Blog

In recent decades Flagstaff has seen a magnificent rebirth that has continued to turn it into a beautiful and fun place for locals and visitors to dine, shop, listen to music, and hang out with friends. Underneath this layer lies a rich and interesting history that should continue to be preserved. Great questions to ask about Flagstaff history are why is our downtown located where it is, what are the oldest buildings in downtown, and who were the people that helped build the town? In this article we will explore these questions and a small part of Flagstaff’s interesting and somewhat unsure beginnings. Let get started! An Unoccupied Land Ruled by Mother Nature Standing today on route 66 in the midst of downtown Flagstaff it is hard to imagine that 150 years ago there was practically nothing here except forest. There was no train noise to drown out the conversation of diners and pedestrians, no roads or cars whizzing by on errands or cross country road trips, and no buildings of wood, brick, sandstone, or volcanic tuff. The last time that the Flagstaff area was occupied year round by human beings was in the 13th century. And in the mid 19th century, there were native tribes that frequented the area annually for various purposes and the occasional white explorer, but all said, the land that is now known as Flagstaff, Arizona still fully belonged to mother Earth. So what changed that led humans to once again populate the forested land at the base of the San Francisco Peaks? Well, in some ways the answer is obvious. The westward expansion of the 1800’s was a wildfire in terms of land acquisition and population shifts in the United States. It is said that by 1840 over 7 million people had moved west

When visiting downtown Flagstaff, you’ve probably noticed an old black Baldwin locomotive steam engine sitting along the railroad tracks on Route 66, but do you know where it came from and why it’s there?  If you’re curious about the history of the iconic Flagstaff relic fondly known as Old Two Spot, then we've got you covered! The story of how Old Two Spot received its name is quite interesting, but first let’s look at the lumber industry, its ties to the early Flagstaff community, and the history of the engine. The Lumber Industry and the Railroad Back in the 1880’s, a huge amount of lumber was needed to construct the railroad and when progress got delayed at Canyon Diablo east of town a Chicago businessman named EA Ayers saw a major opportunity. He hauled a steam powered lumber mill to Flagstaff from Chicago and started operations in August of 1882. After a short time, Ayers sought out and hired Matthew Riordan to manage the mill and by 1887 it had been purchased by the famed Flagstaff family. It was called the Arizona Lumber and Timber Co. and its huge operation had rails running from the mill into the forest like spiderwebs. Perhaps on a hike you’ve seen remnants of this network in the form of old railroad ties or spikes littered around the forest. The mill was owned by the Riordans until the great depression and afterwards, from the 1930’s to the 1990’s, the operation and Old Two Spot changed hands eight times. The Old Two Spot Engine The Old Two Spot engine is a Baldwin 2-8-0 locomotive and was built in 1911 in Pennsylvania. The 2-8-0 refers to its wheel arrangement of two wheels on its front axle, eight driving wheels with four on each side, and no trailing

Have you ever thought to yourself, "How Did Flagstaff Get its Name"? As much as the origin is obvious (a flag staff duh!) the history of it goes a bit deeper. In this article we will discover the myths and perhaps the truth behind our northern Arizona town’s funny and unique name. Let’s get started! So, how do towns usually get their names? Oftentimes they are named after a person, like Louisville or Lafayette. Sometimes they are influenced by indigenous cultures or as an ode to a natural feature, like Chicago or Little Rock. Or sometimes, as it appears to be with the naming of Flagstaff, a man-made marker becomes a beacon of sorts passed along to travelers to indicate the source the present of a necessity. Such as the presence water, a safe place to camp, or simply a milestone along a path. To explore how a flag staff became a marker for a future town in the high elevations of Arizona we will need to go back about 160 years to the early 1850's, and set a little bit of background. Enter Antoine Leroux and the Beale Wagon Road The story of pretty much everything Flagstaff including starts with a 19th century explorer by the name of Antoine Leroux. He was a multilingual, affluent son of a wealthy French merchant turned gifted free trapper and eventually highly sought-after guide in the New Mexico and Arizona Territories. Over the decades, Leroux explored many areas in the Southwest that humans, including the many indigenous tribes, had not regularly occupied for many centuries. In 1851, Leroux was hired to guide the first Topographical Corps of Engineers expedition across northern Arizona to determine the feasibility of a shortened route to California from the east. At Leroux’s suggestion the expedition led by Captain