September 2017 20 All Dirt and Sand Surface Nowhere is there pavement. These “highways” are all graded dirt, across deserts and over mountain passes. Nor are there bridges across washes. If the wash is running, we have to ford it. From Washington St. and Central we start out our 147.4 mile “jaunt” to Prescott, heading west along Washington St. trolley tracks and past court house square, turn on 7th St. and go three blocks along the branch trolley line. We bear left with the trolley line onto Grand Ave. at an “irregular” four corner junction. A little over a mile down Grand the trolley bears to the right. We keep going straight along the railroad tracks for several miles until we hit another “irregular” junction with 4 corners. We’re in Glendale and 9.6 miles from where we started. About 3 miles down the tracks, we bear left across the tracks, then a short distance more, we bear right across the same tracks. A mile more and we are in Peoria where there is a fork in the road. Peoria station is on the right and we keep going right along the railroad tracks, through one four corner junction and proceed to a diagonal four corner junction ahead and on to Marinette station, 16.6 miles from where we started out. Now for an 8 mile run to Beardsley station, still following the tracks. Next landmark is Hot Springs Junction where we encounter the railroad tracks again. We cross the tracks and see a wooden store on our right. We are now a little more than 45 miles from where we started. Three more miles and we encounter a fork in the road. We take the left fork. Four miles farther and we encounter a sharp curve in the road, then another 4 miles takes us to another 4 miles takes us to another fork. We bear to the left and begin climbing upgrade. The road winds through hills for some 10 miles until we reach Wickenburg, some 64 miles from where we started. Three Hours to Wickenburg We’ve been on the road nearly three hours. This is 1920 and the population of this ranching and mining town is only 700. At the four corner junction in Wickenburg we go to the right, pass the school, then, some 10 miles down the road, cross the railroad tracks, twice. Seven miles farther and the road ends. PHOENIX TO CANYON Via Wickenburg in 1920 We bear right and are in Congress Junction we hit another fork. The post office is on the right. We bear straight ahead until we hit a left hand diagonal road and bear left. Remember, this is 1920. Congress To Hillside About a mile down the 1920 road that forks to the left after Congress Junction we hit another fork. We take the left fork and 3 miles down the road pass a ranch house on our left and cross a wash, one of dozens we have crossed so far. Six more miles and we pass Piedmont station on our left and another mile we cross the railroad tracks again. Eight more miles takes us past Date Creek, on our right, ¼ mile away, and 8 more miles takes us to another fork where we bear right along the railroad. Another mile takes us to Hillside. There’s a wooden store on the left. The road ends and we bear to the left. We’ve come 103.4 miles and it has taken us about 5 and a half hours. A half mile down the road out of Hillside we encounter a road heading right and we take it. Through Yava Four miles down this road we pass Yava Post Office on our left. Five miles more and we meet a road bearing right. We take it and about 11 miles later take a jog right and then left across the railroad tracks. A mile more and we are at Kirkland Station. The depot is on our left, the store on the right. Our route is straight through Kirkland, avoiding a road that goes to the right a mile up the road. Skull Valley Two more miles takes us into Skull Valley, where the road forks. We take the right fork and cross the tracks again, before hitting one of those “irregular” four corner junctions, where we continue straight. We reach the summit of the grade and are now 140 miles from where we started in Phoenix, with eight hours plus driving time behind us. It’s now some 7 miles down a Join us dropping back in time some close to 100 years. Hop into our Hubmobile Touring Car with its high leather seats, canvas top and side curtains in case it rains. We are headed from Phoenix to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon via, Wickenburg, Congress Junction, Date Creek, Hillside, Skull Valley, Prescott, Jerome Junction, Ashfork and Williams. From Phoenix, we will take Highway 640 to Hillside. It then becomes 646 to Prescott and 641 to Williams. The road to the Canyon from Williams is numbered 645.