Abraham Lincoln signed the Arizona Organic Act, February 28th, 1863, creating the Arizona Territory and separated the future, forty-eighth State from the Territory of New Mexico (which was created September 9th, 1850). Fort Whipple, near what is now Prescott, Arizona, became the first Territorial Capital. ​ In 1864, Henry Wickenburg uncovered a gold-bonanza in the Bradshaw Mountains, establishing the extremely lucrative Vulture Mine, south of Prescott and east of Cave Creek. When the word...

The journey to the infamous and iconic “Cave” on Cave Creek is an intensely rewarding adventure and hike for those who appreciate the enchanting history and enigmatic geology, flora, and fauna of the Cave Creek area. Steven Jones, Desert Foothills Land Trust naturalist, has identified fifty six types of plants one may observe on a Cave hike. Located about a mile and a half from the heart of Cave Creek, the Cave is the namesake for the historic town of Cave Creek, Arizona. It is the presumed...

Arizona contains some of the nation’s greatest archaeological sites! Professor Stephen Plog, author of Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest, states, “To many prehistorians, the Southwest is …an archaeological Garden of Eden…thousands of sites have been excavated…preservation is excellent because of the arid environment….” Garry Contley, archaeologist for the Arizona Bureau of Native American Affairs, sadly informs us that there are two site lootings each day in Arizona. Let’s examine...