Restored schoolhouse at Fairbank, AZ.

We had been intending to visit Fairbank for at least a year. Yesterday, Ms. Karen and I took a Sunday drive and had a look around this 1880′s ghost town.

Fairbank was named for Chicago investor Nathaniel Fairbank. He was the founder of the Grand Central Mining Company, which had investments in several Tombstone silver mines. In the 1880′s Fairbank was the closest railhead to Tombstone, then one of the largest cities in the West.

Fairbank, AZ: ca. 1890.

From Fairbank, trains took silver ore from the Tombstone mines and delivered it to the stamp mills at Contention City and Charleston. When the Butterfield Overland Mail Line started in 1885, Fairbank was also an important stage stop.

By 1886, Fairbank had about 100 residents. The little town boasted a steam quartz mill, a general store, a butcher shop, a restaurant, a saloon, a Wells Fargo office, the railroad depot, and a stage coach station.

Today, the schoolhouse has been restored. Inside we found a knowledgable docent, his dog, and many books and historical photos about this area along the San Pedro River. Outdoors, there are numerous interpretive plaques that help identify some of the old buildings and explain what life in Fairbank was like back then. Fairbank is open to the public 9:30 – 4:30. There are trails from the schoolhouse north along the San Pedro to the cemetery. We’ll return in the spring to photograph the cemetery and surrounding area when all the vegetation is green. Yesterday, the wind was cold and all the vegetation, including the giant cottonwoods along the river, looked dead-dead.

Millville trail head sign off the Charleston Road just east of the San Pedro River.

From Fairbank, we picked up the Charleston Road at Tombstone and headed southwest toward Sierra Vista hoping to come across the ruins of Charleston and Millville. Just before crossing the bridge over the San Pedro, Ms. Karen spotted an outhouse and a rail fence that looked suspiciously like it might be related to one of the ghost towns we were searching for. A quick U-ee and we approached the trailhead sign just off the north side of the road.

Giant cottonwood tree on the grounds of the San Pedro House. The little house in the background is constructed of railroad ties and was the playhouse for the young daughter of a rancher who lived here many decades ago.

From there we wanted to visit the Clovis site, but a slight navigational error put us too far south, so we just continued on to the San Pedro House. Operated by Friends of the San Pedro River, this is where you come to learn first hand about this rare and important Southern Arizona riparian conservation area. They have have a self-guided walking tour, and bookstore, and some merchandise. Ms. Karen acquired a specialty hummingbird feeder and two large Nyjer Thistle Socks (nylon bird feeders). All through the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area are all sorts of wild critters and dozens of species of birds.

Not far away, we found the trailhead for the Mammoth Kill site, but again, my legs were not up to the one mile hike. After that, we continued south to the Coronado Memorial on the International Border. This is the most likely area where the Coronado Expedition (1540-42) passed on its quest for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold that turned out to be nothing more than a Zuni pueblo in what is now New Mexico. Amazingly, the Expedition made it all the way to Kansas before giving up. However, some of expedition turned west from present-day New Mexico and became the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

The small visitor center had some paintings and video that told the story of the Coronado Expedition. They also had a conquistador’s metal helmet and some armor made of chain mail just laying in a box. So, never having handled chain mail, I picked up a suit. Unbelievably HEAVY! I have no idea how soldiers fought effectively wearing this stuff. But as to its effectiveness, Wikipedia has this to say: Mail armour provided an effective defence against slashing blows by an edged weapon and penetration by thrusting and piercing weapons; in fact a study conducted at the Royal Armouries at Leeds concluded that “it is almost impossible to penetrate using any conventional medieval weapon”

Here the Park Service has a picnic area and a nature trail along a creek. Also, there’s a trail to a nearby cave that you are welcome to explore. The Park Service suggests you bring a flashlight. Seems like a good idea.

During my recent convalescence I read fairly extensively about this remarkable expedition and just posted my take on it on our Southern Arizona Guide. My intent is to retrace the route they took through Arizona to the Zuni Pueblo this spring by foot and back road. You can read the short story by clicking HERE.

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, Jim and I had a great time at the  Women of Ft. Lowell event watching the Bisbee Black Sox play the Tucson Saguaros in an old time baseball event. Following this event, he asked Randi Bellassai of the Arizona Experience here in Tucson, to write some history.

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Bisbee, Arizona boasts an exciting piece of baseball history. It is home to the Warren Ballpark, considered the oldest continuously used professional baseball venue in the country. The field was built in 1909, five years before Wrigley Field in Chicago!

Major League Enjoyment

Many baseball legends have hit the ball in Warren. Designed for miners and their families, the field quickly became a popular stop for traveling teams. On November 7, 1913, the big leagues hit the Warren Ballpark when the New York Giants played the Chicago White Sox in a post-season game as the two teams made their way around the world by steamship (including the Lusitania, from England back to the states) and passenger train. The celebrated tour received continuous press coverage throughout 1913-1914.

During the Bisbee game, Jim Thorpe, still legendary for his strength, speed, and endurance, literally hit the ball out of the park for a memorable home run. Hal Chase, of the Giants, the Yankees, and the Cincinnati Reds, played that day, too. He would return to the Warren Ballpark in a different context. Axed from the major leagues in 1920 for fixing games in the “Black Sox” scandal, Chase later became a player-manager for the Douglas Blues. In fact, several players banned from the majors played “outlaw baseball” in Warren for Frontier and Copper Leagues throughout the 1920s.

The Warren Ballpark held 1200 striking miners during the Bisbee deportation.
Photo Courtesy the Arizona Historical Society

The Warren Ballpark is also the home of a darker piece of history. In 1917, it held nearly 1,200 striking miners during one of the ugliest labor struggles the country has ever seen. The park acted as a holding pen for the union workers, who were herded into cattle cars and transported 200 miles without food or water to Hermanas, New Mexico, and told never to return to Bisbee.

However, the games never slowed during that lively era. Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians, part of the Orange League and later the Cactus League, stood on the diamond regularly between the 1910s and the 1950s. Sometimes these teams would face each other in exhibition games. Often, the barnstorming team would play a local team, as did the Cubs on April 5, 1919. Numerous local leagues played, too.

In 1936, the ballpark received a much-needed facelift when the Works Project Association replaced its decaying wooden bleachers with a concrete grandstand. Though the improvements brought a resurgence of baseball, by 1955, the park’s main use was for high school games. For several decades the Warren Ballpark quietly deteriorated.

The Road to Renovation

In 2003, the minor leagues returned to the Warren Ballpark with the formation of the Copper Kings. Though the 2003 season was cut short, the league sparked interest in the historic field. The Friends of Warren Ballpark was formed in 2008 to preserve the Warren Ballpark and Bisbee’s baseball heritage.

Mike Anderson, a founding member of the Friends of Warren Ballpark, describes the field’s special place in history: “Warren Ballpark, like the rest of Bisbee, is a window into time. It is one of the best remaining examples of the ballparks that provided the primary focal point of community entertainment for thousands of towns and cities, large and small, across the United States during the first half of the 20th century. It was the place where residents of the Warren Mining District gathered to watch baseball, football, soccer, rugby, cricket, rodeo, professional wrestling and blockbuster silent movies.”

In 2010 the group began a new tradition for the old ball field—a vintage baseball event!  The Copper City Classic Vintage Baseball Tournament is bringing the glory days back in grand style. The event draws “vintage baseball” teams from as far away as Illinois. Fans, or “cranks” can watch teams play in colorful vintage uniforms and enjoy a slice of the past at this fun, unique hat tip to the national pastime.

On April 6th, and 7^th, 2013, the 4^th Annual Copper City Classic will celebrate the centennial of the Warren Ballpark exhibition game between  the New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox. Six future Hall of Fame inductees played on the Warren Ballpark that day.  The tour was a huge media event throughout 1913 and 1914. Vintage teams from Chicago and the Big Apple will step onto the Warren Ballpark to play against a host of other vintage teams in a two-day extravaganza.

Now the small field is seeing big plans. The Copper City Classic is becoming a national event, and the Warren Ballpark was recently featured on a Japanese TV program on vintage baseball along with Fenway, Wrigley, and Safeco Field in Seattle! The Copper Kings returned in 2008 and 2011 to play in the Pacific Southwest Baseball League.  The site is under consideration for designation as a part of a state historic district, and the facilities are being refurbished piece by piece. Renovation plans for bathrooms and the grandstand are in the works.

“The amazing thing about this ballpark is that it is still the focal point, 103 years after its opening, of outdoor community entertainment and events in Bisbee. And, if we can keep it in good shape, it will continue be a gathering place for Bisbee residents for decades, and hopefully centuries, to come,” says Anderson.

To learn more about the Warren Ballpark’s national baseball heritage, historic players, local leagues, and how you can help preserve this invaluable piece of American history, visit the Friends of Warren Ballpark.

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This article guest written by The Arizona Experience.

The Arizona Experience celebrates 100 years of statehood. Explore Arizona with interactive maps, oral histories, timelines, videos, images, and articles.  Plan the perfect vacation with the interactive Recreation and Cultural Sites Map and find lesson plans and dynamic classroom resources at the Teachers Center.

This morning in my mailbox was the new Tohono Chul brochure about the upcoming Fall & Winter activities either at, or sponsored by, the Park.

Graphically, this download-able brochure is one of the best I have ever seen. More importantly, it beautifully illustrates the Park’s amazing array of special programs, including: art, culture, music, gardens, history, tours, workshops … and their magical Holiday Nights. They even offer a whale-watching tour to Baja.

For those of you who love our Sonoran Desert and want to learn more, click HERE to download the brochure.

Tohono Chul is one of our family’s favor places. For those who don’t know much about this serene oasis in the midst of suburban Tucson, you might want to watch our short video in which Jo Falls, Tohono Chul Park’s Director of Education, talks about its many beautiful gardens and other features, such as the art galleries and greenhouse. Just click HERE.

I’m going to have lunch today at the Park’s new Garden Bistro. I hear good things. Will let you know in a couple of days.

Great Southern Arizona Getaways.

Two & Three Day Summer StayCations For Locals

San Pedro River. Courtesy of Tucson Citizen Archives

Southern Arizona StayCations are only a bit complicated because you folks in Sierra Vista may want a mini-vacation in Tucson to see a play or concert or enjoy one of our terrific museums. By contrast, you Tucsonans may want a weekend in and near Sierra Vista to hike Ramsey Canyon or explore the San Pedro River Valley.

Either way works but I have to write from the perspective of a Tucsonan since I live in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains over looking the City and Ramsey Canyon would be a respite from the summer heat. That and there are about a million more Tucsonans than Sierra Visitians.

If you’re coming into Tucson for a great weekend getaway I can happily recommend several excellent establishments for dining & lodging. Just go to Southern Arizona Guide > Main Menu > Dining & Lodging Reviews.

If you’re a Tucsonan headed to the wilds of Southern Arizona, you can do the same in reverse. I have recommended dining and lodging in Bisbee, Tombstone, Tubac, Safford, Duncan, and many other places in Southeastern Arizona.

Well, I need to modify the above slightly. I stay at the Tombstone Bordello B&B when I visit “The Town Too Tough To Die”. At least here I can get a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast, fresh fruit and all. Plus I like Ms. Lynda, the innkeeper. As soon as she says two words to you, you’ll know where she comes from.

But there are zero four & five Saguaro restaurants in Tombstone. If you want a better than average dining experience, go to Bisbee. I say this knowing it will upset the good folks of Tombstone who depend for their livelihood on tourism, but if they really gave a damn about us turistas, they would have a better-than-average restaurant. Don’t blame the messenger.

Great Summer Getaway #1: Bisbee
At a mile high, Bisbee is much cooler than Tucson and the lower elevations of the Sonoran Desert. In many ways, most of Bisbee is a living history museum. Just get out in the morning or evening and walk the town with your camera. You’ll bring home a couple of great photos as well as memories.

The Shady Dell: Bisbee, AZ

Recommended Lodging
(a) Sometime this summer I’m going to stay at The Shady Dell. This place just looks too cool not to experience it.

(b) For a first-rate B&B, definitely Joy Timber’s Calumet & Arizona Guest House. Joy has a lot of valuable local knowledge that will help you enjoy your time in Bisbee.

Recommended Dining
Breakfast: Bisbee Breakfast Club

Lunch: Jimmy’s Hot Dog Company. The only hot dog joint I know of that is recommended by Gourmet Magazine. Say “Hi” to Jimmy for us at Southern Arizona Guide.

Lunch: High Desert Market. Located a short drive up Tombstone Canyon from Old Town Bisbee.

Dinner: Café Roka (make reservations well in advance) This is one of the few 5-Saguaro restaurants in Southern Arizona.
Dinner: Rose’s Little Italy (ditto on the reservations)

Other: Also I hear Santiago’s has good Mexican food. I’m going to dine here this summer and let you know.

Recommended Things To See & Do
(a) A cocktail on the veranda of the historic Copper Queen Hotel.

(b) Copper Queen (underground) Mine Tour.

(c) Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum (so good it’s affiliated with the Smithsonian).

(d) Art galleries & other shops along Main Street. It looks pretty much as it did in this old postcard.

(e) Just walk around the hilly streets above this lovely old city, once the most populous between St. Louis and San Francisco.
(e) Check out the Bisbee Events Calendar for special events.

Great Side Trips from Bisbee Coming or Going

Tombstone, of course.

Avoid the OK Corral gunfight re-enactment (rent the video). Don’t miss the Tombstone Courthouse State Park or the office of the Tombstone Epitaph. Eat at Crystal Palace Saloon where you can admire one of the Old West’s finest bars.

Do take Dr. Jay’s Tombstone Walking Tour. You’ll learn many fascinating things about the town you thought you knew all about. Do call for reservation: 520-457-9876. Tell Dr. Jay “Hi” from Jim at Southern Arizona Guide. Maybe he’ll give you a deal.

I did on-camera interviews with Virgil Earp and Tom McLaury just before they left the saloon to head down to the OK Corral. Not surprisingly, their accounts of the events leading up to the most famous gunfight differ somewhat. If you go to Tombstone, don’t miss the tour of the Bird Cage Theater. In 1882, the New York Times referred to the Bird Cage Theater as “the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast.” I have no doubt.

The thing I like most about Tombstone is that the facts, should you do the necessary research, are far more interesting than the legends. Check out my recommended reading about this fascinating remnant of the Old West. Great reads!

Karchner Caverns State Park at Benson.

Excellent exhibits in the visitor center and a fine guided underground tour. Do make reservations. (520) 586-2283.

Holy Trinity Monastery at St. David.

Here the Benedictine monks have guesthouses for you, an RV park, a lovely little chapel, and pleasant tree-lined trails on 92 wooded acres … perfect for bird watching and a bit of serenity.

Fort Huachuca at Sierra Vista.

This old U.S. Army fort was the home of the Buffalo Soldiers and has two outstanding military museums. Today, Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center.

Ramsey Canyon

Ramsey Canyon just south of Sierra Vista.
This Nature Conservancy Preserve is one of the most beautiful places in Southern Arizona. Go to the bookstore, get an orientation from the helpful folks there, then take a hike up the canyon. It sometimes amazes me that a place this wild still exists in our over-crowded planet. Take your camera and send me your best photos of the many bird species and wild critters. Watch out for bears.

The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area
This 56,000 acre preserve is located 6 miles east of Sierra Vista. Activities include: wildlife and bird watching, picnicking, primitive camping, pre-historic and historic sites, hiking, fishing, biking, horseback riding, guided hikes, interpretive sites, and weekend children’s programs.

Here you will find the Murray Springs Clovis Site, a significant archaeological area that contains evidence of the earliest known people to inhabit North America. An interpretive trail leads visitors to the site. The area also features the ruins of the old mining town of Fairbank. The San Pedro House, a 1930’s-era converted ranch house, serves as a bookstore and visitor center.

Road to Cave Creek Canyon near Portal, AZ

Great Summer Getaway #2: Portal, AZ

Sitting at just under 5,000’ elevation on the eastern slope of the Chiricahua Mountains, Portal is the gateway to beautiful Cave Creek Canyon.

Here you can indulge in all kinds of outdoor activities, including camping, picnicking, bird watching, hiking, plus great photographic opportunities.

Fair warning: services, particularly gas stations, are few and far between out here.

Portal Arizona: Lodge, Store, and Cafe

Recommended Lodging

Portal Peak Lodge
520 558 2223

We stayed here April 2012. Clean, simple rooms, adjacent to the Portal Store and Café. Free WiFi. Only restaurant in these parts as far as I know.

Aside from a good night’s sleep, the most important thing to know about this place is they sell a fairly detailed copy of a map to these parts for $0.25. Buy one! You’ll thank me later.

No cell phone service or GPS out here.

Birders B&B

We have not stayed here, but it looks lovely. A 1930’s renovated stone guesthouse with two spacious rooms, each with private baths and patios, private phones with
modem setups.  Both rooms are located close to Cave Creek.  One room
has  a queen-sized bed, sofa bed, shower and dressing room.

The other is a handicapped accessible studio apartment with queen-sized bed, king-sized sofa bed, fully equipped kitchen, large bath with jacuzzi, and fireplace. Breakfast prepared to order.

Cave Creek Ranch
520-558-2334

I have not stayed here either, but this place gets rave reviews. Three cottages, two lodges with three apartments each, and the Ranch House. Some units have fireplaces. Each unit sleeps from 2 to 6 people. All have fully-equipped kitchens.

Bring most of your groceries with you as the nearest super market is in Willcox, except for a few items available at the little Portal Store.

The American Museum of Natural History Southwestern Research Station
520-558-2396

This is a working research center well up into the canyon. Occasionally they have rooms for non-resident researchers who just want to enjoy this beautiful setting.

To the extent it’s a drawback, meals here are served at specific times. During the day, I can only imagine you will want to be picnicking along one of the many trails above the canyon.

The George Walker House in Paradise.
This cabin, 5 1/2 miles from Portal and Cave Creek, is a 100 year old house with two  bedrooms, a dining room, a living room, a bathroom with shower and tub, a well-equipped kitchen stocked with coffee, tea, breakfast cereal, muffins, and juice, and a laundry room with washer and dryer.  There is also a screened-in front porch, and a shady patio area with picnic table and a barbecue grill. The yard is completely fenced. We have friends who think this place is wonderful.

Recommended Dining

Portal Café

As far as I know, this is the only restaurant for miles around. I gave them a 3-Saguaro rating.

Great Side Trips From Portal Coming or Going

Faraway Ranch in Bonita Canyon

Chiricahua National Monument is just over the mountain from Portal via Forest Service Road 42. On the way from Portal to the Monument or vice versa, you will see evidence of the Horseshoe 2 Fire of 2011. Not pretty. But there are other rewards along this back road.

Plan on about a two hour drive over the mountain. It’s worth it.

Once you enter the Monument, stop at the visitor center to get oriented and find out the schedule for guided tours of Faraway Ranch. Take the tour.

Bonita Canyon Campground

You can camp beside the creek in Bonita Canyon, one of the best AZ campgrounds I’ve seen. From the campground and visitor center, continue up the mountain to the Wonderland of Rocks. Quite a sight. And excellent hiking trails. Keep an eye out for the elusive coatimundi.

Coming from or going to Portal or Chiricahua National Monument, you’re likely to go through Benson and Willcox on Interstate 10. Between Benson & Willcox, just off I-10, is Texas Canyon, a place of massive boulders and one of America’s finest private museums featuring rare artifacts found throughout North and South America. The Amerind also has one of Southern Arizona’s best art galleries and picnic areas. Highly recommended.

Out this way along I-10 you will be annoyed by dozens of billboards enticing you to stop and see THE THING. Avoid the temptation.

Willcox

Last chance to fill the gas tank before heading up to the Chiricahua National Monument. Also tank up on groceries. If you’re a huge Rex Allen fan (who?) Willcox has a museum to this singing cowboy. If you were born after 1960, you won’t have a clue.

Recommended Dining

Big Tex BBQ  Dining Car by the railroad tracks. Excellent BBQ ribs.

Coronado Vineyards Near Willcox, AZ

Recommended Wine Tasting

Coming from or going to Portal or the Monument, do stop at Coronado Vineyards. For very few coins, you can sample some of the best wines produced in Southern Arizona.

Also they serve dinners there Thursdays – Saturdays starting at 5 PM.

Located a few miles east of Willcox just off the I-10.

More Recommended Summer Getaways to come.

Downtown Tucson Ghost Tour: me astride "Zippy" with Ghost Host Jean Pierre in black right behind me.

Despite the fact that yesterday, June 15, 2012, the official daytime temperature at Downtown Tucson was 104 degrees, last night was downright chilling. Allow me to explain.

I had signed up for a ghost tour of Downtown. Mounted on Zippy, my trusty red scooter, I met our ghost host, Jean Pierre, at the appointed time and place, 6:50 PM across from the Fox Theater.  Soon I was with 22 other would-be ghost hunters following our intrepid guide through the haunted streets of Tucson.

Frequently, Jean Pierre would stop in front of an old building and relay the stories that have been passed down through generations about strange goings-on inside, usually associated with an untimely death.

Along the way, several of my fellow adventurers related their personal stories of paranormal activity they had experienced in their Tucson home or Downtown hotel room. It was enough to give everyone the creeps.

Much to my delight, Jean Pierre turned out to be a pretty good historian too. To be sure, this was a ghost tour – from the inter-active ghost who haunts the Fox Theater, to the other-worldly smells emanating from the old Riley Mortuary Building (soon to become a pizza parlor), to the absent-minded ghost of the Hotel Congress, to the glowing apparition that plagues the old Scottish Rite building. But it was also an informative history tour.

Did you know that there is a tunnel that runs from the historic Scottish Rite of Freemasonry building all the way over to the Hotel Congress? Just a bit of Tucson trivia there. But can you imagine how many spirits occupy that now-barricaded underground passageway?

Southern Arizona Ghost Tours was founded by Renee Gardner, Supreme Ghost Hostess, who lives in Bisbee where she offers visitors 4 different ghost tours. Renee literally wrote the book on our local ghosts entitled: Southern Arizona’s Most Haunted. I just ordered it a spit second before I realized that I could have ordered an autographed copy directly from Renee by going to her Old Bisbee Ghost Tours website. Oh, well.

In Bisbee, Renee and/or her other ghost hosts will take you on any of their four tours:

1. Old Bisbee Ghost Tour is a walking tour where your host will lead you through the streets, stairways, and hidden alleys of Old Bisbee after dark in search of the ghosts that haunt this hundred twenty five-year-old town. Here you will learn their sad stories and favorite haunts while seeing Old Bisbee as few ever do.
2. Bisbee Hearse Tour  is where you tour other haunted sections of the old city in a second-hand coach usually reserved for the deceased.
3. Bisbee Haunted Pub Crawl where you can visit some of the most haunted saloons in Arizona and be certain to come in contact with a variety of “spirits”.
4. Copper Queen Ghost Hunt is where you can rent a room for the night at this historic hotel and wait for the apparition known as “Julia”  and others to appear. A few years ago, Ms. Karen & I and a dear friend stayed at the Copper Queen Hotel and played poker in the 3^rd story parlor until 2 AM. Sadly, no Julia. Not even a whiff of her perfume that many others, obviously more paranormally sensitive than I, have experienced.

Our Downtown Tucson ghost tour took about an hour and a half and, even though the day had been quite hot, last evening was almost balmy. Apparently, the Bisbee tours are somewhat longer. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water. I intend to visit Bisbee later this summer and will definitely go on one of Renee’s tours.

The Tucson Ghost Tours runs about $13 for adults, but many of my fellow ghost hunters last night had discount vouchers from LivingSocial.com.

The Bisbee Ghost Tours are somewhat more expensive and may last twice as long. Click here for schedule & reservations.

3rd & Allen Street 1937

In 1937, the nation was in the depths of a devastating Depression. And Tombstone was almost a ghost town. On my Southern Arizona Guide website, you can check out some old photographs I discovered in the archives of the Library of Congress. And reflect on what happened to bring the Town Too Tough To Die back to life.

I just posted four new slideshows on my Southern Arizona Guide website.

1. Gleeson To Rattlesnake
2. Old Tucson
3. Mescal, AZ
4. Battle of Picacho Peak

You can view them in the Galleries Section.

Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan

Tomorrow through this weekend is one of the biggest annual events in Southern Arizona, the Tucson International Mariachi Festival. This year, the four days of performances will be held at Casino Del Sol Resort.

For more information, including performances headliners, times, and ticket sales, click here.

Ticket prices start at $10. All proceeds benefit Children’s Services at La Frontera Arizona a behavioral health agency.

Casino Del Sol Resort
5655 West Valencia Road
Tucson, AZ 85757

Room Reservations (800) 344-9435

Confederate Cannons Fire At The Oncoming Union Cavalry

Four of us trekked all the way from Tucson to Picacho Peak State Park last Sunday to watch the re-enactment of the 1862 battle that took place there.

Union Cavalry take formation against the Rebels.

The Battle of Picacho Peak was fought between a Union cavalry patrol from California and a party of Confederate pickets from Tucson. It was the westernmost battle of the American Civil War.

Mexican Poppies Aplenty at Picacho Peak State Park

Once the battle was decided, we adjourned to enjoy our picnic among the wildflowers. Life is good.

Casa Grande National Monument Prehistoric Ruins

Ms. Karen, my father, Bill, and I took off Friday to visit Casa Grande National Monument Prehistoric Ruins. This place has been on Ms. Karen’s bucket list for as long as we’ve lived in Tucson. I wasn’t so enthusiastic because I had seen a few Google photos and it didn’t look all that interesting.

As usual, Ms. Karen was right. This prehistoric site is seriously interesting. Our federal tax dollars have paid for a very fine visitors center. The docent who led the tour was both knowledgeable and entertaining.

The Hohokam built this city in a most inhospitable place. They had to bring water to their desert agricultural fields from the Gila River via deep canals.

The purpose of the “Big House” is unknown, but clearly it had some astrological function involving the sun and moon. Archeologist speculate that the city was abandoned around 1300 A.D. because drought made the agriculture necessary to sustain such a large population impossible.

A model of the interior construction of the large ruin, once 4 stories tall.