Above the Norm

Arizona: 100 Years Old Today

2012-02-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

I want to wish my state, Arizona a happy 100th birthday. "Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, and it achieved statehood on February 14, 1912. Arizona is noted for its desert climate in its southern half, where there are very hot summers and quite mild winters. The northern half of Arizona also features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and spruce trees, a very large, high plateau and some mountain ranges such as the San Francisco Mountains, as well as large, deep canyons, where there is much more moderate weather for three seasons of the year, plus significant snowfalls." (from Wikipedia)

There are many celebrations going on all over the state. Here are some of the places where you can find these events:
http://phoenix.about.com/od/phoenixfactsandfiction/a/Arizona-Centennial.htm

Arizona history:
http://www.arizonaguide.com/experience-and-share/featured-article/100-years-of-arizonas-wild-west-past

To Purchase the book, "Arizona, 100 Years Grand":

http://az100yearsgrand.com/Purchase

Clive Has an Admirer

2012-02-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I headed over to Sharon's for another day trip looking for abandoned places. Sitting on her counter as you walk in the door is Clive, her zombie buddy. I noticed Clive wearing his Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse necklace and had a big box of chocolate covered human parts. Sharon said his secret admirer sent it to him. I am happy for Clive but didn't want to know what was hidden inside the chocolate.

"Be my zombie Valentine"

On the Road Again

2012-02-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

Off doing more exploring and taking pictures of abandoned places.

Vulture Mine: From the Outside

2012-02-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, sadly Vulture Mine is still closed. This time I got pictures from outside the gate and fence along Vulture Mine road. At least I could see most of the buildings.

machine shop and power plant

ball mill

machine shop and power plant

the mine

assay building

Ball Mill and Power Plant

owner's house

gate house

Vulture Mine: A Sad Little Cemetery

2012-02-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

After enjoying a pie and iced coffee in Wickenburg, Sharon and I decided to see if Vulture Mine was opened and check out its cemetery nearby. As you drive up to the gate of the cemetery, all you see is white crosses. Many of those who were killed at Vulture Mine, were buried at that cemetery. As we walked around we noticed only one grave had a visible headstone. The rest were unknown which made it a sad place to be.

Yarnell: A Second Look

2012-02-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

After a nice breakfast in Skull Valley, we headed back home. When we got to Yarnell, we wanted to explore this interesting town once more. On our first cruise around town, we found lots of abandoned buildings. We checked out some other roads we didn't explore the first time. We ended up in a neighborhood with some cute homes. As we drove further back, we saw a park and decided to get out and take a potty break. We found beautiful paths leading down to a creek and interesting old trees. We even did one of our silly Bigfoot videos with foot and butt prints. (Check out Sharon's Bigfoot video and others: http://www.ghosthuntingtheories.com/2012/01/road-trips-with-me-areweird.html )

Skull Valley: Just Another Mayberry

2012-02-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

After spending the night in Kirkland, Sharon and I decided we needed to check the town of Skull Valley which was only 7 miles away. We were told the town got its name because of the many skulls found buried in the area. I didn't find much information on this tiny place, but with a name like Skull Valley, we just had to see what the place looked like.

We pictured a desolate place with dead trees and vultures sitting on them waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting visitors. We couldn't have been more wrong. It was more like, "welcome to Mayberry", rather than "hell". It was a sweet and quaint place with a small hometown cafe, market, and gas/garage with 50's looking pumps out front. The homes were in great condition with the yards groomed with pride. There was a museum which was closed and a darling little school house. We were also amazed at all the huge trees lining the streets, which were probably about 100 years old. The town is definitely off the beaten path and one of the great finds on the back roads of Arizona.

Kirkland: Outside the Steakhouse

2012-02-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Pictures from outside the Bar and Steakhouse in Kirkland, AZ.

You can't go potty here unless you
buy a drink!

100 year old tree survived the fire. The horse is the owner's
and wonders the grounds freely.

The town of Kirkland at sunrise.

Kirkland: The Ghost of Mary

2012-02-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Off highway 89 in Arizona, you will find the tiny town of Kirkland. This town has around 35 residence living there with the main attraction being its Steakhouse/Bar/Hotel. Kirkland was founded in 1863 by William H. Kirkland. The steakhouse was once a brothel with 7 rooms and is constructed of wood and concrete. In the basement was a huge 1880 Wells Fargo safe which was broken into many times and built in concrete. It is now located on the main level in a room next to the stage.

When Sharon and I arrived, we entered through the bar where we got the key to our room. Cheryl was the lady who greeted us, served our beers, and gave us a tour and the history of the place. She was a fantastic hostess. The building is divided into two or rather three sections. One side is the restaurant with a large grill for the steaks, plenty of seating, a stage and dance floor. Next to that is the bar and through a door is where the rooms can be found.

Cheryl took us to the restaurant first and showed us an image of a woman imprinted in one of the wood slats. The wood was added when the room was remodeled and came from a chicken coop. This image was not on the wood when it was installed but appeared with time along with other faces. The story is told that the woman's face is that of Mary, a madame whose throat was slashed in 1916. Many have seen her ghostly figure in the same location as the image. Each time she manifests, her features become more clear.

Mary is not the only ghost story being told by witnesses at the Kirkland Steakhouse and Bar. In 1922, the second floor of the building burnt down. About two years ago hand prints started appearing on the ceiling above the area near the kitchen. Sharon and I saw the prints and it looks as if someone was being dragged along the ceiling by their hands. The bizarre thing is the ceilings are very high and the owners don't have a ladder which would reach that high. It is one of the mysteries of this interesting and rustic place.

Cheryl told us that a paranormal team based out of Prescott did an investigation in the building. One of the investigators saw a dark male figure when she opened the door to room 8. Another investigator took 3 consecutive pictures in the room and on the last photo was a dark shadow figure of a man. They also reported hearing music which Sharon and I both experienced throughout the night. We also found out that the owners are selling the place, so if you are interested in buying a haunted bar and restaurant in a tiny town, check out their website: http://www.kirklandbarandsteakhouse.com/

The following photos are from inside the bar and restaurant. Outside pictures will be in the next post.

Vintage Travel Posters

2012-02-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

(c. 1925)

The poster above, "New Mexico and Arizona rockies. Land of history and mystery" is a lithography by The Willmarths. The print is described as a "poster showing a woman purchasing beads and pottery from a Native American man." (Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, www.bpl.org)

The posters were commissioned by travel agents and offices as modes of transportation developed and the railways opened to those looking for luxury travel. Included in the collection are prints of American, European, and Asian cities -- then reachable by boat, plane, and train.

(from: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2012/01/spotted_arizona_the_land_of_hi_4.php)

The Lure of National Parks by Dorothy Waugh (c. 1930)

These posters are on display at the Boston Public Library, but not for sale.

Check out all of the posters on the Boston Public Library flicker page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/sets/72157618058787787/

Yarnell: Along Highway 89

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Highway 89 leaving Yarnell and heading towards Prescott.

We were surprised to see all the abandoned places in Yarnell, AZ which were along Highway 89. This quaint little town had many boarded up businesses and homes. The people were very nice and never made us feel weird about taking pictures of their abandoned structures. The town was named after Harrison Yarnell, who was a prospector. This mining town was once booming, but with the closing of the mines and the tough economy, it became almost a ghost town. Today around 650 people still call Yarnell home.

Sitting all alone.

Sharon's favorite abandoned place in town.

There were other faces carved in the ends of each post.

This mannequin face scared the crap out of me when I first saw it.

A very artsy gate and fence.

One of the many business which gone belly-up.

Another bank-owned business.

This giant frog was just sitting there enjoying the nice weather.

Matthew's Day Off

2012-01-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

One of those wacky Super Bowl commercials.

Morristown: Another Look

2012-01-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

January 2011

A year ago, Sharon and I took the same route to Wickenburg and then to Prescott where we stayed the night. Along the way we stopped in Morristown because a large abandoned building was right on the road just begging to have its picture taken. Behind it was a trailer we figured the owners must have lived in at one time. We couldn't pass it by on this trip, so we decided to take another look to see what a year and the harsh desert elements did to the structures.

The building looked basically the same with the vines growing up the side looking a bit more dead than they did a year earlier. The trailer looked like it took a beating and looked much more haggard than the first time around. Time was not kind to this poor little trailer sitting under the huge tree.

January 2011

January 2012

Wickenburg: Just Good Country Living

2012-01-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

Traveling to Kirkland from my house takes you through Wickenburg. This city is located about 60 miles northwest from Phoenix in the southwest Sonoran Desert. On the town's brochure, they refer to Wickenburg as the place with "clean air, good country living, western hospitality and all-around high quality of life". I would have to agree. It is the perfect mix of old west/modern with its historical downtown and beautiful large homes on the outskirts of town. And yes, the air is clean.

Wickenburg was founded in 1863 and named after Henry Wickenburg, who also founded Vulture Mine. He was a farmer and prospector who donated or sold much of his land in the area where Wickenburg now sits. Surrounding the city is Weaver Mountains, named after Pauline Weaver, with Vulture Mine nearby. Sadly, Vulture Mine is still closed but we were able to get pictures from the outside which I will post later.

If you find yourself in Wickenburg, check out the chamber of Commerce, grabbed a brochure from the nice people working there, and take a walk around town to check out all the historical sites.

First Stop, Whittman

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Around 35 miles from Phoenix on Grand Avenue stands the tiny town of Whittman. Most people traveling from Phoenix to Kingman or Las Vegas would just pass this place by and not even realizing they just drove through it. Sharon and I are not most people, so we went exploring. It didn't take long before finding abandoned structures which used to be someone's home. Now these houses stand empty and alone with only its memories hidden within the decaying walls. I am sure the town's folks probably thought we were crazy taking pictures of these buildings, but we didn't care and just snapped away. This is what we found on our first time through Whittman. We decided to hit this town again on our way back and I will show all those pictures on another post.

Road Trip 2012

2012-01-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sharon and I are taking our first road trip of 2012. We are on the look out for great abandoned places and ghosts. Be looking for our posts, pictures and videos from the trip.

Arizona’s Meteor Crater

2012-01-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

About 50,000 years ago, a deep hole was formed when a meteor struck the Earth about 35 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona. This crater measured three-quarters of a mile wide and was about 700 feet deep. This impact caused hurricane-force winds blowing in all directions with about 175 million tons of rock thrown into the air. It only took 10 seconds to form the meteor crater causing a huge void surrounding the area.

At first, it was thought that a volcanic blast caused the large gap in the Earth’s surface, until in 1903, Daniel Barringer, a Philadelphia mining engineer, went to the site. He determined that the huge cavity was made by an enormous meteor. Barringer bore holes at the bottom of the crater to prove that he was accurate. He found oxidized meteorite fragments which convinced other researchers that his theory was correct.

The owners of the Crater proclaim it to be “the first proven, best-preserved meteorite crater on earth.”

I have been able to visit the Crater twice. My first visit was in the summer with my family when my kids were little and another time was in February with friends of ours from Pennsylvania. It was so cold and windy on the February visit. The place has a visitor center with much information about the Meteor Crater. You can watch videos on how it was formed as well as seeing pieces of the meteor itself. You step outside and take various paths to landings that hang over the crater to get an amazing view of how enormous the hole is. It is definitely a site to be seen if you ever get to Arizona.

Mother Nature's Weird Creations

2012-01-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

What Is In a Name?

2012-01-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Every state has them, those bizarre and funny town names, creeks and rivers. Arizona has no shortage of them. I often wonder where the names come from. Did a group of town councilmen have too much to drink or too much sun and decided that “Why” a good name for their town? Perhaps a bloody battle or another event occurred and the creek or town was named after that incident? Or better yet, it was named after a person with a wacky name? I decided to check into the stories behind some of these unusual names to see if I can get to the bottom of where the names came from.

Wet Beaver Creek & Dry Beaver Creek:

Named for the abundant amount of beavers that lived in the area. Mines out of the gutter people on other possible reasons for the names, lol.

Bloody Basin: This is a historical area where dinosaurs once dominated and in the early 1900’s a bloody battle against Yavapai hostiles and a military outfit once fought. Many were killed during this battle.

Horsethief Basin:

Not much information found about this place but I imagine the name had to do with horse thieves (duh)

Boneyard:

Is actually an area where retired aircraft are kept until they are turned into scrap metal. The southwest is a great location for these boneyards because of the dry conditions which reduces corrosion.

Bootlegger Crossing: This area is located near Williams, Arizona. I didn’t find much about the history of the name but I imagine that someone like Granny Clampit or Bo & Luke Duke once sold their “homemade remedies” or booze in that area. Must have been a hot meeting place to make the exchange.

Bumble Bee: This place now stands as a ghost town in the Bradshaw Mountains of Arizona. It once was a booming town with a stagecoach stop, outpost for the U.S. Cavalry and post office. With the downfall of mining and stagecoach runs, the town eventually was abandoned. Bumble Bee was named for the nearby Bumble Bee Creek. And here I thought it was named for all the bees that were buzzing around the area.

Goobertown: I couldn’t get enough information on this town so I just figured it was named after a goober, lol. (Perhaps Goober Pyle?)

Goodyear: This town was named for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company that purchased it in 1917.

Nothing: Stories were told by the people living this town to anyone who traveled through; the town was named by a bunch of drunks. LOL, no surprise there.

Surprise:

Speaking of surprise, this Arizona town was founded in 1983 by developer Homer C. Ludden and named after his hometown of Surprise, Nebraska.

Why: This town sits in the Y-intersection of State Routes 85 and 86 and the founders were going to call it “Y”. Apparently there was an Arizona law that required all city and town names to be at least three letters, the name was changed to “Why”.

Ajo: The word Ajo (pronounced AH-hoe) is Spanish for garlic. Some say the Spanish may have named the place after O’odham or paint (o’oho), which sounds similar to Ajo. The red paint pigment taken from the area by the Tohono O’odham aided in giving Ajo its name.

Hell Hole: In 1860, when Senator Benjamin Wade stated that Arizona was “just like Hell” because of the lack of water and prominent people, it created a song, “Hell in Arizona”. Basically the song was about how the Devil was given Arizona because of various types of horrid animals and plants. There are a few places around the state known as “Hell Holes”.

Santa Claus and Christmas:

Someone had a sense of humor naming towns in Arizona after a person and winter season that we associate with the North, frickin’ cold, Pole. Santa Claus is located northwest of Kingman and designed by Nina Talbot, a huge real estate agent in California. Was it the fact that she sold many homes or that she weighed 300 pounds that made her huge? Anyhoo, she opened the town of Santa Claus in 1937, modeling it after the North Pole and Santa’s workshop, using it as an attraction to sell the surrounding land. Christmas: This town got its name when two mines that were thought to be dry and located in the Copper Springs Mountains were shut down and reopened after they resurveyed the area. Since they were located outside these mountains, they were able to resurrect the mines which were now producing oodles of minerals. The mines were reopened on Christmas morning and the name “Christmas” stuck. Today, the post office in Christmas receives letters from all over the world during the holiday season to get that Christmas seal stamped on it.

Two Guns:

Originally this town was called “Canyon Lodge” until the National Trail Highway headed west and later became “Route 66”. The town folks changed the name of the town to “Two Guns” after one of the local residents, Henry E. Miller, who liked to call himself, “Two Gun Miller.”

Arsenic Tubs: In a mineral hot springs located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Graham County, the combination of the mineral substance in the water and the natural “tubs” in the rocks is what gave this town its name.

Total Wreck:

Named by John L. Dillon in 1875 when he thought the mine that stood firm and rigid, looked like, “A total wreck.”

Barely Hanging On

2012-01-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how some of the abandoned places we have visited had walls and ceilings still standing when they have deteriorated so much. Even though we are unsure of the soundness of the structures, we enter carefully to get that wonderful picture. Here are some of those places we saw on our trips:

"Nester's trailer" was barely standing.

The burnt out house with just the fireplace left.

Old tin factory with the roof falling in.

The Domes are crumbling down.

Abandoned homes barely standing on the side of the hill.

The Assay office with deteriorating walls and roof.

Parts of walls standing by themselves.

A lone window holding up a crumbling roof.

Tin building with missing walls and ceilings used to house machines.

Shops missing their roof leaving the walls to stand alone.

The Slaughterhouse, all that is standing are some walls with graffiti on them.

A fireplace stands alone where a room once was.

Brunckow's Cabin and Its Bloody History

2012-01-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

I wrote this last year and thought the bloody history and ghost sightings of the ruins where Brunckow’s cabin once stood is worthy of a repeat. I am still hoping to get to see this place for myself, but many of those who have said there aren’t much left to look at. The ghost sightings and history give it good enough reasons to visit this site especially at night.

Approximately 8 miles southwest of Tombstone, there lies the ruins of a cabin know as “the bloodiest cabin in Arizona history”. The Brunckow’s cabin was built in 1858 by a German mining engineer, Frederick Brunckow. Brunckow worked a mine on the San Pedro which was located near his cabin.

History is told that 21 people were murdered in his cabin, including Brunckow. Even though he was able to escape the divine retribution of the Apache, he could not escape the Mexicans that took his life. The story is told that he was killed by his own rock drill and then thrown down one of his shafts. After his murder, 17 others were killed before 1880, with three more after that.

Today the meager ruins of the cabin are all that can be found. There are claims of seeing ghosts by those who dare to camp at the cabin and say it is haunted. Perhaps Brunckow and the others have never left the place where their lives were violently taken.

Shining Through

2012-01-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about taking photos of abandoned places is the way the light shines through the cracks, worn out ceilings and walls. The light peeking through can form the most interesting look making your photography shine.

Machine Shop, Vulture Mine

motel, Gila Bend

Domes

Domes, "Beam me up Scottie"

abandoned shop, Gila Bend

Domes

slaughterhouse (looks like a dead body)

abandoned motel, Picacho Peak

church, Globe

Guess the Movie

2012-01-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Twitter. From the clues, what movie is this?

Dead and Buried: House of the Spirits

2012-01-11T03:00:00.001-07:00

Ancient Indian Proverb:

“Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.”

For thousands of years, tucked in the mountains or scattered amongst the desolate dirt floors of the southwest desert, Indian ruins of ancient civilizations can be found. These past inhabitants left their partially ruin structures, pottery shards, painted rocks, and tools leaving us to speculate how they were able to survive the harsh desert. The Sinagua, Salado, and Hohokam Indians were amongst the Native Americans that once thrived around the 12^th century and then mysteriously disappeared in the vast desert wasteland.

Besh Ba-Gowah:

A 700 year old Salado Indian ruins on the outskirts of Globe, AZ. The name Besh Ba-Gowah comes from the Apache language and means, “place of metal” or “metal camp”. The narrow passages throughout the ruins served as a defense mechanism against enemies or other dangers to those who lived there. Each structure is made of heavy stones, two stories with storage on the bottom and each family living in the upper level. It is believed the Salado Indians were a highly developed group of people with remarkable abilities to create utensils, decorative pottery and colorful cotton cloths. What really happened to the Salado remains a mystery to this day.

Montezuma Castle:

For over 400 years, the Sinagua people lived in a dwelling tucked in the red rocks in the Verde Valley near Sedona, AZ. The dwelling was made of limestone and located about 100 feet above Oat Creek. The Sinagua were hunters, gatherers, artisans and also disappeared mysteriously.

Tuzigoot:

Another place where the Sinagua people lived was on a hilltop between Sedona and Jerome, AZ. Tuzigoot, which means “crooked water”, is made of massive cobblestone and were uneven two story dwellings. Like the Montezuma Castle Sinagua people, they were highly skilled. They constructed many canals for irrigation for their entire crop. They also vanished without a trace like the other Native American people.

Hohokam:

Back in 200 B.C. until around 1450, the Hohokam people lived in the south-central area of the Arizona. From the Hohokam ruins which have been unearthed, we can see they were skilled group of farmers who built elaborate canals that went on for miles. They grew corn, beans, squash, agave, and cotton for clothing and other uses to protect themselves from the harsh environment. They were hunters, fishermen, and used the desert materials to build their homes. What happened to the Hohokam? Some stories say they went back to Mexico because Arizona was too hard on them, and other stories say they split up into different tribes. Perhaps the answers are in the many petroglyphs left on the stones in various places throughout the state.

More of those Indian proverbs:

Crazy Horse – “A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.”

Hopi – “Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.”

Apache – “It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.”

Blackfoot – “Those that lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.”

He's Back!

2012-01-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

After a year of staying away from the bloggersphere, Mike is back with his movie review blog. Mike used to partner with me on this blog in 2009, but work and personal reasons caused him to hand over the reins to me. He was overwhelmed with seeing tons of movies and doing reviews on them in 2010, so he decided to take 2011 off and deleted his movie blog.

Now, looking good after losing lots of weight and just getting a full-time job, he is back. Mike's reviews are honest, funny, and usually the way most of us see movies. This is what he wrote on his blog:
"Welcome to my blog! This will be all about my love of cinema...and perhaps some television things here and there as well. I love movies with a passion. The movies are a place to immerse yourself in a completely different world that is not your own and allows you to escape any issues you may be having that day. For me, going to a movie is a way to relax. I'm not a self proclaimed film buff per say, I just love film. These are mainly a compilation of my review of new movies. These are MY opinion on how that particular movie made me feel and react. We ALL have different opinions of the same thing"..... (Check out his blog to read the rest.) http://mikeyatthemovies11.blogspot.com/

So hop on over to Mike's blog, become a follower, and add your comments to his posts.