| Tour: Oak Creek |
BB BANJO BILL / BOOTLEGGER AREAS  Back in the 50's and 60's, both of these were campgrounds, but they were reduced to picnicing to provide more day-time access and reduce human camping impact. Banjo Bill was Bill Dwyer in 1880 who had a dugout hut and built trout ponds there at Banjo Bill. Bill played the banjo which was popular in the late 1880s and 1890s. Bootlegger was named for the stills in the canyon and specifically old Jess (see Cave Springs above). Jess turned his life around and later built the 1st Assembly of God in Sedona (see Old Sedona Tour).BR SLIDE ROCK BRIDGE.  Today this is a major kids-attraction! But if you look down below the current bridge, you can see the older footings from Model-T days. This was Fall's place, who later sold it to the Pendley's in 1911. It's the Pendley's fruit-trees and buildings that you see today at the state park. The land was difficult to irrigate, so Pendley blasted two tunnels in 1914. Present red-rock home was built in 1927. On the south east side of the creek was the 'Upper Oak Creek School' that was open from 1918-1940. Pendley's daughter recently passed away ... end of an era. A 'local' attraction was the 'arch' just south of the park, and mid-way up. Sort of hidden and beautiful!CS CAVE SPRINGS.  A lot of history here. One of most well represented early families, the Purtymuns, lived here, staying in a cave while the house was being built. A picture from 1918 shows the cave-home and Jess Purdymun's two-row accordian (who played with two fiddlers, Tack and Charlie Gaddis). Jess, before he turned his life around, was a bootlegger (Prohibition days). The cave itself is still there inside the campground, though with a protective fence. Additionally, if you walk the area out near the highway, you'll see the remains of a 50s era resort ... swimming pool and so forth. In the 50's you could rent horses here and be a dude-cowboy for the day! The Cave Springs campground itself was built by Elmer Purtymun.GL GARLAND's This is currently a really nice small restaurant/lodge. Originally, however, it was the Jess Howard place (son of Bear). His cabin is the kitchen in Garland's today. A man name Todd built the lodge in 1938. Todd introduced 'Himalaya' berries, which is what most people think are blackberries further down the canyon from flooding . The lodge was subsequently purchased by Abe Miller, who was an early Las Vegas developer and later the creator of Tlaquepaque in Sedona! Abe subsequently sold it to the Garlands in 1956. IG INDIAN GARDENS.  Another great history location and marker too! The name comes from Apache's who left a garden in the area when JJ Thompson came to homestead in 1876. The area you see today was 'Bacon Rind Park' and was a trout fishing location for Jerome execs and their 'guests'. In 1904 the second Oak Creek school was located here and in 1910 a post office (a 3-story affair with the lower 2-stories flooded in 1938). Later on, a dancehall and cabins were built which even later became a roller-rink! The grocery store you see was built by Ed and Frank Black (see our Sedona tour!).HS HARDING SPRINGS TRAIL.  This is a fun trail going up the east side of the canyon. Nice view at the top and not difficult. Actual springs are near the creek, about 1/4m north of trailhead. The Hardings had a home here in the early 1900s. Park at Cave Springs and walk a bit north for the trail. By the way, if you'd like to sample Oak Creek spring water, there's one just north of the Pine Flat Campground on the creekside of the road. Bring a jug!JP JUNIPINE. Presently this is a small hotel and condominiums with nice restaurant. But across the creek is the original Purdimun place. The large cabin is still here, though on private land. The old house was built in sections, so if you go inside, the inner-walls are large creek-grown logs through which 'short' doors are cut. The bedroom has room for nine; the Purtymun family was pretty large! Included are historical materials and displays. Just standing on the porch gives you a feeling of the 'majesty' and loneliness of the canyon. Junipine was so-named for a tree in which a juniper and pine tree had grown entwined. Hike the PURTYMON TRAIL! MB MIDGLEY BRIDGE  just north of Sedona. Built in 1939. Prior to that, you swung up canyon a bit and crossed over. Midgley Bridge has become an icon for the city of Sedona. Locally known as 'midgley bridgly'. Say it!MZ MANZANITA. So named for the plants covering the higher levels of the canyon. This was the location for the first school in the canyon, summers only. Ellsworth Schnebly was the first teacher (brother of Carl, husband of Sedona!). This area was also the only location where any mining took place (low-grade copper). Further south, as you pass Mission Rancho is the location of the Purtymun homestead and Purtymun Falls. OL OAK CREEK OVERLOOK. Browse the native american jewelry, while at the scenic overlook! Also a small forest service concession gift shop and nature signs. In the pre-70's, you're standing on the old 89A roadbed, which looped around the edge and then into the canyon. But the old highway's declining straight-run almost up to the edge was too much a temptation for younger teens. Oak Creek Canyon is a fault-line that pre-existed the volcanic eruptions that produced the mountains around Flagstaff. Indeed, Flagstaff gets much of its water from wells on this same fault-line further north. At the first loop down the switchbacks you can see where the earth shifts; ADOT has periodic issues with dirt and rocks over-flowing the road there. Also, if you're NOT the driver, as you drive up the last outer-loop before the top, you can examine the older roadbed across the way. PH PUMPHOUSE WASH BRIDGE.  The two-lane switchbacks you see today were built back in 1939; Carl Fuentes was the engineer who also designed the bridge in 1929 that is still there. The name of the wash comes from the railroad pumphouse about 8mi south of Flagstaff near I-17 that supplied water for the old steam trains that ran until replaced by diesel fuel. If you hike up the canyon a bit, and then up toward the overlook, you can find remains of old cars that missed the turn above.SR STEAMBOAT/SHIP ROCK. This rock formation is way up above hwy 89A on the west side, north of Sedona (perpendicular to Steamboat is the formation called 'the Fin'). The previous road ran right under Steamboat rock in 1888 and then up Wilson Canyon (near Midgley Bridge). Later in 1901 it continued on to Indian Gardens, and further north in 1914. Additionally, if you look south toward Sedona, you'll see Camel Rock opposite, which later became Snoopy Rock. Right before you enter Sedona, Red Rock Lodge is on the west side; built/owned by Elmer Purtymun. The bluff above, as Mormon Canyon enters Oak Creek, was blasted away in 1929. Carl Fuentes (engineer) had a big highway construction camp here in the 30s. SH SCHNEBLY HILL ROAD. You can see the road across from hwy 89A on the east side. Originally started by JJ Thompson in 1896, it was built in 1901 by Carl Schnebly (per Carl anyway; Bud Purtymon begged to differ!). Up until the switchbacks were built in the 30s, this was the main way up to Flagstaff and was especially hard on brakes. If you go up Bear Wallow canyon (Schebly Hill Road), you're following the old Mund's wagon trail (also Mund's canyon, mountain, and park). The original Schnebly Hill road went out onto the 'Merry-Go-Round formation, and later switched back above (now for hikers). Current version 1928. At one time there were corrals and tents there at Merry-Go-Round. Later on, up on top, was Foxboro, a dude-ranch, before you got to Mund's Park. Special: Foxboro Ranch Originally a ranch purchased by Frederick Fox in 1922, he and partner Frank Gyberg turned it into a guest ranch in 1926, with large buildings, multiple horses and even a 'taxi' to the Flagstaff railroad station. When Mayhews was booked up, Foxboro took the overflow. These were heady years! But as you guessed, the Depression occurred, and the guest ranch failed. In 1931, it was used by Universal Studios for the crew on 'Stormy', later returning to being a quiet ranch. The interesting thing about Foxboro is a comparison to another guest ranch next to Chiracahua National Monument. Developed about the same time, and appealing to New Yorkers, the Chiracahua ranch survived well into the 50s You can tour it even today. SS STERLING SPRINGS. As you go down the switchbacks, you're parelleling Sterling Canyon which goes up further west. It was named for a counterfeiter who was later caught by the 'feds' (no one seems to know his demise)! You'll actually drive OVER the springs at the last inner-loop above the old Sterling Springs fish hatchery. Prior to widening the road there, you could open a metal lid and climb down to the springs. Most of the water entering Oak Creek, enters from the higher western side until further down the canyon. TL THOMPSON's LADDER. Just south of the DQ and Creekside Village, up on the east side of the canyon and the north side of Mund's canyon (which enters here). It's a very steep location for pulling lumber down into the canyon for building in the early 1900s. MORE INFO TN TUNNEL Not there today! Back when the highway was 1-lane (!), a tunnel existed just below Encinoso picnic area. When the road was widened to two lanes in 1924, the whole section of white cliffs were removed. WF WEST FORK.  Another history-rich stop-over and beautiful walk too! Bear Howard was one of the earliest white settlers and built his cabin here in 1870. Bear was quite large and well-respected in in Flagstaff, as story tells, especially with the Hashknife's Texas cowboys. John Thomas Sr. bought the land in 1887, extending both south and north up to Hoel's Cabins. Hoel's was previously 'Glenwood' in the late 40s.If you read Zane Grey's 'Call of the Canyon', he wrote it at 'Lolomi Lodge', an expansion of an older home as a hunting/fishing lodge in 1895. (And, if you remember the Zane Grey cabin here, it was over on the Tonto, now Payson.) It was at West Fork that the first Sedona-area movie was made in 1923: 'Call of the Canyon (silent). Thomas sold Lolomi to Jim Larmport in 1920 where in became 'Tioga'. Then it was sold to the Mayhew's in 1925, where it became the Oak Creek Lodge (the other 'Mayhew's Lodge' was across the creek). If you walk the area down near the creek on the other side, you'll see the ruins of the Mayhew's Lodge and cold-storage in the red-rock cliffs. Bear's cabin was the kitchen at Mayhew's Lodge. It all burned in the 1980s. If you remember another lodge (so many!), it was the Call of the Canyon Resort, located where the present entry-parking is. Now, if none of these are the lodge you remember (!), see 'CS' above! |
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