Echoes of the Southwest

I was excited to hear that the mountains near my house not only have petroglyphs but are haunted as well.The White Tank mountain range is located west of Phoenix near the city of Surprise.They get their name for the white granite near the base of the mountains and its many depressions also known as “tanks”. It is believed that the range was formed about 30 million years ago by earthquake activities and detaching from a fault line.Although the peaks of each range are approximately the same altitude, the tallest is Barry Goldwater Peak at 4,083 feet.The rocky terrain is beautiful but dangerous.The mountain range consists of jagged ridges, and bottomless canyons where after a rainfall water will build up and run swiftly down the sheer canyons.

In the mountains you will find the White Tank Mountain Regional Park, an area where many like to visit and hike.Many of the areas in this park are undeveloped wilderness with many indigenous species roaming around the desert grounds.Some of the crit…

Tucked in the mountains and just outside Sedona is the site where cliff dwellers once lived known as Montezuma’s Castle.The five story dwelling is remarkably well preserved and built in the 12th century by the Sinagua people.They cleverly wedged their lodgings in the rock, high above Oak Creek, which runs through the red rocks of Sedona.Historians can only speculate that they build so high because the spot offered protection from the desert elements.The Sinagua lived in their rock high-rise for over 400 years before disappearing mysteriously.
Another group of Sinagua people established their own community called Tuzigoot.These ruins are located 20 miles from Montezuma’s Castle and built from the natural resources found in the surrounding desert.With all their clever building techniques, the mystery still remains why the Sinagua suddenly disappeared in the 1400’s.Some feel that they may have used up their natural resources or maybe a plague or disease wiped them out, but since there is…

Occasionally I will pull up an old post for those who were not following me when it was originally posted. This one I wrote almost two years ago about crazy stories and rumors that people believe to be true.

There has been so many folklore or urban legends that have been spread around from person to person, and from generation to generation. What about those stories told about death, murder, and ghosts in movies that a supposed to be real, and subliminal messages in certain songs? There are movies like “The Haunting in Connecticut” or “Amityville Horror” that are supposed to be based on true stories and proven to be hoaxes, but there are other types of folklore that have been spread around as well. These stories happened behind the scenes or during filming of a movie, or while recording a song. Some of these stories are told of subliminal messages hidden in songs and can be heard if the song is played backwards. These stories end up bigger than anyone expected causing controversy and …

On the east side of Phoenix and sitting in the center of several acres is an unusual structure known as “Tovrea Castle”. The shape of the castle resembles a three-tiered wedding cake which could have been constructed by Buddy (Cake Boss) or Duff (Ace of Cakes) and earned the moniker “The Wedding Cake”. Instead of being constructed with cake mixes and fondant, the castle’s materials consist of wood and stucco in an ornate medieval fashion, imitating the styles from the home country of its builder.

In 1928 an Italian immigrant named Alessio Carraro had purchased 277 acres of barren desert land and began the construction of Tovrea Castle. He had great visions of an extraordinary resort with a plush desert garden surrounding the locality and the castle as its centerpiece. With the vision of Russian gardener, Moktachev, they began converting the desolate desert into an amazing desert garden.

It took two years for the creation of the castle to be completed. Soon after construction was fini…

There doesn't seem to be an endless amount of bizarre stories in Arizona even today.  In Tombstone, actor/writer Timothy Fattig was arrested after the skeletal remains of his mother was found in her house. This is the article I found:

"An actor who did reenactments of the shootout at the OK Corral and worked on locally produced independent horror films remained jailed Sunday after authorities found the skeletal remains of his mother in her house.



Tombstone town Marshal Billy Cloud says he arrested 34-year-old Timothy Fattig on a negligent homicide charge on Wednesday after finding the remains of 68-year-old Jill Fattig.


Cloud says a town deputy checking on Jill Fattig got no response. Timothy Fattig told the deputy his mom was in a Tucson hospital but later said she died more than a year before and he just closed and locked her door because he was distraught.


Cloud said if an autopsy confirmed the death was natural, he'll only face a misdemeanor charge of failing to report a…