Holbrook and the Petrified Forest

Images of America: Arizona

by Catherine H. Ellis

Largely a sea of sand and sand-turned-to-stone, the cold desert at the junction of the Rio Puerco and the Little Colorado Rivers seems an unlikely place for human settlement. Indeed, even the Puerco and Little Colorado seldom visit, and when they do, they sweep away dams and ditches and sometimes more. But with the coming of the railroad in 1881, the community of Holbrook became a hub of commerce for Mormons, cowboys, Native Americans, railroad men, and the military. Hashknife cowboys brought cattle to ship to market and stayed to spend their money in saloons. Visitors from the East came to see the Triassic forest and stayed to eat in Fred Harvey's elegant dining room, a series of five boxcars on a sidetrack. Route 66 and the Santa Fe Railway defined this tiny town and made it a historic crossroads in northern Arizona.

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2007

Reviews

[Nranger7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointed as I expected more about the Petrified Forest since it was in the title. Also the text portions were not written well. For example, there was a chapter dedicated to the Hashknife without clearly defining what that meant. It seemed like the author wrote the book for locals only and assumed everyone would know who and what she was talking about. I enjoy getting these Images of America books wherever I travel. Interesting to see what each locality thinks is important to their history.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. I wouldn't say it was as fascinating as some of the others I have read but it closer to home so I liked reading about the town's history.