to the region—that is, until the mines gave out, leaving ghost towns in their wake. Layers of history are piled deep in this stunning landscape.
Wickenburg
53 miles NW of Phoenix; 61 miles S of Prescott; 128 miles SE of Kingman
Known a half-century ago as the dude-ranch capital of the world, Wickenburg still has a handful of dude (or guest) ranches, ranging from rustic to luxurious, where you can ride horses and throw a horseshoe or two. A growing sprawl—miles and miles of nice houses are now visible on the road from Phoenix—surrounds a small town with an old-time downtown and a few cowboy activities still to be seen. (Wickenburg calls itself the team roping capital of the world—see box, p. 168.) It’s also home to a number of rehab centers, including the Meadows, where a number of scandal-shamed celebrities have found themselves in recent years.
Wickenburg was founded in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg, a Prussian prospector who came to the desert in search of riches. He hit pay dirt just south of the town that now bears his name, and his Vulture Mine eventually became the most profitable gold and silver mine in Arizona. Although the mine closed in 1942, it is now operated as a minor tourist attraction.
Essentials
Arriving
From Phoenix, drive north on I-17, then west on Ariz. 74, continuing west on U.S. 60, or take U.S. 60 northwest from downtown, passing through the retirement communities of Sun City and Surprise. Either way, it’s about an hour’s drive. If you’re coming from the west, take U.S. 60 northeast from I-10. U.S. 93 comes down from I-40 in northwestern Arizona.
Visitor Information
The Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, 216 N. Frontier St. (www.outwickenburgway.com;
Special Events
Gold Rush Days, held on the second full weekend in February for more than 70 years, is Wickenburg’s biggest party; events include gold panning, a rodeo, and shootouts in the streets. On the second full weekend in November, the Bluegrass Festival features fiddle and banjo contests. On the first weekend in December, Wickenburg’s annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering features lots of poetry and music.
Exploring Wickenburg
While Wickenburg’s main attractions remain the guest ranches outside of town, a walk around downtown also provides a glimpse of the Old West. Most of the buildings here were built between 1890 and the 1920s (although a few are older), although not all of them look their age.
Frontier Street is preserved as it looked in the early 1900s. The covered sidewalks and false fronts are characteristic of frontier architecture; the false fronts often disguised older adobe buildings that were considered “uncivilized” by settlers from back east. Stop by the old Santa Fe train station on Frontier Street, now the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce (see above), to pick up a map that tells the history of the town’s buildings. The brick post office, almost across the street from the train station, once had a ride-up window providing service to people on horseback. The Garcia Little Red Schoolhouse, 245 N. Tegner St. (www.wco.org;
Two of the town’s most unusual attractions aren’t buildings at all. The Jail Tree, behind the convenience store at the corner of Wickenburg Way and Tegner Street, is an old mesquite tree that served as the local hoosegow. Outlaws were simply chained to the tree. Their families would often come to visit and have a picnic in the tree’s shade. Then there’s the Wishing Well, standing beside the bridge over the Hassayampa. Legend has it that anyone who drinks from the Hassayampa River will never tell the truth again. How the well adjacent to the river became a wishing well is unclear.
Wickenburg cherishes its cowboy heritage, with guest ranches, cowboy poetry readings, and its status as “team roping capital of the world.”
Desert Caballeros Western Museum
21 N. Frontier St. www.westernmuseum.org.
Hassayampa River Preserve
| The Team Roping Capital of the World |
Team roping is when two cowpokes on horses chase a calf across an arena and get points for how fast they immobilize it. Wickenburg’s large rodeo facility, the Everett Bowman Rodeo Grounds, 935 Constellation Rd. (www.ci.wickenburg.az.us/69/Rodeo-Grounds), is a mile or two northeast of the town center; another popular roping venue, Rancho Rio, is north of downtown at 1325 N. Tegner St. (ranchorioaz.com). From November through April there are team roping events there and at several other venues. For an event calendar, go to outwickenburgway.com or call the Chamber of Commerce at
49614 N. U.S. 60 (milepost 114, 3 mi SE of Wickenburg). www.maricopacountyparks.net.
