SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST “I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.” -Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010) Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days. What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way.  Because wow, America. Guide Notes: Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit.  Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011). * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEST

“I really don’t know one plane from the other. To me they are all just marginal costs with wings.”

-Alfred Kahn, airline economist (1917-2010)

Commercial air travel has changed a lot over the years. Since the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, fares have dropped and lots more people have been flying. Airlines have merged and morphed and vanished. The rise of hub-and-spoke airline systems means that a major delay at one important airport can ripple across the country for days.

What hasn’t changed is the incredible vastness and variety of the country you see out the window. On a recent round trip from southern Colorado to Portland, Oregon (via Phoenix), I saw the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river valley, tract housing as far as the eye could see, and irrigation circles laid out like giant board games in the desert. I saw dormant volcanoes in Oregon and a bird’s eye view of the oil fields of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico.

Commercial flight is the only way most of us will ever get to see those wide, wide views. Every time I fly, those views remind me of all the thousands of places in the US that I haven’t been to yet. And that takes the sting out of the scores of little annoyances along the way. 

Because wow, America.

Guide Notes:

Read about the history of commercial flight in the US at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s America By Air exhibit. 

Read about Alfred Kahn, who headed up the Civil Aeronautics Board that oversaw airline deregulation, in his obituary from The Economist (January 20, 2011).

* * *

Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.

OURAY, COLORADO - SLUSHY SEASON or THE LONG, SLOW BREAK-UP OURAY, 37 m. (7,800 alt., 707 pop.), seat of Ouray County, named for the great Ute chief, lies pocketed in a pear-shaped valley, with WHITE HOUSE MOUNTAIN (13,493 alt.) on the west, HAYDEN MOUNTAIN (13,100 alt.) on the south, and CASCADE MOUNTAIN (12,100 alt.) to the northwest. To the east, extending upward to the crest of the range, is a great natural amphitheater, part of the Ouray State Game Refuge. Densely wooded, but with many small parks, it is easily accessible on foot. Years ago the area was stocked with elk. Many are now so tame that they often wander along the streets of the town and through back yards, occasionally getting their antlers entangled in the family wash. — Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Spring in the Rockies can be like a good relationship going through a long break up. At first the snow piles high and everything is transformed and clean white. It’s all beautiful, new, exciting and fresh. Eventually the romance begins to fade, new fallen snow is more of a hassle to shovel and plow than a joy to see. Then it melts off, leaving things uglier, slushier, muddier than they were to begin with. Then it snows again, like a desperate one nighter, trying to reclaim a bit of winter’s passion. But it quickly flees again, it wasn’t meant to be and it leaves another dirty, slushy mess behind. And it will happen again, another quickie snowstorm before summer officially arrives — final break-up sex if you will. If you’ve ever lived through a Western winter and spring — or a really long and tedious break up — you know what I mean. *** KC O’Connor is a Guide to Wyoming for The American Guide. He’s a writer and photographer based in Lander, Wyoming. Follow him on Tumblr and Twitter.
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OURAY, COLORADO - SLUSHY SEASON or THE LONG, SLOW BREAK-UP

OURAY, 37 m. (7,800 alt., 707 pop.), seat of Ouray County, named for the great Ute chief, lies pocketed in a pear-shaped valley, with WHITE HOUSE MOUNTAIN (13,493 alt.) on the west, HAYDEN MOUNTAIN (13,100 alt.) on the south, and CASCADE MOUNTAIN (12,100 alt.) to the northwest. To the east, extending upward to the crest of the range, is a great natural amphitheater, part of the Ouray State Game Refuge. Densely wooded, but with many small parks, it is easily accessible on foot. Years ago the area was stocked with elk. Many are now so tame that they often wander along the streets of the town and through back yards, occasionally getting their antlers entangled in the family wash.

— Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941)

Spring in the Rockies can be like a good relationship going through a long break up. At first the snow piles high and everything is transformed and clean white. It’s all beautiful, new, exciting and fresh. Eventually the romance begins to fade, new fallen snow is more of a hassle to shovel and plow than a joy to see. Then it melts off, leaving things uglier, slushier, muddier than they were to begin with. Then it snows again, like a desperate one nighter, trying to reclaim a bit of winter’s passion. But it quickly flees again, it wasn’t meant to be and it leaves another dirty, slushy mess behind. And it will happen again, another quickie snowstorm before summer officially arrives — final break-up sex if you will.

If you’ve ever lived through a Western winter and spring — or a really long and tedious break up — you know what I mean.

***

KC O’Connor is a Guide to Wyoming for The American Guide. He’s a writer and photographer based in Lander, Wyoming. Follow him on Tumblr and Twitter.

TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA  The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.   Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born. Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.”  Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks. Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup. * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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TWO GUNS, ARIZONA 

The sheer amount of hucksterism, fires, shootings, cultural atrocities, failed businesses, robbery and general western mayhem that have cursed this piece of desert reads like a history of Arizona itself.  

Two Guns started life as Canyon Diablo and was nothing much more than a shortcut to Winslow through a canyon that flooded every year, making it impassible. Then, around 1910, a bridge was built over the canyon and it became part of the National Old Trails Road (AKA the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway) that went from New York City to San Francisco.  In 1926, the southwest portion of the road was designated as U.S. Highway 66 — both the iconic Route 66 and the future Two Guns tourist attraction were born.

Assorted ruins from the history of the property still stand, most notably the zoo of Fort Two Guns built along the canyon by Harry “Indian” Miller, who advertised himself as “Chief Crazy Thunder.” 

Miller also created a tourist attraction in a nearby cave that was the site of an 1878 mass execution of 42 Apaches and their horses. It had been part of a raid on Navajo land and they were burned alive by the Navajo as retribution.  He called it “Mystery Cave” and created his own fake ruins — both inside the cave and above it — offering guided tours as well as a gift shop selling the bones of the dead Apaches and cold soft drinks.

Guide Note: Located thirty miles east of Flagstaff at exit 230 on I-40, look for the abandoned yellow roofed KOA on the south side of the highway to find one of the most worthwhile stops you can make between Flagstaff and Gallup.

* * *

At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.

THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book. - Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around. * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book. - Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around. * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book. - Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around. * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book. - Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around. * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book. - Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around. * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book. - Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941) Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around. * * * Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.
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THE PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

In his younger days Zane Grey, writer of western fiction, lived for a time in Dove Creek, and much of his novel Riders of the Purple Sage is said to have been written here. There are several elderly townsfolk who identify themselves with characters in the book.

- Colorado, A Guide To the Highest State (WPA, 1941)

Dove Creek, Colorado is the Pinto Bean Capital of the World.  The biggest landmark near the town is an enormous bean elevator that can be seen from miles around.

* * *

Amadee Ricketts is an At-Large Guide to the West. She’s worked as a cemetary groundskeeper, a shoeshine valet, and a bill collector. More recently, she’s been a children’s librarian in five states. She takes a lot of pictures and lives near Durango, CO. You can see her photos at textless.tumblr.com.

HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past. All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive. Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place.  Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later. Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place. Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites. Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website * * * At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.
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HOVENWEEP - COLORADO/UTAH BORDER

In an area of the United States where a 50 year old building is considered ancient history sits the Hovenweep National Monument.  Starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago, this high desert outpost just an hour north of the Four Corners on the Colorado / Utah border, is a frequently overlooked treasure of the region’s cryptic past.

All too often, visits to the other major archaeological sites in the area like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde end up feeling like a trip to the mall with its accompanying crush of people and visual clutter of signs and rope fences.  Hovenweep, with an average of only 25,000 visitors each year, is the complete opposite.  It is a uniquely personal, remote and beautiful experience that is well worth the drive.

Named for the Ute word for deserted valley, Hovenweep lives up to its name, sitting on the 30 mile long Cajon Mesa in the Great Sage Plain in near silence.   Standing out there it seems inconceivable that thousands of people once lived and farmed in such a harsh and, to us, remote place. 

Starting around A.D. 500 ancestral Puebloans began settling in the area; by A.D. 900 they began living at Hovenweep.  The six villages that make up the monument were built starting around A.D. 1200 and ultimately abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century due to a combination of a 20 year drought, increased population, and hostilities in the area.  The ruins left behind are a conglomerate of unique architectural styles, many still standing on their own some 700 years later.

Start at the visitors’ center and the Square Tower complex behind it.  Keep in mind that at one time the sage plain that surrounds you had farm fields spread out over an area the size of 300 city blocks in every direction, and you will begin to understand the enormity and complexity of what was once a very busy place.

Stay at the 31-site campground near the visitors’ center and explore all six ruins, or spend a few days and take in some of the adjacent Canyons of the Ancients National Monument’s 176,056 acres and 6,000 recorded archeological sites.

Guide Note: Hovenweep at National Park Service website

* * *

At-Large Guide to the West James Orndorf was born in Minnesota, but knew at a very young age that the future lay out west. He is currently photographing and illustrating outside of Durango, Colorado. You can see what he’s up to at inlandwest.tumblr.com and roughshelter.com.

SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA “I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?” “Never heard of it.” I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents. Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars. In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city. The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April.  * * * Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.
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SIKH PARADE - STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA

“I just got back from the Sikh Parade,” I tell my friends. “The what?” they say. “The Sikh Parade. Starts near the beginning of San Joaquin Street, snakes through Downtown and across Weber, then back up California Street. Ya know?”

“Never heard of it.”

I’ve attended the Sikh Parade for three years in a row now, and I maintain that it is one of the most enjoyable and liberating events that Stockton, California, has to offer its residents.

Fresh, delicious Indian food is available on every street corner. Cultural music spills out of float speakers as they roll by. A wash of vibrant, colorful fabric streams through the street — collecting the bright spring sunlight and reflecting it against shop windows and the dashboards of parked cars.

In 2012, the April parade preluded the October celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara on South Grant Street. This temple is the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States, and Sikhs from all over the California Central Valley come to visit and participate in the parade’s progression through the city.

The Sikh parade happens each year at the tail end of April. 

* * *

Brandon Getty is a State Guide to California, specifically the Central Valley region and his home city of Stockton. Follow on Tumblr at Maps to Stockton, on blogspot at Shooting Daggers, or on his Carbonmade Portfolio.

The roadside splendor of Mesa, Arizona’s Buckhorn Baths Motel could have been relinquished to strip mall sprawl, but Jason P. Woodbury sends word of its provisional salvation: Mesa residents resoundingly approved a bond measure allowing the city to purchase the property for historic preservation. The actual sale remains subject to negotiation. Prior to the vote, Gary Nelson of the AZ Republic penned an eloquent homage to Buckhorn Baths’ history… Now virtually frozen in time on the northwest corner of Main Street and Recker Road, Buckhorn was for generations a glowing beacon in the desert, tapping rich veins of the national psyche. Read Nelson’s full article here to discover how Buckhorn brought Major League Baseball to Arizona and follow Jason on Tumblr at jasonpwoodbury.tumblr.com.
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The roadside splendor of Mesa, Arizona’s Buckhorn Baths Motel could have been relinquished to strip mall sprawl, but Jason P. Woodbury sends word of its provisional salvation: Mesa residents resoundingly approved a bond measure allowing the city to purchase the property for historic preservation. The actual sale remains subject to negotiation. Prior to the vote, Gary Nelson of the AZ Republic penned an eloquent homage to Buckhorn Baths’ history… Now virtually frozen in time on the northwest corner of Main Street and Recker Road, Buckhorn was for generations a glowing beacon in the desert, tapping rich veins of the national psyche. Read Nelson’s full article here to discover how Buckhorn brought Major League Baseball to Arizona and follow Jason on Tumblr at jasonpwoodbury.tumblr.com.
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The roadside splendor of Mesa, Arizona’s Buckhorn Baths Motel could have been relinquished to strip mall sprawl, but Jason P. Woodbury sends word of its provisional salvation: Mesa residents resoundingly approved a bond measure allowing the city to purchase the property for historic preservation. The actual sale remains subject to negotiation. Prior to the vote, Gary Nelson of the AZ Republic penned an eloquent homage to Buckhorn Baths’ history… Now virtually frozen in time on the northwest corner of Main Street and Recker Road, Buckhorn was for generations a glowing beacon in the desert, tapping rich veins of the national psyche. Read Nelson’s full article here to discover how Buckhorn brought Major League Baseball to Arizona and follow Jason on Tumblr at jasonpwoodbury.tumblr.com.
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The roadside splendor of Mesa, Arizona’s Buckhorn Baths Motel could have been relinquished to strip mall sprawl, but Jason P. Woodbury sends word of its provisional salvation: Mesa residents resoundingly approved a bond measure allowing the city to purchase the property for historic preservation. The actual sale remains subject to negotiation.

Prior to the vote, Gary Nelson of the AZ Republic penned an eloquent homage to Buckhorn Baths’ history…

Now virtually frozen in time on the northwest corner of Main Street and Recker Road, Buckhorn was for generations a glowing beacon in the desert, tapping rich veins of the national psyche.

Read Nelson’s full article here to discover how Buckhorn brought Major League Baseball to Arizona and follow Jason on Tumblr at jasonpwoodbury.tumblr.com.

Every farmer wants to own or rent more land, buy more and bigger farming machines, and then acquire still more land to keep his machines profitably employed. Little avarice or scheming is involved in this continued reaching out; there is plenty of land for everyone. Montanans are merely so accustomed to vastness that anything less than huge seems trivial to them. — Montana, A State Guide Book (WPA, 1939)
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Every farmer wants to own or rent more land, buy more and bigger farming machines, and then acquire still more land to keep his machines profitably employed. Little avarice or scheming is involved in this continued reaching out; there is plenty of land for everyone. Montanans are merely so accustomed to vastness that anything less than huge seems trivial to them. — Montana, A State Guide Book (WPA, 1939)
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Every farmer wants to own or rent more land, buy more and bigger farming machines, and then acquire still more land to keep his machines profitably employed. Little avarice or scheming is involved in this continued reaching out; there is plenty of land for everyone. Montanans are merely so accustomed to vastness that anything less than huge seems trivial to them. — Montana, A State Guide Book (WPA, 1939)
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Every farmer wants to own or rent more land, buy more and bigger farming machines, and then acquire still more land to keep his machines profitably employed. Little avarice or scheming is involved in this continued reaching out; there is plenty of land for everyone. Montanans are merely so accustomed to vastness that anything less than huge seems trivial to them. — Montana, A State Guide Book (WPA, 1939)
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Every farmer wants to own or rent more land, buy more and bigger farming machines, and then acquire still more land to keep his machines profitably employed. Little avarice or scheming is involved in this continued reaching out; there is plenty of land for everyone. Montanans are merely so accustomed to vastness that anything less than huge seems trivial to them.

— Montana, A State Guide Book (WPA, 1939)