The Intriguing Story of Cathedral Cave

Dud Clark had been contracted to build a road from Prescott to Ash Fork when Lee Burhans called out to him. “Burhans was a member of a picnic party and was going through a large cave that had been well known for years, when he found a small opening that he had never before perceived,” the paper described. Peering through the hole with a match, he noticed that this opening was just below the roof of a large cavity. Lee got Dud, who then lowered a rope and descended to the cave floor with an “automobile lamp.” When he turned it on, his jaw went slack.

Remembering the Mingus Mountain Inn

Mingus Mountain Inn, 1949.

In the 1920s, cars were far less dependable and, as a result, service stations were more numerous and spaced closer together. Particularly, the tops and bottoms of mountains were excellent locales for a motorist to take the necessary precautions of checking his water and brakes before traversing the steep grade.

It was from this need that the Mingus Mountain Inn was born on Forest Service land in 1925. Yet the Inn was far more than just a gas station; it also provided light groceries, camping and hunting supplies, and a sit-down restaurant.

Prescott Moms Support the "Prairie Dog Boys" (First Cub Scouts)

When scouting first came to Arizona, it started in Prescott and became hugely popular. Not only were boys of the proper age being turned away for lack of space, but the younger brothers of scouts became jealous of their activities and wanted a group of their own.

“These youngsters invaded the regular meetings of the various scout troops in such numbers that something just had to be done to keep them away from the regular Scout meetings,” the paper reported.

"Lost" Bell's Canyon Was Infamous

Originally, the wagon trail going through Bell's Canyon was meant as an alternate route from Kirkland to Date Creek. However, the topography of rock outcroppings and the need to go slowly over the extremely rough road made it the perfect place for angry Indians to ambush weary whites.

Indeed, the area would become so notorious and so avoided that the Anglos eventually allowed it to melt back into the wilderness. Today, no roads lead to Bell's Canyon.

Mystery Man Entombed in Thumb Butte

It was Sunday, January 22, 1911. Two young men had made the risky climb to the summit of Thumb Butte. While enjoying the view and carefully moving about the top, one looked down into a deep crevice and was shocked to see a person!

"So stupefied and astounded were they, that after a few minutes observation...and satisfying themselves that life was extinct; [they] hurriedly left the scene and gave alarm in this city."

The Legend of Burnt Ranch

The Burnt Ranch house that replaced the burned cabin.

It was 1961 when plastics manufacturer Arthur Edison bought the 160 acres for future development. He paid $150,000--less than $1000 per acre for the land located west of Williamson Valley Drive between Iron Springs Road and Pioneer Parkway. (*1)

By then, the property had been known as "Burnt Ranch" for nearly a century.

This is the tale of the Apache-Mojave (aka "Date Creek") Indian raid that gave the ranch its name.

The Forgotten Ghost Town of Placerita

Old Stone Cabin at Placerita, AZ.
Since this picture was taken, the roof reportedly has collapsed.

There are different types of ghost towns in Arizona, depending largely on the ease of access to them. Ghost towns located on well-travelled roads, like Jerome, really only used to be ghost towns and are now vibrant tourist stops.

Then there are the ghost towns located on dirt roads that still might have a ranching community or even a bar, like Cleator.

Finally, there are the true ghost towns that sit in the middle of the wilderness and are only accessible by foot trail.

Placerita, Arizona, is one such "true" ghost town and offers a colorful history of gold, goats and several killings.

1959: Constellation Airplane Crash Still a Mystery

Memorial plaque at the Constellation Trailhead honors the victims.

February 28th, 1959, was another "darned nice day" weather-wise in Prescott. William Watson, who was visiting family in the area, was driving north on State Route 89 with his nephew Robert Schilling. As they rounded a curve in the vicinity of the Phippen Art Museum, "the windshield filled with an airplane." (*1)

Plunging into the shoulder of the road before them was an Air Force Lockheed C-121G "Super Constellation" transport plane. It exploded on impact, sending flames several hundred feet into the air. (*2)

William and Robert rushed out of their car to see if they could help. But the heat of the flames, combined with the now exploding small ammunition, drove them back.

Sam Steiger, who would later serve as a U.S. Congressman and Prescott Mayor, and who owned a ranch across the way, "saw the ship at about 300 feet" coming down in a "vertical dive with one propeller feathered." (*1)

"[Other] eyewitnesses said the plane winged over and plowed nose first into the ground." (*1)

"Persons miles away from the crash scene said they saw a huge flame billow into the sky and heard a tremendous explosion. Others were attracted to the scene by huge clouds of black smoke." (*2)

A mere seven minutes before the crash, the plane radioed in to report a small forest fire south of Prescott. There was no mention of any problems with the plane at that time. (*1)

The lack of a distress call, along with the perfect weather, all added to a mystery that remains to this day.

Part 2: 6 Crypt-id Monsters That Live In Northern Arizona (Plus 3 More from South. AZ)

Artist's conception of the Aswang

(Part 1, "Land Dwellers" can be found by clicking here)

The Crazy Cave Creatures of Route 66:

The last three monsters on the list are cave-dwellers.  Due to the 600+ known volcanoes in the area, there must be hundreds of square miles of undiscovered caverns, lava tubes, and caves in northern Arizona, and the creatures that purportedly live in them are easily the strangest and most bizarre.  Why sightings seem to occur mostly around historic Route 66 may simply be because that's where the humans are present to see them. All of these cave-dwellers are nocturnal, and sightings are rare. (*13)

6 Crypt-id Monsters That Live In Northern Arizona (Part 1: Land Dwellers)

Most locals have heard of the Mogollon Monster, but descriptions of exactly what kind of creature it might be have changed over the years. A rash of sightings of a particular type of creature would make that animal a sort of "Mogollon Monster du jour."

As a result, this author will not give the title of "Mogollon Monster" to any of the forthcoming six.  Instead, it is hoped that people who have seen these strange creatures and are afraid of coming forward might learn that they are not alone in their experience.

Some of these monsters are truly bizarre, but every one of them has been seen in other locations on our planet.

Part 2 of this duet will focus on "The Cave Dwellers." This article focuses on "The Land Dwellers."

Glassford Hill's History Included Many Names

Many Changes:

On this 1905 map, Glassford Hill is labeled as "Bald Mountain."  The east-west railroad tracks just north are the Iron King recreational trail today, while the north-south railroad is now the Pea Vine recreational trail.  "Point of Rocks" is better known to us as the Granite Dells.

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It was a day 12 million years ago.  Antelope, camels, and early horses were peacefully grazing when lava and superheated ash started thundering toward the surface.  Suddenly, the earth shook violently, and a volcanic eruption blew through a hill. "Clouds of fiery ash buried [the animals] that roamed the flanks of the hill," according to Beverly Morgan, geologist for the Prescott National Forest. (*1)

Standing at an elevation of 6177 feet, what we now know as Glassford Hill was born.  However, over the years, this mountain in the middle of the valley has had several names.

The Birth of Watson Lake

Nestled along the Granite Dells, Watson Lake makes for one of the most picturesque scenes in Prescott.  Watson is a man-made lake created in April of 1915 with the completion of the Granite Creek dam by a company from Indiana.

Needless to say, water is extremely important in the desert, and the anticipation of a new lake close to the city brought the biggest celebration Prescott saw in many years.  

There were notable speakers, a free barbecue, Prescott's band, and a special train to get to the celebration, as the four-ton steel gates would be closed to store the waters of Granite Creek.  "Acting Mayor AJ Head...issued his proclamation declaring a general holiday from 1 o'clock until 5 on that auspicious day," the newspaper noted; even the courts were closed.