Arizona
Arizona and New Mexico share a lot of history as both were part of Mexico until the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave them to the USA. Nevertheless these neighbouring states are very different. New Mexico has a Spanish Colonial feel but Arizona feels much more American. With giant Canyons, Red Rocks, endless Desert, Saguaro Cactus (the one with arms), and dusty Main Streets with dilapidated wooden buildings, Arizona sounds as though it has come straight out of a Western movie. Could it be that they filmed a lot of them round here? You know the answer!
Saguaro Cactus in Sonoran Desert
The Saguaro Cactus is the symbol of the Wild West in movies and cartoons. In reality it grows in the USA only in southern Arizona and a tiny part of California. The Saguaro does not start to develop its trademark ‘arms’ until it is at least 65 years old, and one with this many branches is likely to be a good 200 years old. So, this cactus was there in the days of the wild west, and perhaps if we had looked carefully we might have found an old bullet hole in it.........
Click on Tab 2 to see Saguaro Cactus flowers.
Oak Creek Canyon from Midgley Bridge
Arizona is famous for its red rocks and canyons. Although Oak Creek Canyon can’t match the Grand Canyon for grandeur, it is much easier to take in courtesy of its smaller scale. Outside of the National Parks the drive down the canyon is one of our favourites in Arizona. Midgley Bridge and Oak Creek achieved fame in the UK a several years ago as a result of a series of television adverts for Peugeot cars, not that Peugeots are sold in the USA!
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San Xavier Del Bac Mission, near Tucson
Situated in the Santa Cruz Valley 15 kilometres (9 miles) south of Tucson, this has been the site of a church since 1700. The current San Xavier Del Bac Mission was built between 1783 and 1797. While most of the missions in neighbouring California have a relatively simple style, San Xavier Del Bac oozes grandeur. The intricate facade of the mission is framed by two two large towers. However for reasons that have never been identified the tower on the right was never completed. The church is still run by Franciscan Friars who have kept the interior well maintained.
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Mission San Jose de Tumacácori
In the Sonoran Desert south of Tucson and not far from the border with Mexico stands Mission San Jose de Tumacácori. It was founded on a different site in 1691 by Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. In 1767 the Jesuits were replaced by Franciscans who around 1800 began construction in this church, which was never finished. The church is now a National Historic site together with the church ruins at Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi and San Cayetano de Calabazas which can only be visited on a ranger guided tour.
Tombstone Courthouse
Some count Tombstone as a ghost town, but in reality the lawless mining boom town of the 1880s is now a tourist boom town. The most famous historical event in the town is, of course, the Gunfight at the OK Corral, when Wyatt Earp and his brothers with Doc Holliday faced the Clanton Gang. The outcome of the gunfight of the gunfight is clear as the Clanton Gang ended up in Tombstone’s Boothill Cemetery. What is subject to dispute is whether OK Corral really was the victory of good guys over bad guys depicted in the movies. Were the Earps and Holliday just trying to disarm the Clantons or was it really the result of a personal dispute between the Earps and the Clantons? Click on Tab 2 to see the graves of the Clanton Gang in Boothill Cemetery.
London Bridge, Lake Havasu City
It was strange to see this exile from London in the middle of the Arizona desert. Close to the border with California the Parker Dam has turned the Colorado River into a lake and connecting the shore to an island is the old London Bridge originally completed across the River Thames in 1904 and replaced by a wider bridge in the 1960s. The bridge was dismantled stone by stone, shipped to the USA and reassembled at Lake Havasu City, opening in 1971. Around it you find a marina, shopping malls and restaurants, many with British flavours of varying authenticity. Persistent rumours in the UK that the buyers of the old London Bridge initially thought that they were buying the more distinctive Tower Bridge are not mentioned anywhere
Hoover Dam from US-93 Memorial Bridge
The Hoover Dam straddles the border between Nevada and Arizona, in the picture Nevada is to the left, Arizona to the right. Built across the Colorado River between 1931 and 1936 it was at the time the largest concrete structure in the world. The dam created Lake Mead, which when full is the largest reservoir in the US. In recent years lack of rain has significantly reduced the water level and the surface area of Lake Mead. The dam provides hydroelectric power for Nevada, Arizona, and California, which is rather useful for power hungry Las Vegas in Nevada. The road originally ran across the top of the dam but in 2010 the Memorial Bridge bypassed that section of road. Tours of the Hoover Dam are available daily but tickets can only be bought in person on the day. When we visited in 2014 there was a long wait for the first available tour, so we took a few pictures then headed for our next destination. Click Tab 2 to see Lake Mead from the road across the dam in 1981 when the level of the lake was much higher.
1950 Studebaker Champion, Route 66 Museum, Kingman
The legendary Route 66 was a road that ran from Chicago all the way to Los Angeles. The route was designated in 1926 but it was not until 1938 that it was paved along its entire length. After World War II the construction of the Interstate system began to make it redundant and in 1984 Route 66 was declassified following the opening of the I-40 in Arizona. There are numerous museums dedicated to Route 66 scattered along its length varying from small disorganised places full of seemingly random junk to proper museums that tell the story of this legendary road. Route 66 ran right through the northern Arizona and the Kingman is the home of the Arizona Route 66 Museum. This 1950 Studebaker Champion with cooler is typical of the type of vehicle that would have travelled Route 66 in its heyday. In Arizona it is still possible to travel along parts of Route 66. In the east of Arizona most of Route 66 has been buried beneath Interstate 40 but between Kingman and Crookton it loops north of the freeway passing through several small towns. Click Tab 2 to see Route 66 where it passes through the town of Oatman.
© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
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