Tag: willcox
Rex Allen’s Heart Remains in Willcox
WILLCOX – Rex Allen, one of the last singing cowboy movie stars, was born and raised in Willcox and never forgot his roots. After a successful run as a white-hatted movie and television hero, Allen returned to the city and spent the majority of his remaining years there.Willcox Town Hall Now Housed in Old Railroad Depot
WILLCOX -- Old railroad depots have disappeared at an alarming rate all across the country, which is a misfortune because they were wonderful old buildings filled with strange clicking sounds and the delightful aroma of the polish used to keep the floors nice and shiny.The Fall (and Rise?) of Notorious Train Robber Burt Alvord
Burt Alvord was a big, strapping, swarthy-looking character with a bald pate and an I.Q. that was said to be considerably less than his age, which was about 30. Alvord did have a few positive attributes. He was usually cheerful, had a sense of humor and was a mighty popular fellow in Cochise County during ...Death of Old Arizona Gunslinger Inspires Well-Known Western Axiom
Bill Downing was one of the most disliked fellows in old Arizona. He was moody, morose, bad-tempered, sullen and surly. That was when he was sober. He got downright mean and ugly when he was drinking ol' red-eye. He was so unpopular that even members of his gang couldn't stand him. It's a historical fact ...Geronimo’s Face In the Rocks
Geronimo, the fierce Apache chief, is depicted in may ways both in Arizona and around the nation. His image is on everything from T-shirts to books about the Wild Wild West. But none is more enduring than his image in the Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona. It's made of rocks. The face is a profile ...Early Political Shenanigans: How Phoenix Became the Capital of Arizona
Territorial citizens took great delight applying social acupuncture to local politicos. It's been said with dubious pride that Arizona had some of the finest legislators money could buy. Old timers around Jerome used to say that every time the subject of a bullion tax would come up before the legislature Henry Allen, superintendent of the ...Bungling Burglars of Old Arizona
Nefarious ne'er-do-wells, bent on leading a life of crime in the Arizona territory, knew their stock in trade had a few risks. It was hard to look innocent and inconspicuous while driving a herd of stolen horses or cattle. The encumbered perpetrators were also quite vulnerable to being pursued by an angry rancher and his ...Rex Allen: A Cross-Eyed Hero from Willcox
Most fans of the old Western B movies watched Rex Allen fight the outlaws and rescue the heroines without ever realizing that he was once a cross-eyed country singer who performed at barn dances. Fortunately for everyone involved (Allen and fans alike), he had corrective surgery shortly after his singing career took off in Chicago. But ...Tribute to a Fallen Earp
Western movies never mention him, but there was another Earp sibling involved in Arizona's history. His name was Warren and, unlike his three more famous brothers, he didn't survive his gunfight. Warren Earp was shot and killed in 1900 at the Headquarters Saloon in downtown Willcox. According to area historians...
