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History
Blatherings From The Editor More and more Wanda and I are getting into the history of our great state of Arizona. She is known as the Valentine State, by the way, got her statehood on Valentines’ Day. It’s a bit hard to associate that tough, rugged desert out there with Valentine hearts and flowers; but if you stop and check out the local cacti during their short blooming season you’ll see some of the most exotic flowers in the world; live here for awhile and the Valentine State is sure to capture your heart as well. We live in a state that was instrumental in the taming of the West. There are historical site markers scattered all around the state. No discussion of the history of the United States with our unique Cowboys and Indians can leave Arizona out. Even those who flocked to California during the gold rush days had to travel through the Arizona Territories to get to their hoped for wealth and glory. Amazing what they left behind. The Colorado River and the heat of the southwest were no small obstacles for the pioneers; it may have taken them weeks or even months to cross our deserts and canyons, hoping not to meet any savages on the warpath along the way. We on the other hand zoom along on our trusty Beemer, doing more miles in one day than a man on a horse could cover in a week, missing many of the historical nuances of the areas we travel through. To help us discover more of Arizona and her tumultuous past, we have planned an Arizona County SEAT Ride. There are fifteen counties in Arizona, not that many when compared to some of our fellow states. All but a few have Indian or Spanish names that reflect the ethnic cultures of the men and women who settled here. Their climates and topology range from the flat, hot desert to the cool, mountain pine forests. We plan to ride to each of them, taking pictures and documenting our ride into and through the history of Arizona. When discussing or researching Arizona history there is no better source than the Arizona Historian, Mr. Marshall Trimble. His book Roadside History of Arizona is loaded with great stories and tales of how the west was really won. This particular work is organized around the geographical areas of Arizona and the roads leading in and out of them. As we ride along these routes, we plan to stop and visit many of the towns and historical sites Mr. Trimble describes. Makes us feel like adventurers in our own right as we re-discover old hotels, saloons and railway stations hidden along Arizona’s back roads and scenic byways. County Seats aren’t the only historical sites or locations that Mr. Trimble speaks to that are great excuses for a ride…there’s old Forts and Army camps; ghost towns and deserted mines; Indian Reservations and Tribal Headquarters; and you’d be surprised at how many dams there are in Arizona. So many great excuses for a ride…this is going to take some time! Deryle & Wanda Mehrten, discovering Arizona.
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