Arizona Day 2

Day two started out with breakfast at the Horseshoe Cafe. All the cafes in town seem to have something to do with Cowboys and this one was no exception. They cater to the old fashioned breakfast menus with big, hardy portions. Wayne ordered a 1/4 order of biscuits and gravy and it covered his plate. I can't even imagine what a full order would be. I had the 1/2 order of eggs, toast and bacon which included 3 strips of bacon. Well, now we were ready to get our activities under way. Wayne was working today and had to be gone until the afternoon so I gathered up the brochures of what to do in Wickenburg and started my walking tour. Here is a little info about the town. You will want to click on the photos to enlarge to get the best viewing.

Henry Wickenburg came to the area in search of gold. He was rewarded with the discovery of Vulture Mine, where over $30 million in gold was found. There are still relics around the area as well as a walking tour around Vulture Mine.

Ranchers and farmers discovered the fertile flood plain of the Hassayampa River and settled in the area. The streamside habitat includes many endangered birds and animals. The Town of Wickenburg was incorporated in 1909.

It was a rough start for the town with Indian wars, mine closures, desperadoes, drought and a disastrous flood in 1890 when the Walnut Creek Dam burst. Despite these trials the town grew. In 1895 the railroad arrived in town. The historic depot still stands today as the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce building.

Today Wickenburg is known for its clean air, wide-open spaces, guest ranches, and tourism. It is the Dude Ranch Capital of Arizona, has a championship golf course and is growing as a leader in the medical services sector with Remuda Ranch, for eating disorders, the Meadows, for treatment of addictions, and Gatehouse Academy, for drug rehabilitation of young adults. Who knew?

It was a little unsettling as I walked around. All of a sudden, I would see something scary out of the corner of my eye. It was not real but I didn't realize it for a minute.

I found out that all the critters I saw were made of bronze, sculpted by artist J. Seward Johnson who has his art shown worldwide.

Here is a fellow that is in distress. He is chained to a 200 year old mesquite tree. It once served as the town jail. They just chained the criminal to the tree and apparently no one ever escaped from it. It was in service for 27 years.

Here is another bronze out on the sidewalk. It's a Gila monster I believe.

The city contains a cowboy museum, well actually it's the Desert Caballeros museum. It houses western art and is considered one of the best in Arizona.

This is a statue of the World Champion All Around Cowboy named Charles Everett Bowman. He was instrumental in organizing the Rodeo Cowboy's Association and was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1977.

I loved this palm tree. I have seen a lot of them here, but this one has a cactus growing out the side of it. How that happened, I don't know but isn't it unique?

I snapped this picture because I love the name of the cowgirl clothing store.

I really don't know what to say about this. Every town has a yard that has "stuff" everywhere. I am sure it means a lot to the owner, but really?

Your can't have Southwest design without a coyote howling can you?

This was a caboose that was built in 1893. The train ran from Prescott to Phoenix. It housed the working cowboys that would work the range for a couple of weeks at a time. They would live in it like we would in a modern camp trailer. It had bunks, a porta potty, an ice box etc. but no shower so by the end of 2 weeks, it got pretty smelly.

This is the original kerosene lamp that is mounted in the caboose

This is the original pot belly stove

As I continued my tour around town, I found this couple chatting outside the saloon.

I don't know who fashioned them but "Gunsmoke" came to my mind. Is that Matt Dillon and Kitty?

No it's not. If you look closely you will see that this gentleman (?) is not looking her in the "eyes" as they chat. Matt would never do that. He was always a gentleman.

This is the town school teacher. She taught all grades in a one room school house.

This is Elizabeth Smith, an African American business owner welcoming you into town.

This old cowboy just sits and welcomes you into a gift shop.

Here is the singing Vaquero. Seven generations of early Hispanic families still reside in Wickenburg. They gave the town a rich culture that you can still see here.

This is the Garcia's little red schoolhouse. It was built in 1905 on donated land from Don Garcia. He was considered the father of Wickenberg education. It later became a bank and then

donated back to the city. It is used as a museum and also is used as a non-profit building to teach string music to children since the school no longer teach music. I was thinking how cute and wonderful it was. As I walked outside I noticed a suitcase that was in the yard and someone has opened it and had scattered men's underwear, socks etc. all over the grass. I should have a taken a picture of that. I 'm sure it was stolen by someone and abandoned when they found what they wanted. Oh, he needed to be hooked up to the mesquite tree.

This is a scene of a young boy at the school.

And here is his teacher.

Well, I managed to see most everything in town in the few hours I walked. I found the people to be extremely friendly and kind and welcoming. I think everyone I met here was over 65. The snowbirds were here in droves and I am sure they are the life-blood of this community. I don't that I will ever return but was glad for the experience. Wayne returned from his work and we

headed for Prescott and Sedona.