Fairbank A Ghost Town Of The Old West…Arizona…..

GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN

 In The Old West

Fairbank is a ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona, near the San Pedro River. First settled in 1881, Fairbank was the closest rail stop to nearby Tombstone, which made it an important location in the development of southeastern Arizona. The town was named for Chicago investor Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank who partially financed the railroad.

We have to get an early start so we can catch the stage from Tombstone to Fairbank.(not really, I just wanted to use the photo of the stagecoach)

Originally called Junction City, Kendall, then Fairbank

I wonder if they are going to bust some “ghosts”

Fairbank was built on an old Mexican land grant, the San Juan de las Boquillas y Nogales.

A very important room in any self respecting ghost town.

Due to its proximity to Tombstone, and the fact that it boasted the nearest railroad station to what was one of the largest cities in the western United States, Fairbank acted as a way point between Tombstone and the rest of the country.

The Bureau of Land Management acquired the land that was once the Mexican Land Grant in 1986 as part of the San Pedro Riparian NCA. Today the area is open for the public to enjoy. Take a self-guided tour around what was once a thriving boom-town of the wild west! Looks like the B.L.M. put some new spouting on the building.

Time for a walk.. Please take plenty of water and watch out for Venomous Creatures.

Remains of the old railroad bed.

San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about 10 miles (16 km) south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. The river flows 140 miles (230 km) north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and Pinal County to its confluence with the Gila River, at Winkelman, Arizona. It is the last major, free-flowing undammed river in the American Southwest, it is of major ecological importance as it hosts two-thirds of the avian diversity in the United States, including 100 species of breeding birds and 300 species of migrating birds.

This is an area where Coronado and his fellow conquistadors rode almost 500 years ago.

This would be a good time to return to Fairbank and check out the schoolhouse.

In 1889, Fairbank had five saloons, a meat market, general store, grocery, three restaurants, a hotel, a Wells Fargo Office, livery stables, train and stage depots , a school, post office, and resident's houses.

The schoolhouse was built in the late 1920s. The original building was one-room but a partition (long missing) separated it into two rooms. This block structure replaced a wooden structure that had burned down. In the early 1930s, a "third" room was added. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) meticulously restored the schoolhouse in 2007 using original materials where possible. READ MORE

A highlight is the old school house. On weekends there is usually a docent who can explain the fascinating history of railroads in Southern Arizona in the 19th century.

Linda says,”I think I need to learn a little more about rattlesnakes in Arizona”…. LOL

Now. it’s time to get back to Tombstone for some “RELAXATION”

Hope you enjoyed your visit to a real ghost town of the old west. Joe Todd is going to be busy for awhile.. Hope Linda doesn’t find out……

Technorati Tags: ARIZONA,FAIRBANK,GHOST TOWN,OLD WEST,WANDERING

 GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN  Check this Out:::

NOT ALL THAT FAR FROM LANCASTER,OHIO WE HAVE THE GHOST TOWN OF SAN TOY

Shallenberger State Nature Preserve and the “Knobs” of Lancaster,Ohio

This post is about Knobs.. Allen Knob.. Ruble Knob.. Becks Knob..with a short hike to the top of Allen Knob at Shallenberger State Nature Preserve.

 

An OUR WORLD TUESDAY POST

Allen Knob, at Shallenberger State Nature Preserve Latitude: 39.6925641   Longitude: -82.6554434 County: Fairfield Area: Amanda
Elevation: 344 meters - 1129 feet MAP

“More than 300 million years ago this portion of Ohio lay under the waters of a vast inland ocean. Large sand deltas were deposited by streams flowing into the ancient seas. Over millions of years, compaction of these sand deltas fused the sand into rock, creating the Black Hand sandstone formation found in Ohio today.” READ MORE

Ready To Hike….

“At Shallenberger, the long process of weathering produced Allen Knob, a promontory of highly resistant sandstone, and the smaller adjacent Ruble Knob.”

Looking up at Allen Knob from the lower trail. The snow makes it look a little different. These  flat-topped knobs southwest of Lancaster,Ohio mark the edge of the Appalachian Plateau and are what biologists call islands in the sky.

Straight ahead and up to Allen Knob or the trail to the right will take you to Ruble knob. The snow made it a little slippery. I found it a little more difficult coming down than going up.

 My walking stick came in handy.. We are almost to the top of Allen Knob.

“At the top, the trees appear smaller, scraggly and poor because the soil is thin and dry. The dominant tree atop the knobs is the chestnut oak.” READ MORE 

Next a view of Becks Knob (private property) as seen from the top of Allen Knob.

Just on the other side of Crumley Road you have Becks Knob with the city of Lancaster,Ohio in the far distance.

Found this on the net. I wonder if it is true..

“Beck's Knob is haunted by a man known as "Hermit on the Knob." He was an old man who lived on the hill who read his Bible every day and did little else. Perhaps out of boredom, he decided to end it all. He dug his own grave, then shot himself in the heart while standing above the hole with a note pinned to his chest asking that he be buried there. His ghost walks, carrying a lantern, from 22 to Beck Road toward the Hunter's Run Bridge, where it disappears.”

What I do know; there is an unusual depression in the ground on top of Allen Knob.

Have a question… ask…  Rick Gardner, Chief Botanist Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas & Preserves 2045 Morse Road, Building C-3 Columbus, Ohio 43229 614-265-6419(O) 614-745-6781(C)… Rick says,

“The depression on top of Allen Knob was a small rock quarry that was in operation in the 1800s.”  Thank you Mr. Rick Gardner….

Mountain laurel also thrives atop the knobs, especially on their southern and western slopes. They are at their colorful best from late May to mid-July. (Another hike)

In the distance you have the U.S. 33 Bypass and U.S. Route 22….  Time to head back to Lancaster,Ohio and the Native American Pow Wow being held at the fairgrounds.

Joe Todd says, Learn to slow down, to be aware, to notice, and make every day an adventure.. Thanks for stopping by.

Technorati Tags: SHALLENBERGER,NATURE PRESERVE,ALLEN KNOB,RUBLE KNOB,BECKS KNOB,LANCASTER OHIO,FAIRFIELD COUNTY,HAUNTED

Thanks for Hob Knobbing at My Quality Time.