A Tortoise Walks Into A Bar, Ep.32

Episode 32: Celebrating AZ

Lisa recalls a trip on the Verde Canyon Railway, the Julie drops into Liberty Wildlife in South Phoenix.

Mug: Verde River Canyon

From “Arizona: The History of Land Acquisition”

by Greg Vogel and Lisa Schnebly Heidinger

Copper magnate W.A.Clark visited the United Verde Mine in Jerome in 1888.  It hadn’t turned a profit for four years, due to lack of both water and a railroad.  Clark came and saw opportunity.

Clark created a complete system to mine, crush and process the ore for extracting copper and built a narrow-gauge line connecting to the Santa Fe track, thereby cutting the cost of moving the ore significantly.

But he wasn’t done.  Clark created a workers’ village, down to libraries and schools.  Clarkdale became Arizona’s first planned community in 1912, the year of statehood.   The baseball park, swimming pools, disability insurance, and bonus wages for better performance, were far ahead of their time.

Clark’s next chapter took place outside of Arizona, but bears mentioning because it involves an arguable sister city to Clarkdale.  Needing a facility for servicing a railroad line that would link his Salt Lake City interests to Los Angeles, Clark set up a camp in what would become Clark County.  The townsite followed Clarkdale’s model of schools, churches, water and roads, but its trajectory altered over time:: Las Vegas, Nevada is now by far the bigger sibling of the two towns Clark built.

Copyright pending Greg Vogel

Hawkish

by Julie Morrison

Proud and peering sentinel,

chiseled contemplation,

distanced stillness, dignity

a sight of hushed narration.

Mosaic wingspan fascinates,

soaring, circling wonder;

mystic, mythic peace in flight

esteemed and noble hunter.

Single, melancholy tone,

called across the sky,

sounding for my keening heart

quickening to your cry,

to lift and loft at leisure,

the world to spiral through,

no day’s pace pressed faster

than life revealed to you.

This envied grace on raven days,

hopped attempts to mimic

your earned and honed serenity

makes me a squawking gimmick,

flapping to chase at progress—

embody serenity—

makes me scuttling, easy prey

to the hawk I’d like to be.

Copyright 2025 Julie Morrison, All rights reserved