10. Jerome, Arizona 34°44'48.87"N , 112° 6'28.40"W

The tenth and last stop of our virtual tour of the places of interest of the Verde Valley is Jerome, Arizona. Jerome is a small town that is perched on a hill called Cleopatra Hill at an altitude of approximately 5,200 feet. You must climb for quite a while before reaching this quaint town from the valley below. You immediately feel the difference in temperature as you climb out of the desert area. The town consists of a few streets that zigzag on the side of the hill. This town was begun for labor to support a nearby copper mine. When the copper mine closed many people moved away to find other employment. Several fires destroyed many buildings in the town. It then basically became ghost town. The local people say that in the 1980’s when property was cheap, artists started buying property. The town began to fill up again. The town today is basically an artist’s paradise and tourist destination. Each business in town is either an artist gallery or some type of tourist attraction. Businesses close promptly at 5:00 in the evening except for the restaurants. To really enjoy the atmosphere and ambiance of the town it is best to arrive early to shop and peruse the many art galleries that abound in this quaint little town.

9. Tuzigoot National Monument 34°46'13.34"N , 112° 1'37.12"W

Our ninth stop of the virtual tour of places of interest in the Verde Valley is Tuzigoot National Monument, which is located just outside the city of Clarkdale, Arizona. Tuzigoot means “crooked water” and was so named by the local Native Americans. The Verdi River runs nearby and is crooked in shape. Tuzigoot was a restoration project of the Sinagua Indian Ruins that was discovered by archeology students who were looking for a project. This project was begun in the 1930’s The land was owned by a copper smelting company. The area still has copper tailings in the land adjacent to the park proper. The students approached the copper company about doing an excavation project. The copper company agreed to the project, but was unable to fund the project. They donated the land to the school. Because it was now was state owned land the government funded the labor to unearth the ruins through the WPA in the 1930’s. Tuzigoot National Monument is now home to those found artifacts and park visitors are able to tour the ruins of the ancient Sinagua that sit on top of the hill overlooking the Verdi River. It is part of the Montezuma National Monument and Montezuma’s Well National Monument Park Group and is maintained by the National Park Service.

8. Coffee Pot Rock Formation / Coffee Pot Rock Restaurant 34°51'37.10"N , 111°47'10.39"W

Our eighth stop on our virtual tour of places of interest in the Verde Valley is the Coffee Pot Rock Formation that is located approximately four blocks off Highway 82 in the west end of Sedona Arizona. It is located on an appropriately named street Coffee Pot Rock Drive. This rock formation is located in a neighborhood near a ranch style home. I remember viewing this rock formation from a small Cessna airplane in 1982 and there were no homes anywhere near it. The rock formation is red sandstone. It stands approximately thirty feet high and fifteen to twenty feet wide. It is shaped like an old fashioned coffee pot.
After viewing the rock formation we make our way to the restaurant Coffee Pot Restaurant. This restaurant has an impressive history. It was once owned by Jane Russell the movie star. At the time that it was owned by Jane Russell it was called Dudes. It was a restaurant and nightclub. The restaurant is southwest in design. It boasts a menu of over 100 types of omelets. The new owner is not a celebrity, but the use of the name of the famous rock formation and the tie to the previous movie star fame have made the Coffee Pot Restaurant a must see on the places of interest in the Verde Valley..

7. Sedona Airport and Overlook 34°51'21.66"N, 111°46'37.88"W

Our seventh stop on our virtual tour of places of interest in the Verde Valley of Arizona is the Sedona airport. It is a relatively small airport located near the eastern edge of the town Sedona, Arizona where only small airplanes, small jets and helicopters have room to land. Flying into Sedona Airport in a small airplane is an experience that allows you to feel that you have really experienced the entire Sedona area. You can tour the city and nearby locations of interest by airplane or helicopter. There is a small restaurant located near the hangars and runways. Diners can enjoy a nice meal and watch the takeoffs and landings of the aircraft.
(Overlook) Approximately 100 yards outside the airport road is the airport overlook. This top of the mountain vantage points affords beautiful vistas in all directions. The beautiful deep red sandstone takes form in many majestic forms and shapes. Almost all of the rock formations have been given a formal name. These majestic rock formations have always attracted many tourists to the area.

6. Beaver Creek Campground Area 34°39'49.85"N, 109°28'48.94"W

Our sixth stop on our virtual tour of places of interest in the Verde Valley of Arizona is Beaver Creek Campground. This is a small campground where you can camp any way that you like. There is space for small as well large campers. You can camp using a tent or just sleeping bags on the ground. You pay for your campsite using the honor method, but one of the campers who stay for the season is in charge of overseeing the campground for security purposes. You may also just spend the day at the campground to enjoy the water. Beaver Creek flows along side the campground. There is a beautiful swimming hole that has a solid red sandstone bottom located just adjacent to the campground. The stream is approximately three and to four feet in depth in most places. Large flat red sandstone rocks approximately ten to twelve feet square can be found all along the length of the creek. These large flat rocks allow people to be able to walk from the campground all along the creek without getting their feet wet. This campground is maintained by the National Forest Service.

5. V Bar V Ranch Heritage Site of Petri glyphs 34°39'58.13"N , 111°42'59.69"W

Our fifth stop on the virtual tour of places of interest of the Verde Valley of Arizona is the V Bar V Ranch Petri glyphs are found a half mile walk from the small visitor center.. Volunteers Archaeologists are on site at least one day a week to give small lectures about the Petri glyphs. The Petri glyphs cover large red sandstone rocks that are approximately 30 feet long and 15feet tall. There are hundreds of symbols and figures on the rocks. The symbols have turned different colors due the weathering of the red sandstone. The archaeologists point to sections of figures on the rocks and attempt to disseminate what they thought the native people of the area were trying to depict. Some symbols are easily recognizable. The symbol of the sun is easily recognized. Snakes are also easily recognized. It can only be hypothesized what the symbols actually mean. Some have hypothesized that the symbols and figures are religious in nature. Others have hypothesized that only important events are depicted. The Petri glyphs remain a mystery that man will continue to try to solve. The Petri glyphs are maintained by volunteers for the National Forest Service.

4. Original Irrigation Ditch Site/ Picnic Area of Montezuma National Well 34°38'56.00"N,111°45'10.70"W

Our fourth stop on the places of interest in the Verde Valley of Arizona is the picnic area of the Montezuma Well Monument. This picnic is a nice respite in the middle of the day when temperatures are soaring near the 100 degree mark. The irrigation ditch which begins at the well outlet continues down the hill and completely surrounds this picnic area. There is lush grass that is maintained through the use of irrigation gates located on the irrigation ditch. Park visitors my also take their shoes off here and put their feet in the water. The irrigation ditch continues onto the properties of farmers that are located near the Well property. Those farmers have irrigation rights to the Well. Near the picnic area is a remnant of the original irrigation ditch that is approximately 300 years old. Interestingly it is only three to four feet deep for such a long time in use. The reason for this is that the water had such a high limestone content that it came out of solution to create a cement if you will hence creating its own trough. This area is also maintained by the National Park Service.

3. Well Outlet of the Montezuma Well Monument 34°22'30.36"N,111°28'23.52"W

Our third stop on the Places of interest in the Verde Valley of Arizona is on the back side of Montezuma Well. In order to get to the Montezuma Well Outlet we go around the hill at the top of the well and down under and around the cliff area. There are stone steps leading down into the well outlet. This area of the well is very special. The temperature immediately becomes cooler. Sycamore and Ash trees line the irrigation ditch and give plenty of shade to the area.Wet Beaver Creek runs adjacent to the irrigation ditch on the right as you are going down the steps.. This is the location of the original irrigation ditch put in place by the ancient Sinagua.It is believed that they were shown this technology by the ancient Hohokam It is still in place at the outlet of the well. The water flows under the giant limestone wall where it is continues down the irrigation ditch that flows through the park. Park visitors can rest on the rock platform or put their feet into the irrigation ditch and cool off. Usually a park volunteer is on hand to give the history of the area and the park. A giant Sycamore tree also graces the area that has been dated from photographs to about 200 hundred years old. The National Park Service maintains the irrigation ditch today in the park trying to maintain the integrity created hundreds of years ago.

2. Montezuma Well National Monument 34°30'49.78"N, 111°40'40.05"W

Our second stop on our virtual tour of the Places of Interest in the Verde Valley Field Trip is Montezuma Well National Monument. The Well is a Limestone Sink that collapsed 11,000 years ago. The Well is approximately 150 feet across and is round in shape. Approximately a million and a half gallons of water per day flow through the well. The water has very little oxygen in it and fish cannot live in the water. If you look closely at the surface of the water during the day it may look like it is raining. What is actually happening is carbon dioxide is being given off by the water and it creates small sprays in the process. Small muskrats, mud turtles and several species of waterfowl can be seen swimming on the well during the day. There are steps that lead down into the well area. Park visitors can explore the swallot cave near the well outlet. Small animals and bats inhabit the small caves, where the ancient Sinagua once lived. If you look closely you can see small cliff dwellings that are nestled in the rim areas above the well. This area is also maintained by the National Park Service.

1. Montezuma Castle National Monument 34°34'31.21"N, 111°52'58.53"W

1. Montezuma Castle National Monument

Our first stop on the virtual tour of Places of Interest in the Verdi Valley is Montezuma’s Castle National Monument. This national park is small, but boasts a twenty room cliff dwelling that begins fifty feet above the desert floor and rises to a height of 100 feet at the top. The cliff dwelling is ninety five percent original. It is light pink and tan in color. The exterior has been re-plastered using mud from dry Beaver Creek that runs (now dry) adjacent to the park on the left. The ancient Sinagua were believed to have lived in the cliff dwelling approximately 900 years ago. No one really knows what became of the ancient Sinagua. There are remnants of their lives that were found in the cliff dwellings and the area surrounding it. The National Park Service maintains the park. The park rangers give ranger talks daily describing the surroundings and giving insight into what might have been the daily routine of the ancient Sinagua. The park gets it name from the legend that Montezuma once stayed there hence the castle name. The park is maintained by the National Park Service.