| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — "The Gandy Dancer" |
| | Section crews were the laborers who built the railroads in the beginning and have continued throughout the years to maintain them. These crews were most efficient in moving heavy sections of rails when they all worked in unison. To accomplish this they sometimes used songs or some other method of keeping a beat. The tools used were manufactured by the Gandy Tool Company, hence the term, "Gandy Dancer." The tools shown here are the spike maul, rail gauge, wrench, clawbar, and rail tongs.
Clyde "Ross" Morgan, Sculptor — Map (db m33265) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — A Gathering Place |
| | ]Panel 1:]
Between 1100 and 1200, more people lived in this area than ever before, or since. Located along routes linking large populations to the northeast and south, villages here were well situated for trade. As people, goods, and ideas converged on the area, a complex society of several thousand evolved. This particular village became the heart of a thriving community and was a landmark, a gathering place, and a ceremonial center.
It is remarkable that this land, so dry and . . . — Map (db m60079) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — A Legacy of the Past |
| | Box Canyon and Lomaki ruins are a short 15-minute walk from here, along the edges of ancient earthcracks. The 1/4-mile trail will take you back in time over 800 years to the remnants of this once-thriving community. You will see the few native plants that grow in this high-desert environment; how the eruptions of Sunset Crater Volcano affected the ancient inhabitants; and the plaza where daily activities such as cooking and grinding corn took place.
The whole picture of this prehistoric . . . — Map (db m60114) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — A Village/Abandonment |
| |
A Village
You are entering the “Citadel,” a ruin from the late 1100s. Research has not been completed so it is important that we leave things as they are. Will there be extra storage spaces found, possible evidence for the defense theory? We do know this is one of the larger pueblos in Wupatki National Monument and could have been the home for many families. You are welcome to speculate about what will be found here, as we do.
Abandonment
What happened? Exact . . . — Map (db m60089) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Ancient Landscapes |
| | Eight hundred years ago, a savannah-like grassland covered much of this high desert with abundant grasses. The residents would have collected and burned much of the nearby fuel, necessitating long walks to adjacent areas to gather wood. Sparse annual rainfall forced the inhabitants to catch and save as much water as they could, or walk miles to other sources.
Since the use of the area by modern ranchers, the land has undergone other dramatic changes. Cattle grazing stripped much of the . . . — Map (db m60105) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Aubineau / Andreatos Building 1893/1952 |
| |
Aubineau Building: The earliest buildings on this site were wood frame saloons, which burned in 1886 and 1888 and 1892. In 1892, ownership passed to Julius Aubineau, who later became Mayor of Flagstaff and is credited with installing the town's first water system, a pipeline from the Peaks. Aubineau built the present brick building in 1893, using it as a liquor store. It was later a saloon, a cafe, and a market.
The El Patio Cafe was located here from 1930-1965. A stucco exterior . . . — Map (db m33267) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Aubineau Building 1912 |
| | Because of its prime location, this corner, containing two lots, was one of the earliest in Flagstaff to be developed. Pioneer merchant J. R. Kilpatrick built New Town's sixth building here in December 1883. This wooden store building burned in the big Valentine's Day fire of 1886.
Kilpatrick rebuilt, erecting a two-story brick store on the west lot in 1886. In 1887 he built a one-story brick building on the east lot, increasing it to two stories in 1888. Fire destroyed the east building . . . — Map (db m33269) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Babbitt Brothers Building 1888 |
| | In 1888, David Babbitt, who had been running a lumber yard on this site, decided to construct a general store. Starting in late summer, he built a 35 X 70 foot structure on this corner, with the long side of the building running west along Aspen Avenue. He used red Moencopi sandstone, locally quarried, as his principal material.
His brothers William, George, Charles and Edward eventually joined him in the enterprise. In 1891, when Coconino County was formed, it had no office building, so . . . — Map (db m59504) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Beale Road |
| | In 1857 Congress authorized Navy Lieutenant Edward F. Beale to survey a wagon road along the 35th parallel from Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory, to the Colorado River. A secondary mission was to test the feasibility of using camels in the Southwest. In the fall of 1857, the Beale survey party passed through what is now Flagstaff, Arizona, with approximately 50 men, 100 mules, 10 wagons, 22 camels, and over 300 sheep. The eventual route passed by this location, and later became Fort Valley . . . — Map (db m33348) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Beale Wagon Road 1857 - 1882 |
| | From 1857-60, Lt. Edward F. Beale and crew of 100 men completed the first federal highway in the southwest from Fort Smith, Ark. to Los Angeles, Calif. at a cost of $200,000. The wagon road was used extensively by immigrants en route to California and livestock men with large herds of cattle and sheep until 1882. — Map (db m33346) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Box Canyon Ruins |
| | The Box Canyon ruins are typical of many pueblos found in this region. Early inhabitants constructed walls of nearby sandstone and limestone, and used local soils to cement the stones together. The flat roofs were built of timbers laid side-by-side, covered with smaller branches and finally plastered over with mud.
Smoke was vented from the rooms through a square hole in the ceiling, which frequently served as the only access to the room. Doorways were small and windows almost . . . — Map (db m60094) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Buffalo Park |
| | The City of Flagstaff purchased this land in 1959 from the United States Forest Service.
In 1964, James Potter, Sr., long-time resident, entrepreneur and Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce President, led the effort to form a non-profit organization, lease the site from the city, and operate Buffalo Park as a tourist attraction and wildlife refuge for elk, deer, antelope, and of course, bison. A blend of Old West and Navajo culture was represented with stagecoach rides, cowboy storytellers and . . . — Map (db m33347) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Bushmaster Park |
| | Bushmaster Park is named in memory of Flagstaff's Company I-158th Infantry Regiment, Arizona National Guard, and their sacrifices for freedom made in New Guinea, the Phillipine Islands and Japan from 1941 to 1945.
"No greater fighting team ever deployed for battle."
General Douglas MacArthur — Map (db m60932) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Church of the Nativity 1888-1930 |
| | In 1888, at the insistence of a group of Catholic
Laymen, The First Catholic Church in Flagstaff was built of brick on the south side of town. It was moved in 1911 to a temporary site just west of and across the street from the present permanent gothic structure, of native volcanic rock, which was completed and dedicated in 1930. — Map (db m33336) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Coconino Chop House 1898 |
| | The Hoxworth family was the first to develop this lot, when H. H. Hoxworth built a hardware and furniture store here in January 1884. The property was owned by his father, George Hoxworth, a wounded Union veteran of the Battle of Shiloh.
Like all the other buildings on this block, the original store was destroyed in the fire of 1886. George Hoxworth replaced the building with a two-story wooden storefront, which burned in the fire of 1888. Soon afterward ownership passed to Dr. G. F. . . . — Map (db m33268) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Daily Life |
| | Plaza
An open area in the pueblo near the rim of the earthcrack is known as the plaza. In pueblos, the plaza was the center for many daily activities including grinding corn, making pottery, working obsidian into arrowheads, processing other plants for food, and cooking. It would have also been used for meetings, conducting trade, and as a controlled play area for children. During the warmer months, the plaza received extensive use from dawn until after dusk; rooms inside the pueblo were . . . — Map (db m60110) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Donahue Building 1888 |
| | This building for many years was the home of J. J. "Sandy" Donahue's famous Senate Saloon. After earlier frame buildings on the site had been destroyed by fire, Donahue built the present brick structure in 1888.
An important figure in Flagstaff's early history, Donahue held public office and participated in many civic improvements; but he was also a free-wheeling gambler, drinker and spender. Donahue became overextended and lost the property on a mortgage foreclosure.
A small number . . . — Map (db m33266) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Downtowner 1921 - 1935 |
| | The K.J. Nackard family came to Flagstaff in 1912 and opened a small general store at 106 E. Railroad Avenue. The store was successful. In 1921, Nackard built a home on this property, just a stone's throw from the store.
Soon afterwards, automobile travel began to increase in Flagstaff as Route 66 was created and advertised. Until 1932, when the underpass was built, traffic on Route 66 came by this location, making it a natural place for a motel.
The Nackards converted their home into . . . — Map (db m59499) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Dry Land Farming |
| | Volcanic activity to the south produced giant fissures or earth cracks throughout the Wupatki area in the Kaibab Limestone. This formation covers most of the western half of Wupatki National Monument. The Sinagua and Anasazi Indians who inhabited these ancient pueblos probably found the earthcracks to be the most productive farming sites. There is no evidence of streams close by which could be used for water. All of the farming was dependent on the rainfall.
Corn, squash and other crops . . . — Map (db m60098) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Flagstaff |
| | Named for a pine tree stripped of its branches by a party of immigrants and used as a flagpole for a patriotic celebration on July 4, 1876. Nearby Antelope or Old Town Spring provided water and led to the establishment of a railroad construction camp when the Atlantic & Pacific pushed west in 1882. — Map (db m33330) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Flagstaff Flag - Raising |
| | Historians generally agree that Flagstaff derives its name from a flag-raising ceremony held July 4, 1876, by a group of settlers from New England who were camped within sight of this historic monument.
In February and May of 1876, two groups of settlers left Boston and traveled westward, intent upon establishing a colony in the valley of the Colorado Chiquito (Little Colorado River) near present-day Winslow. Known as the first and second Boston parties, these colonist had been lured by . . . — Map (db m33365) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Flagstaff Presbyterian, Federated Community, Mexican Methodist Mission and United Methodist Churches |
| | Flagstaff Presbyterian Church
1892 - 1916
Flagstaff Federated Community Church
1916-1927
Mexican Methodist Mission – El Divino Redentor
United Methodist Church 1927-present
The First Presbyterian congregation of Flagstaff was organized in 1891 and built this church on San Francisco and Cherry Streets. Although unfurnished, services began the following year. In 1916 Presbyterians and Methodist joined to become the Flagstaff Federated Community Church. In 1927 the . . . — Map (db m33364) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Flagstaff's Founding |
| | Flagstaff was a name on a map before the area had any significant population. The first permanent settler was Thomas F. McMillan who arrived sometime in 1876. On July 4, 1876, a party of emigrants traveling from Boston to California was camped at Antelope Springs, near McMillan's homestead and in the vicinity of present-day Marshall Elementary School. In honor of the nation's Centennial, the emigrants stripped the limbs from a tall Ponderosa Pine tree and hoisted Old Glory. This event gave . . . — Map (db m41717) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Logging Wheels |
| | Logging wheels were originally an integral part of the early lumber industry in Northern Arizona. Originally designed in 1870 by Silas Overpack, a Manistee, Michigan wheelwright, the wheels were used by a local farmer to help him clear his land. When logging operations began in the early 1880's, they became a vital part of the process. The wheels, originally pulled by horses, were used into the early 1900's and were even pulled by early steam tractors.
When lumberjacks felled the large . . . — Map (db m33331) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — McMillan Building 1887 |
| | Thomas F. McMillan (also spelled McMillon) was the father of Flagstaff. Born in Tennessee, he sought gold in California and raised sheep in Australia before moving to northern Arizona in 1876. Here he established a sheep ranch and farm just north of the present city. He prospered and became one of the leading stockmen of Arizona. It was at a spring he used as a sheep camp on July 4, 1876, that the Second Boston Party raised the flag staff that gave Flagstaff its name.
McMillan played an . . . — Map (db m33271) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Methodist Episcopal Church 1906-1916 Flagstaff Federated Community Church 1916-Present |
| | Flagstaff's first congregation was formed by the Methodist in 1883 and they raised the first church five blocks east of here in 1887. In 1906 they moved here and constructed this Gothic style building of locally quarried red sandstone. The interior, originally in the Akron architectural style, featured semi-circular seating sloping down toward the elevated pulpit in the northwest corner. Services began the next year. In 1916 the Methodist and Presbyterians joined to become the Flagstaff . . . — Map (db m33337) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Railroad Depot 1926 |
| | The facility was originally constructed in 1925-1926 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad as the passenger station for the Flagstaff stop. The City of Flagstaff acquired the building in 1992 using city of Flagstaff Bed, Board & Booze tax funds. The facility was renovated in 1994 whit every attempt made to protect the architectural integrity of the building. The striking paint scheme reflects the southwest heritage of the station and was developed based on research and paint analysis of . . . — Map (db m33335) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Raymond Building 1911 |
| | As the keystone shows, this building was constructed in 1911. Its owner was R.O. Raymond, M.D., one of Flagstaffs first doctors. Raymond came west for his health. After a short stay in Williams, he moved to Flagstaff in 1906.
He was the doctor for the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company, the towns largest employer, at their company town known as Milton, where he established and ran the Milton (Mercy) Hospital, which served the whole community from 1912 -1935.
Raymond branched out into . . . — Map (db m59511) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Ricket & Brooks Bldg. 1911 |
| | The first building on this site was a wooden structure located at 22 N. San Francisco Street dating from the early 1890s. It was the home of a saloon with a cute name, The Office. (“Honey I cant come home just yet, Im still at The Office.”)
In 1905 T.A. Rickel bought the property. F.E. Brooks bought a half interest from Rickel in 1910 and the pair added a slogan to The Office name, “A Resort for Gentlemen.”
In March 1911 Rickel and Brooks bought the lot to the . . . — Map (db m59510) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Sunset Crater Volcano |
| | The distant San Francisco Peaks would have looked much like they do today. To the east, however, Sunset Crater Volcano would still have been belching black smoke and cinders when the Sinagua and Anaszi lived here. The thick layer of cinders over the sandy soil helped hold moisture, which was beneficial to the growing of crops.
Eventually, even Sunset Crater Volcano grew quiet, and the winds blew the cinders away and dried out the soil.
Why the Lomaki residents departed is not . . . — Map (db m60107) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Telephone Exchange 1909 |
| | This building was constructed in 1909 by John W. Weatherford, the man who earlier built the adjacent Weatherford Hotel. It was the headquarters for the Arizona Overland Telephone Company, housing its offices and physical plant.
Construction started in July 1909 and was finished that fall. Locally produced materials were used, including lumber, Moenkopi sandstone and red brick.
The Overland Company replaced the Flagstaff Mutual Telephone Company, which had been a strictly in town . . . — Map (db m59966) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — The Citadel / Natural Features |
| |
The Citadel
It was a remarkable achievement, to use primitive mortar and local stones to build the walls above you straight up from the edge of the top of the rock. “The Citadel” is the modern name given to this ruin because of its location, but archeologists wonder why the Anasazi often built in high, hard-to-get-at places. Some theories say it was defensive. Others say it was to avoid building on croplands, or for sun and breeze. Or was it more simple? Today we often . . . — Map (db m60087) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — The Historic Basque Handball Court |
| | Historic Basque handball court (cancha) built in 1926 by Jesus Garcia, a Spaniard who migrated to Flagstaff in 1912. He owned and operated the adjacent Tourist Home. The Basque would reportedly herd sheep, drink, chase women, or play their beloved pelota games (hard sheep skin ball). The Basque migrated westward in the late 1800s following the railways.
The 40 foot high sandstone court is one of a reported 14 remaining in America, and is the only one left standing in Arizona. — Map (db m59498) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — The Navajo Code Talkers |
| | The original thirty-two Code Talkers were organized to develop codes based on their native language which were used extensively during World War II. These and many other Native Americans served bravely throughout the Pacific and other combat zones.
Charlie Y. Begay Roy Begay Samuel Begay John Benally Willsie Bitsie Cosey S. Brown John Brown John Chee Benjamin Cleveland Eugene Crawford David Curley Lowell Damon George Dennison James Dixon Carl N. Gorman Ross . . . — Map (db m33344) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Transcontinental Railroad Centennial |
| | In 1866 the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was formed to construct a railroad from Springfield, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of 2,000 miles.
In the summer and fall of 1882 the railroad was directly responsible for the founding and development of the City of Flagstaff.
This plaque is to commemorate one hundred years of service to this community by the Transcontinental Railroad.
October 2, 1982 — Map (db m33333) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Two Spots Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Steam Engine |
| | Arizona Lumber and Timber Company purchased this Baldwin steam engine in 1917 for lumbering operations in and around Flagstaff, where the engine spent its entire working life. The City of Flagstaff purchased No. 25 in 1995.
Canvas water bags hung out the engine's window & eventually rubbed off the Number 5 on each side, resulting in Two Spot's affectionate nickname.
This display is dedicated to those who worked in the Flagstaff timber industry over the last 110 years.
June 1999 — Map (db m41720) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Verkamp Building 1899 |
| | John G. Verkamp came to Flagstaff in the 1890s. He first worked for the Babbitts (three of his sisters were married to Babbitt Brothers), then succeeded in a number of business on his own, including lumber, livestock and merchandising. He is best known today for the Verkamp curio store at the Grand Canyon.
In 1899, Verkamp and T.A. Rickel constructed this brick building. The men rented the upper floor to the Elks, so it was known as the Elks Hall.
The ground floor was occupied most of . . . — Map (db m59505) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Walkway of Flags 1994 |
| | Flags have been important to the history of Flagstaff. It was a pine tree used as a flag staff that gave the town its name when Old Glory was flown at a spring (that later became the site of Flagstaff) on the occasion of the nation's centennial—July 4, 1876.
When the city celebrated its own centennial during the year 1994, the City Council and Centennial Commission decided to fly the flags of every state, and the flags of Flagstaff's sister cities as a way of showing how Flagstaff . . . — Map (db m33338) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Weatherford Hotel 1898/1899 |
| | John Weatherford, who was raised in Weatherford, Texas, came to Flagstaff in 1886. He decided to stay here because he fell in love with the San Francisco Peaks at first sight. He tried his hand in several occupations, everything from saloon keeper to livery stable operator. Finally he found his niche in the mens clothing business, operating a “gents furnishing” store for many years. He was active in political, social and civic affairs.
In 1898, he built the first part of this . . . — Map (db m59507) HM |
| Arizona (Coconino County), Flagstaff — Wukoki |
| | Wukoki, a modern Hopi word for “Big House” was once home for two or three prehistoric Indian families. The inhabitants are believed to have been of the Kayenta Anasazi culture, judging from the types of artifacts found during excavation and stabilization. This site, occupied from approximately 1120-1210 A.D. afforded its occupants a commanding view of the surrounding terrain. The unusual three-story height, combined with its position atop this Moenkopi Sandstone outcrop, lends . . . — Map (db m60078) HM |
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