The Coronado Scenic Byway Trail – Highway 191 – is among Arizona’s great scenic drives, snaking through the dense wilderness of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in the eastern part of the state. Also called the Devil’s Highway and once referred to as Highway 666…
During the opening of new lands in the Oklahoma Territory in the early 1900s, those who entered legally— starting at the sound of the land agent’s gunshot—were called Boomers. However, there were those who sneaked in early and staked out claims. These were called Sooners. Arizona, too, had a few Sooners. One of these was Poston. Poston was an enigma.
BLACK CANYON CITY — Wesley Smith became an artist by accident. It all started when he began collecting 10,000-gallon gasoline storage tanks, then got a boost when his kids bought him a new cutting torch. Smith helped remove the old tanks from one-time gas stations and kept them on his property.
GLENDALE — Larry Rovey said the reason for the tractor on the flagpole is simple — he always wanted to see what it would look like if he put one up there. The tractor is a 1920s Farmall Regular, and it’s mounted on the flagpole in front of Rovey Dairy in Glendale. It rises about 20 feet off the ground on a steel post that used to be a utility pole.
STRAWBERRY — Here among the tall pines of Arizona, there stands a totem pole in memory of Ernest Ralls, a member of the citizenry. During his lifetime, Ralls expressed a desire to own a totem pole, and the urge became so strong that he hired Arizona woodcarver John Quick to create one from a tree that had been killed by lightning. It stands about 25 feet tall and features a bear, a frog and an eagle.
