pair of bald eagles soaring overhead.The horn sounded, and the train began the return to Clarkdale. A young couple stood outside under the awning of an open-air viewing car, holding hands. Brian Jack and Lauren Fife were traveling on the train for the first time, celebrating his birthday. Jack had proposed to Fife earlier in the year, but she refused saying she wasn't ready to make such a commitment. Jack said he wouldn't press her, leaving the decision up to her. Now, they sipped mimosas, snuggled, and shared the experience of the scenic trip. As the train neared the tunnel, the announcer's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Brian," he said, "Lauren wants to know if you'll marry her."

Brian Jack stepped back and looked at Lauren Fife with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

"Are you serious?" he asked, breathless, taking her hands. "Are you serious?"

She nodded and he swept her into his arms, kissing her just as the darkness of the tunnel enveloped the train. Sometimes a long tunnel beats great scenery hands down.

WHEN YOU GO

The Verde Canyon Railroad's excursion trains operate daily year-round; departure times vary with the season. Passengers board at the depot, 300 N. Broadway in Clarkdale, which is two hours north of Phoenix. Rates are $20.95, child coach (two-12 years old); $32.95, senior coach (65 and older); $35.95 adult coach; and $54.95 all first class. The train is wheelchair-accessible. For more information, group rates, special excursions, and reservations, call toll-free (800) 293-7245.