I stayed several days in Holbrook, an iconic stop on Route 66, with an older more notorious history as well.
Dinosaurs and petrified wood illustrate some of the area's ancient history.
These are some of the Route 66 locations still seen in downtown Holbrook. A map of the "Mother Road" is painted on this wall across from the Butterfield Stage Co. Steakhouse.
A throw back to the old stage stop from pre-Route 66 days.
The Wigwam Motel is still open for business. It is one of Holbrook's most famous places...a true piece of Route 66 Americana.
A photo from 1950 when it was a popular stop on the route.
Holbrook is near the Petrified Forest National Park, so the town has several rock shops and dinosaur souvenir stores.
It is also near the Hopi Indian Reservation, so there are also shops that sell hand-made crafts and jewelry.
This large mural depicts Holbrook's early days as a stop on the Sante Fe Railway.
Same mural, other end.
Another mural depicts the Route 66 era.
There are lots of Mexican Restaurants in town, but I can recommend this modest Italian Restaurant. Clean, attractive decor, good service, and excellent food.
A visit to the museum housed in the 1898 Navajo County Courthouse is well worth it, and is where I learned "the rest of the story."
This is the old courtroom as seen from the door of the judge's chambers.
Judge's law library.
Remember these? They were used by the court recorders and could be heard clacking away during a trial.
A display from the Pony Express days is housed in the old Clerk's office.
Lucy was a court reporter famous for the array of hats which were donated to the museum after her death.
Lucy's hats...
These stained glass panels are from the Painted Desert Inn and formed a skylight in the beamed ceiling. Each panel was hand painted by two enrollees in the CCC between 1939 and 1940. I didn't get to go into the Inn when I was there, and I wonder if there are replicas there now?
And I found this photo of the "Agate Bridge" in Petrified Forest NP from before erosion caused it to need reinforcement from below.
The jail, installed during the 1898 construction of the courthouse, was last used in 1976.
It was shipped as a unit by rail from St. Louis at a cost of $3,000.
Most interesting in the jail is the artwork on the walls done by inmates.
Some talented criminals.
The cells...
And the latrine....eeeww.
Some wanted posters from the day...
Billy the Kid was worth more than Butch Cassidy.
But it was the story of the shootout at the Blevins House that caught my attention.
There is a scale-model of the Blevins' home on display near the courtroom.
Scale-model of the Blevins' house.
A photo of Sheriff Owens who went to the Blevins' house on September 4, 1887 to arrest Andy Cooper and ended up shooting 4 people, killing 3.
Owens' account of the shooting.
Photo of the Blevins house back then.
Accounts from the Blevins family:
Photo of Andy Cooper who the Sheriff planned to arrest for horse stealing.
This newspaper account gives a lot of background information about the events leading up to the famous shootout.
Apparently "in the mid-1880s, Holbrook was notorious for being one of the wildest, roughest towns in the territory."
Members of the Hashknife gang were also involved in the shootout.
There was an ongoing feud/war between cattlemen and sheepherders.
There were several murders and mysterious disappearances.
So I set out to find the Blevins' house. My search took me by the old Railroad Depot.
Sante Fe Depot in Holbrook
And the former "Bucket of Blood Saloon."
The Blevins house can be seen across the tracks. It is currently the Senior Center.
Next door to it is the former headquarters of the Hashknife Gang.
Scene of the famous shootout.
A small park has been built next to it.
Colorful Holbrook sunset.
And now you know the rest of the story.
