TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

Citizens in Tucson voted to join the Confederacy, saying Arizona had been deserted by the federal government and left to the Apaches.

Holdups were so frequent on the Maricopa stagecoach line that acting Gov. John W. Gasper offered $500 to anyone who could catch a robber in the act.

The Law and Order Committee broke two convicted murderers out of a Phoenix jail and hanged them.

Work began on a railroad tunnel to run from the Mogollon Rim to the Tonto Basin from Flagstaff to Globe. The impractical scheme failed in 1887.

An insane leper escaped from a Tombstone jail and terrorized residents.

The Maricopa County sheriff and the Phoenix chief of police announced they had cracked a conspiracy by Indians and Mexicans to take the city by force and plunder banks and stores.

Tortilla Flat, AZ pop. 6

The Apache Trail leads past history and folklore as it winds through the scenic Superstition Mountains just east of Phoenix. Tortilla Flat, the popular hot spot on the trail, always has catered to weary travelers. As early as A.D. 900, the Salado Indians traversed the well-known trade route, stopping at shady Tortilla Creek for a respite. By the 1800s, Europeans had discovered the centuries-old trail leading to the Salt River Basin. And in 1886, the first permanent settlement took root near the creek, which later became a stagecoach stop for the line that traveled from Mesa to Roosevelt Dam. By 1940 about 100 families lived in the ramshackle place, but three years later the creek flooded and literally took most of the town with it. Few bothered to rebuild and most moved on to settle in more civilized locales. Today travelers on their way up the Apache Trail often headed toward one of three nearby lakes can stop by, visit the old general store and chat with the six "pioneers" who have staked their claim in this last remnant of the Old West. The town, which bears the name of the food eaten by early stranded wayfarers, offers modern visitors juicy burgers, spicy chili and old-fashioned ice cream at its restaurant. Information: (480) 984-1776.

Mail by Mule

In Arizona which was not served by the Pony Express postal service in the mid-1800s was far from fleet of foot. Parcels and passengers made their way across the southern part of the state via a flea-bitten operation called the Jackass Mail. Starting in July of 1858, this humble mail and passenger line offered its services from San Antonio to San Diego by way of El Paso, Tucson and Yuma. The line ran semi-monthly and earned its name by using mules to pull the stagecoaches. Passengers sometimes had to ride on mules if they wished to traverse the last leg of the trip from Fort Yuma to California. Customers of the Jackass Mail found no amenities waiting for them in Tucson. Travelers had to roll themselves in blankets and sleep on the street, which was dangerous, or in the corral, which was smelly. Meals might be bread and bacon, aged past palatability. And as for the weather, one 1858 passenger observed, "If hell is hotter than this, I don't want to go there." Perhaps the letters didn't mind as much. The Jackass Mail continued for only a year before being replaced by the legendary Butterfield Overland Mail.

Lakeside Laugh With Will Rogers

WILL ROGERS TRAVELED to eastern Arizona in 1930 to speak at the dedication of Coolidge Dam. San Carlos Lake, just beginning to fill behind the dam, was clogged with reeds and appeared decidedly more green than blue. A puzzled Rogers turned to the congregation and said, "If this was my lake, I'd mow it."

They Don't Call It the Elks Club for Nothing

THE ELKS CLUBS of Arizona do more than distribute silly hats. Among other things, members have taken their club's name seriously. After the last Merriam elk was killed in Arizona in 1898, Winslow Elk's Lodge 536 made a commitment to re-establish an elk herd in the state. Shipped in from Yellowstone in 1913, the elk were released during a snowstorm to do what elk do and, hopefully, multiply. And they did. The original reintroduction group of 83 is partially responsible for the presentday herds that roam Arizona's ranges.

Seeing Stars in Flagstaff

Although they never discovered the little Martian men that Percival Lowell predicted, top astronomers and cutting-edge telescopic exploration make Flagstaff's Lowell Observatory a world-class laboratory of astronomical research. Back in 1894, drawn by the crystal-clear atmosphere visible from the Flagstaff area, amateur astronomer Lowell used his personal fortune to establish the observatory for the primary purpose of testing his theory that intelligent life somehow survived on the fourth planet. Despite eventual conclusions that life did not exist on Mars, however, observatory scientists have gone on to contribute major astronomical findings all through the 20th century such as detecting the first evidence of an expanding universe; discovering Pluto; sighting the

Burger, Fries and a History Lesson

How about a little history with your burger? To tell the Navajo Code Talkers' story and honor his father, King Paul Mike, a Code Talker, Richard Mike created an exhibit of wartime souvenirs at the Burger King restaurant he owns in Kayenta on the Navajo Indian Reservation. During World War II, the military thwarted enemy code breakers by using a select group of Navajo men to send and receive radio orders in their native tongue. Because it was an unwritten language at that time, few outsiders understood it. Receiving Navajo Code Talkers could immediately pass orders to the officer in charge, whereas conventional coded battle orders sometimes took two to three crucial hours to decipher. At first, the elder Mike became angry when Richard pressed him for details of his battle experiences. Weeks of living in filthy, waterfilled foxholes, where more than half his regiment died, made King want to forget. Later, however, he relented and showed Richard the

Poisonous Lizards Lurk

Beware monsters prowl the Gila Wilderness in the desert regions of southern Arizona. The Gila monster and its cousin, the Mexican beaded lizard, are the only two venomous lizards in the world. The Apaches, who revere the Gila monster's courage, strength and endurance, call the black and gold reptile "black flame," and consider it the guardian of their ancestral lands. This burrowing lizard feeds at night on small mammals, birds and eggs, storing fat in its tail and abdomen, and grows up to 24 inches in length. Unlike with poisonous snakes, the Gila monster's venom isn't injected. Instead, the nerve toxin is conducted from its poison glands into grooves in its teeth, flowing into the wound as the lizard chews on its victim. The formidable monster can be seen most often around twilight and hanging around its favorite flowers, the golden blooms of the morning shades. But be careful in seeking out this seemingly sluggish reptile. The black flame proves faster than it looks. And its bite is definitely worse than its bark.

war mementos he'd sent home from the Pacific Theater. With his father, Richard sorted through bloodied Japanese flags, soldiers' gear and clothing, anti-Japanese posters, a machine gun telescope even a parachute. The rarest item was a "thousand stitch belt," a sort of good-luck protection charm that Japanese families gave their soldier sons. There is no charge to view the display, which is open during restaurant hours, 6 A.M.-10:30 P.M. daily except Christmas Day. The restaurant is located on U.S. Route 160 in Kayenta. Information: (928) 697-3534.

Solve a Murder Over Dinner

Innkeeper Andrew Whitehall is dead! Edith McDonald, the housekeeper, discovered the body, and the list of suspects is almost as long as well as long as the dining room table. Was it the wealthy tycoon or Andrew's golddigger wife from Phoenix? Consider also the swanky, dressed-to-the-nines real estate broker, Alexandra Bidwell, and the purported "old friend" who's just arrived. The question is, "Who had the best motive to poison the innkeeper?" Only the hostess knows for sure, and she's no more likely to spill the secret than she is the sauce she serves during the five-course Mystery Dinner at the Olney House Bed and Breakfast in Safford in southeastern Arizona. While her guests connive and question each other over champagne and hors d'oeuvres, Linda Wylek sets a sumptuous supper in an elegant Victorian setting. The house was once the home of

LIFE IN ARIZONA 1 8 8 0 s 1 9 4 0 s HOW THE HARVEY GIRLS 'CIVILIZED' THE WEST

In the late 1800s, as railcars steamed across the western landscape, Fred Harvey had a dream: To provide rail travelers with first-class eating establishments that would serve fresh, hot meals a rarity in those early days of rail travel. But Harvey couldn't do it alone. He formed a partnership with the Santa Fe Railroad and relied on a special group of women to help make his dream a reality: The Harvey Girls. Between 1876 and 1940, nearly 100,000 moral young women answered Fred Harvey's ads and left their homes and families Back East to become members of an elite corps of waitresses. According to Juddi Morris, author of The Harvey Girls, these women helped to civilize the West. Long before corporate training programs were the norm, Harvey wrote the book for the Harvey Girls, who had to maintain a strict code of conduct. By joining the company, Harvey Girls had the opportunity to find adventure in the rough-and-tumble West, but they had to do it the "Harvey Way." Their boss mandated everything from the way the women dressed to the way they served customers. Harvey didn't allow his girls to wear make-up, nail polish or jewelry. He did not allow gum-chewing, and every Harvey Girl wore the same spotless uniform and hairdo. Harvey Girls had to sign contracts stipulating they wouldn't marry as long as they were employed as a Harvey Girl. But that didn't deter all of them from husband-hunting. Even cowboy humorist Will Rogers said of the Harvey Girls, "... they've kept the West supplied with food and wives." Fred Harvey Co. established 84 Harvey Houses across the country, including seven in Arizona.

taking the off-ramp

Graham County Sheriff George Olney, a close friend to Wyatt Earp. Each guest dresses as his or her assigned character. Consequently no one lacks for dinner conversation - everyone's trying to discover whodunit. Anyone with at least five friends to join in can create a weekend package ($150 each) that includes two gourmet breakfasts, two nights' accommodations, the mystery dinner and prizes. Information: tollfree (800) 814-5118. Just one hint: It isn't the butler.

Question of the Month

What is the other famous canyon name in Arizona?

And 25 canyons in the state bear the name Sycamore Canyon. The popular moniker appears to be taken from the family of trees called the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). And it doesn't stop with canyons places named Sycamore include a railroad station near Clarkdale, several springs, creeks, reservoirs, trails, wells, basins, streams and mesas. Sycamore trees are said to be favored for planting because of their quick growth. Seems like their name was as widely sprouted as their roots in Arizona.

Free-wheeling Nature Trail

Not all of Arizona's hikers view spectacular sights on two legs. Some nature lovers experience the beauty of the state's natural wonders on wheels. We're not talking about motorcycle or bicycle wheels, either. Prescott National Forest's Groom Creek Nature Trail (pictured above), a 1.5-mile loop, is just one spot where disabled nature lovers can find a paved wheelchair-accessible trail. Kaibab National Forest's Parks Rest Area Interpretive Trail, 10 miles west of Flagstaff along Interstate 40, also offers wheelchair travelers good views. And the Coronado National Forest, in southeastern Arizona, boasts 12 trails appropriate for wheelchairs. Need a specialized van to tote your chair? A new service available through Wheelchair Getaways in Scottsdale rents wheelchair-accessible vans on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Reservations are required. Information: toll-free (888) 824-7413.