b'TWO GUNSTwo Guns is one of Arizonas easiest ghost townsHarry E. Miller, A.K.A. Chief Crazy Thunder, was anFor two decades, Two Guns was a popular tourist to reach, perched on the high plains 30 miles easteccentric man. In 1925 he took out a 10-year leasestop on Route 66. Today, all that remains are the of Flagstaff along historic Route 66. Artifacts showof the land from Mr. and Mrs. Cundiff. Then heruins of the roadside zoo scattered about the Native Americans populated the area as far back asrenamed the town Two Guns after the silent movielandscape, shells of the old gas stations, restaurants, the 11th century, though white settlers didnt arriveactor William S. Two Guns Hart, claiming he hada trading post, an arch bridge, and an abandoned until the mid-1800s as the town was one of theworked with the man or so one story goes.MostKOA campground, all overgrown with weeds and easiest places to cross the infamous Canyon Diablo. people believed that Harry, a hermit, had been livingbeing slowly swallowed into obscurity by nature.in the caves before leasing the land. Harry decided In 1878, Canyon Diablo was the site of a massto build a zoo, a restaurant, an Indian gift shop andThis little endeavor was very successful until 1926. murder of Apaches by their Navajo enemies; the sitetwo gas stations - turning the space from an openAfter a dispute with Mr. Cundiff, Miller shot him where the Apache hid out is called the death cave.area into a tourist trap. dead, yet was acquitted of murder. Returning to Billy the Kid and his gang later hid here in the ruinsthe town, he soon got his comeuppance when first of a stone house on the canyons west rim. An official settlement was established in the 1920s,one of his mountain lions, then a lynx, and finally offering tourists the chance to tour the deatha Gila monster bit him. In 1929, a fire destroyed The town was established as a work camp for crewscave (and newly built gift shop) or stop in thethe trading post. After all this, he eventually left the building the railroad over Canyon Diablo. Populatedsmall restaurant and use the gasoline pumps. Therestate, and the curse of Two Guns was born.only by lonely men fleeing the east coast, it quicklywas even a zoo with animals like lynxes, cougars, grew into a lawless, wild place for outlaws, gamblers,mountain lions, and Gila monsters. Mr. MillerFor the next decade, the land and buildings were and drifters. In 1889, train robbers stole gold coins,even started selling the skulls of murdered Apachesleased and abandoned several times, until Mr. Dreher new silver dollars, jewelry, watches, diamonds,he found while exploring the cave system on thecame along and brought new life into the town. A and $100,000 in cash, most of which were neverproperty. He started tours of The Apache Deathnew service station, motel, restaurant, and gift shop recovered. One of the thieves claimed the stash wasCaves where the 42 Apache had been massacred.popped up, and even the zoo received a makeover. burned near Two Guns in the canyon rim, butHe went to great lengths, even getting the Hopi toFor many years things seemed to be going well. The treasure hunters have yet to find it. build fake ruins near the cave entrance. The cavesI-40 was near completion; the town had an exit off are still great for exploring, although it is advisedthe freeway, but then the curse struck again. In 1971 that you take a flashlight, watch your step anda massive fire destroyed it and Two Guns became the your head, and keep a lookout for scorpions abandoned ghost town we see today.and snakes. GLEESON, COURTLAND & PEARCEOn a dusty road winding out of Tombstone,youll find the Ghost Town Trail. After traveling some 16 miles on this historic path, youll come to the ghost town of Gleeson. Situated on the south side of the Dragoon Mountains, Gleeson was first inhabited by Indians who mined the area for its decorative turquoise. When white prospectors began to move into the area, they found copper, lead, and silver and before long, a mining camp sprouted up in the hills above where Gleeson stands today. The first camp was called Turquoise when a post office opened in 1890. However, just four short years later, when Cornishman James Jimmie Pearce found gold at the Commonwealth claim in what would become Pearce, the town of Turquoise was abandoned, Library of Congress and the post office closed. The Pearce Post Office 24 May 2023'