Verde Canyon Railroad

Leaving Out of Africa behind I retraced my steps until I saw a sign for Cottonwood, AZ. From Cottonwood I followed the signs to Clarksdale and once in Clarksdale the signs to the Verde Canyon Railroad.
I pulled into a spacious parking lot and crossed the street to a modern depot with restrooms, picnic tables, snack bar, museum and gift shop . There was a long line for tickets but everyone was in a good mood and time passed quickly. At the window it was a simple matter of showing my receipt and they handed me my ticket and dinner pass for the Blazin’M Ranch.

Once I had my tickets in hand, I changed lines to the snack bar where I ordered typical vacation fare, hamburger, onion rings, soda. All of the tables on the shaded patio were taken but since I was alone, it was easy to get a seat at the end of one of the picnic tables with some very nice folks. They were taking their 2^nd trip on the train and couldn’t say enough good things about the ride.

For all of you train buffs out there, here’s a little bit of history for you. The Verde Canyon Railroad is a standard gauge railroad and has always played an important role in the community and the development of the Verde Valley. Originally built to support the mining activities in Jerome, the original railroad was a narrow gauge called the United Verde & Pacific Railroad but it was abandoned in 1884 because of a series of mishaps including mine fires. In 1888 William Clark purchased the United Verde Mine and within 7 years was netting a substantial profit. . The 38 mile Verde Canyon Railroad was one of 3 lines of standard gauge railroads built and financed by Senator Clark. The railroad was operated by the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad and was completed in 1 year! Clarksdale is named for Senator Clark.

The Santa Fe Railroad serviced the Phoenix Cement Company until 1988 when it was sold to the Clarksdale Arizona Central Railroad. The Verde Canyon Railroad is the excursion operation on the line. There are still shipping operations on other trains that use the same line.

My seat was in the Cottonwood car. Each passenger is assigned to one of the rail cars and attached to each rail car is an open air viewing platform so if the weather is bad or you just want to sit back and relax, you can sit inside. If you want an unobstructed view of the scenery, then you can go out to the viewing platform. There are metal bench seats in the center of each platform but most people just stood at the rail. A commentator was assigned to each viewing platform and his role was to point out the sights and any animal life and give us the history of the area.

Once we boarded and took our seats in the assigned car, a conductor collected our tickets and explained what to expect on the trip.

Part of what appealed to me about this railroad trip was that Verde Canyon is known to be home to our National Symbol, the American Bald Eagle and I was really hoping to see one or two. The Verde Canyon is tucked between 2 National Forests and there are no roads to the interior of the canyon.

When we first pulled out of the station things looked pretty flat, no sign of the rugged canyon terrain. . Our Commentator pointed out the old mining town of Jerome, about ½ way up the side of the mountain. Copper was mined here and the ore brought down to Clarksdale for smelting before it was shipped out to the Santa Fe main line to head to various destinations around the country.

A little over a mile out from the station we pass Sinagua cliff dwellings clinging to the cliff face about ½ way up the canyon wall.. These peoples are classified as pre-Colombian by the archeologist who first studied them north of Flagstaff. It is believed that some of the Sinagua moved into the Verde Valley around 1100 AD. They disappeared around 1400 AD. Why they left and where they went remains a mystery today in spite of many legends and folk tales that seem to cover everything from war to space travel to cannibalism.
As the train continues along the canyon begins to deepen and the Verde river is entrenched below the tracks in a narrow steep -walled canyon.

The Verde river is home to many different types of wildlife, mule deer, antelope, and javelina to mention a few. Occasionally they say a fox or coyote can be see. This is also mountain lion country but they are seldom seen and this trip was no different. Darn! I would have loved to spot a rare animal or, at the rate I’m going, any animal!
　
As the train approached a trestle bridge we were alerted so we could take pictures. The bridge is over the S.O.B. Canyon , the bottom of which is 150 ft below us. Across the valley is a line of demarcation where white limestone buts up against red sandstone. Our guide explains that this point marks the edge of a prehistoric lake that once covered this area. I’ve been on many tours where the guides try to point out such lines of demarcation but seldom have I seen any so clearly defined. High up on the cliff wall is the home of Black & Decker, a pair of Bald Eagles that have made the canyon home for over 10 years. We searched the cliff and the sky but didn’t see them even with binoculars.

At about the half way point the train passes through a man-made tunnel that is 680 feet long and curved. This makes it impossible to see the exit when the train starts into the tunnel. Keep hands and heads inside! The walls are very close to the train itself!

As the train leaves the canyon, the walls drop away on both sides and the train crosses a steel bridge into the Perkinsville valley. In the 1960’s a few scenes from How the West Was Won were shot in Perkinsville.
At this point the engines are uncoupled and run around the cars on a siding to be recoupled at the front for the return trip and a chance to see anything that might have been missed the first time.

The afternoon shadows were beginning to stretch across the canyon and I was hopeful that as the air cooled and the shadows grew the animals might decide to cooperate and come out for us to see them. I kept my eyes peeled but nothing was stirring, not even a mouse. But then, what to my wondering eyes should appear…not a miniature sleigh but 2 majestic bald eagles soaring above the cliffs, silhouetted against a brilliant blue sky. Anyone with binoculars was peering at the sky and after spotting the elusive birds generously sharing their binoculars with those around them, even strangers!

This got everyone talking and the gentleman next to me told me about viewing hundreds of bald eagles during their migration through Oregon. That’s a spectacle I’d like to see!.

We didn’t see any other animals even though we looked but we did get one more bald eagle sighting that was one for the books. As we neared the end of the canyon, there perched in a tree top that was just about the same height as our viewing platform was a bald eagle. It was as if it was watching us, maybe getting a front row seat for people watching. I grabbed for my camera but too late, we were past him and the opportunity was gone.

The rest of the return trip was more beautiful scenery but no more animal or bird sightings. As we pulled into Clarksdale Station at the end of the line it was dark. Now I just had to find my car and find the Blazin’ M. Ranch for the Chuck wagon Dinner Theater.

Coming up, Gunslingers and Flyin’ Biscuits!
　

　
www.verdecanyonrr.com