Roads & Highways

Now this is a tenuous link at best, but it shows that all kinds of culture can happen along US 89. An opera about a Blackfeet Indian story was composed in the very early 1900's, presented once in Pittsburgh, PA and then at its world premiere in Berlin in 1910, it was booed and hissed and never performed again. Rediscovered by a Montana rancher, "Poia: The Blackfeet Story of Scarface" is being staged this weekend in Great Falls, Montana. The full story can be found here...

# posted by Steve Tompkins @ 8:41 AM 6 comments

Here is some highway history about US 89 in Wyoming. The routing for US 89 was changed several times during the highway's early years. If you get a good road map and want to tour around a bit, you can find several roads in western Wyoming that were once US 89. This way you'll get to see even more of the West's Most Western Highway.

There's something that most everyone enjoys and that's a good mystery. This story came to me by email from my friend Jim Cowlin who in turn picked it up from a Yahoo group called Southwest Auto Trails (swautotrails@yahoogroups.com). Following the links, I soon discovered that JWM at Drive the Old Spanish Trail had probably picked it from The Robertson County Times. What drove me to this poking around was the mention in this story of a town called Springfield. I wasn't sure, at first glance, what state this city was in. Getting out the old road atlas, I soon discovered that this was Springfield, Tennessee and that old US 41 ran from Chicago to Miami. Now to the mystery. It involves the deceased, faded memories, the Dixie Bee Line Highway and a time capsule. Read on...

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Spanish Influence and Exploration

San Xavier del Bac Mission

http://www.sanxaviermission.org/

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13464b.htm

Tubac Presidio State Historical Park

http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/tubac.html

http://www.tubacaz.com/presidio.asp

Tumacacori National Historic Park

http://www.nps.gov/tuma/

Day 2 – Exploring Tucson

Saguaro National Park

http://www.nps.gov/sagu/

http://www.saguaro.national-park.com/

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

http://www.desertmuseum.org/

Tucson Sightseeing & Dining

http://www.visittucson.org/

Day 3 – A Ride Up the Pinal Pioneer Parkway

Tom Mix Memorial

http://www.azcentral.com/travel/arizona/oddballaz/tommix.html

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/CELtommix.html

Florence

http://www.florenceaz.org

http://www.town.florence.az.us/

http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/mcfarland.html

Lost Dutchman State Park

http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/dutchman.html

http://www.azcentral.com/travel/arizona/features/articles/archive/dutchmans.htm

Day 4 – Exploring Phoenix

Desert Botanical Garden

http://www.dbg.org/

Pueblo Grande Museum

http://copwww.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/pueblo.html

Arizona Historical Society

http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/

Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum

http://www.admmr.state.az.us/

http://www.azminfun.com/

Phoenix Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.phoenixcvb.com/

Day 5 – Way Out West in Wickenburg

Desert Caballeros Western Museum

http://www.westernmuseum.org/

Hassayampa River Preserve

http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/arizona/preserves/art1970.html

Wickenburg Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.outwickenburgway.com/#

Vulture Mine

http://www.jpc-training.com/vulture.htm

Congress Mine/Ghost Towns

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/azalphabetical.html http://www.ghosttowngallery.com/htme/congress.htm

http://www.geocities.com/dustinmdudley/arizona_stanton_weaver_and_octave.html

Day 6 – The Road to Prescott

Yarnell – Yarnell Hill

http://www.city-data.com/city/Yarnell-Arizona.html

http://y-pvchamber.com/

Peeple’s Valley

http://www.arizonan.com/PeeplesValley/

Kirkland Junction

Day 7 – Exploring Prescott

Whiskey Row

http://www.whiskeyrow.us/

Sharlot Hall Museum

http://www.sharlot.org/index.shtml

Highlands Center for Natural History

http://www.highlandscenter.org/pages/1/index.htm

Prescott Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.visit-prescott.com

http://www.prescott.org/

Day 8 – Jerome/Clarkdale/Cottonwood

Jerome Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.azjerome.com/

http://www.americanwest.com/pages/jerome.htm

History of Copper Mining

http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/jerome.htm

Clarkdale Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.clarkdale.az.us/

Tuzigoot National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/tuzi/

Cottonwood

http://cottonwoodarizona.net/

http://www.oldtown.org/

Montezuma Castle National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/moca/

Day 9 – Touring Sedona

Sedona Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.sedonaaz.gov/egov/home.aspx

http://www.visitsedona.com/

Slide Rock State Park

http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/sliderock.htm

Red Rock State Park

http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/redrock.htm

Chapel of the Holy Cross

http://sedona-attractions.10-best.info/sedonachapel.html

Day 10 – Flagstaff

Northern Arizona University

http://www.nau.edu/text

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

http://www.thearb.org/

Lowell Observatory

http://www.lowell.edu/

Flagstaff Sightseeing and Dining

http://www.flagstaffarizona.org/

Riordan Mansion State Historical Park

http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/riordan.html

Museum of Northern Arizona

http://www.musnaz.org/

Day 11 – North From Flagstaff

Walnut Canyon National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/waca/

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/sucr/

Wupatki National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/wupa/

Cameron Trading Post

http://www.camerontradingpost.com/

Day 12 – Marble Canyon/Lee’s Ferry

Navajo Bridge

http://www.azsce.org/history-navajo_bridge.shtml

Marble Canyon

http://www.kaibab.org/gcvv/gc_vb_mc.htm

Lee’s Ferry

http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/lees_ferry/

Day 13 – Jacob Lake

Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

http://arizona.sierraclub.org/monuments/vermilion/vermilion.html

Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim

http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/north-rim/

Day 14 – Fredonia

Pipe Spring National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/pisp/

Kanab, Utah

http://www.go-utah.com/kanab

Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument

http://www.desertusa.com/escalante/

Paria Canyon

http://www.public.asu.edu/~bvogt/20-20/paria/paria.html

Day 15 – Lake Powell

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

http://www.nps.gov/glca/

Glen Canyon Dam

http://www.usbr.gov/uc/news/gcdfacts.html

http://www.canyon-country.com/lakepowell/gcdam.htm

Lake Powell

http://www.powellguide.com

Something that I really enjoy is walking out onto a stretch of abandoned roadway like the one shown above and imagining who and what went here before. What probably started as a much-rutted wagon trail became a roughly graded gravel and dirt roadway. Then it evolved through various surfacings (oil, gravel, macadam, etc.) and then, as autos went faster and faster, the road got straighter and flatter. Great stretches of old road were simply abandoned in search of the straight, flat highway.
Over these abandoned roadbeds once traveled wagons, early automobiles made by companies hardly anyone remembers and tough travelers for whom a day in the desert in an open touring car was no big deal. Just imagine driving a dirt road in Arizona in the 1920's; no air conditioners, no fast food at each intersection, no car radio. Gas stations were not plentiful. Smart drivers carried more than one spare tire and they were good roadside mechanics.
Next time you see an abandoned roadbed, stop and walk out on it and let your imagination run loose for a few minutes. It's fun.

James Tallon published two articles about US 89 a couple of years ago. Part One takes you from Nogales, AZ (on the Mexico border) through Arizona and then up into Utah past "some of the West's most heart-stopping scenery." Part Two continues the journey up through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana and ends in Babb, MT right next to Glacier National Park.

Here's a Welcome sign to Yarnell, AZ on old US 89 and right next to it is a good place to get lunch.