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 t

Montezuma's Castle 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

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 wa

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 f

If you thought the outside had a bizarre mix of materials making up the facade of the castle, check out the wacky rooms inside. unusual guests desert critter shoes creepy bunny costume guest bedroom Lady of the house child size armor the alter the music room the bar antiques in the bar apparently they partied too much the bar have a seat Humm, I don't recall seeing a bathroom.

From the foothills of South Mountain an odd looking structure is seen perched above. We drove down a small dirt road to find a bit of a scattered parking lot. After parking between a rock and a cactus, we walked up the path towards the remarkable entrance. One of the things you will take note of is the attention-grabbing way it looks somewhat like a castle, a fort, and cabin all rolled into one amazing structure. You can’t miss the long wood balcony, and the peculiarly placed turrets and parapets. The first thing you see is an old wooden wagon wheel built into a wall. You just know that this place is going to more than some boring tourist trap. I have to say I was blown away by all the materials that were used to create this place known as “Mystery Castle”. We waited a few minutes before the guide whisked us upstairs for the tour. They started with the history of this rather unique place. In 1930, Boyce Luther Gulley was diagnosed with tuberculosis, left his wife and

When you take a hike up South Mountain in Phoenix, you come across several different things.  Here is some of the things we came across on our trek: petroglyphs more petroglyphs dried up creeks more dried up creeks "Sleepy Hollow" trees more creepy trees or Bigfoot nests moss on rocks in Arizona more mossy rocks (rare sight for AZ) pottery shards snake holes (thank goodness it was hibernating)