Greater Cordes, pop. 11

Continuing our ladies' outing adventure on Monday: here is Cordes, Arizona, established as a stage stop in 1883 by John and Lizzie Cordes -- today, the Cordes Station store is owned and operated by their great-great-granddaughter, serving up snacks, drinks, antiques and collecibles.

Cordes is located on the old Black Canyon Highway in lower (and hotter) desert country than I-17; the shotest route is via Duffer Road in Spring Valley.

Note the power lines. Things are actually quite up to date in Cordes -- including internet reception. And, speaking of the internet, there's a cool interview of Cathy, who runs the store, at YouTube.

The old gas pump still stands.

Here is the store (above) and a ranch house (below). (Note: the picture of the store was borrowed from the Cordes Station web site.)

Another group of buildings is hidden behind this big old barn. And that's about it, as far as I could see the other day. BTW: there's a rumor going about that ADOT is seriously considering a new, improved super-duper version of I-17, but set down in the lowlands where Cordes, Bumblebee, and Cleator are located. That would be a real pity; why can't they leave well enough alone?

Gelato & deli goodies

Tombo posted quick reviews of several local restaurants this week, which prompted me to get out my pictures of a place that might well be overlooked.

I've no idea what kind of business these people are doing. Most people driving through Prescott on Sheldon simply aren't thinking about refreshments, at least on Sheldon Street. Nonetheless, there it is, the Spaghetti Western Espresso stage stop. Specifically, at Virginia and Sheldon. It may draw students from Yavapai College, which is nearby.

Built complete to a separate drive-through structure, which hasn't been in use the times I have eaten there. Drive-through customers use a window at the main building.

As is quite apparent from the name -- and this poster -- the operation is a stage (or movie) setting. Hokey as can be, which is part of the charm.

A phony rifle as door handle -- just how Italian-style western can you get?

The landscaping suggests a pleasant outdoor experience as the weather warms up.

And visible on the roof, absolutely the most important piece of equipment in the entire establishment -- a huge gelato making machine (I think). Like to tell you more about the entire menu (deli goodies and fancy coffees), but it so happens that every time I've stopped in, I'm drawn to the frozen Italian ices which are rich and yummy indeed. Do give the place a try!

Tonight's Linkages: The Google alerted me to a new local blogger, Miligirl; she's an artist by profession. And I take this chance to thank folks who linked back to Walking Prescott: Earth, Wind and Water who hosted the March I-and-the-Bird, and Terrell at Alone on a Limb who compiles a monthly outdoor education round-up. Both linked the pictures of ducks on ice at Lynx Lake.

Happy Birthday, Duke

Of course, it's a little bit late to be ordering the tschotkes and memorabilia for your John Wayne's 100th birthday party, because he was born Marion Robert Morrison 100 years ago today in a small Iowa town. However, there's plenty of the stuff out there in the great cybermall.

For something a little more special, you go to someone like my buddy Jim, who makes custom gun rigs based upon old Hollywood A & B westerns. Here he is holding one of three John Wayne gun belt replicas made for one customer. This particular outfit was worn in The Shootist, which was a class act and fitting finale to The Duke's long career.

Prescott has been a western town far longer than its new role as a boutique town serving the Left Coast; thus you still find John Wayne symbolism here and there, such as at the front of the Grove Street gun shop. Just incidentally, when I consulted The Google concerning the western star, it referred me to the exact same cutout at a London party shop.

Here is my most favorite John Wayne appearance in town this past year -- he stands guard at the western-themed tree at Watters' annual Christmas tree extravaganza.

A small note about Prescott and western stars: our real locally connected Hollywood cowboy was Tom Mix, who shot films here and owned a ranch hereabouts. Wayne ranched up on the Rim, near Eager, a fact I learned from NPR, believe it or not. That small town is one of several celebrating his birthday this weekend.

Western Without the Staging

Here in Prescott, as in many western towns, the pressure to Offer a Western Experience to the tourons is palpable. The response occasionally verges on exploitation; some restaurants or saloons are thoroughly staged and some, but not all, are comfortable in their hokiness. Others are too precious for words. The thing I like about the Waffle Iron: it's not Old West, it's a piece of Prescott history. With a western theme. Our rodeo. Our cowboys. That sort of thing. Primarily pictures. Not overdone with artifacts.

In a word, the atmosphere is for real. A year round Christmas tree yet. No embarassment about a poster for the very un-PC Smoki dances. After all, they were a big part of Prescott past.

As was this cafe, for which ground was broken in fall of 1941. The Jack & Jill was a stopping off place for truckers and for cowboys on their way home from Whisky Row; the street was a gravel road.

From my point of view, two major features of the menu: the breakfast eggs are treated with great respect and the waffles provide a tasty underpining for a surprising choice of syrups. As a restaurant critic, however, I'm a flop because I've never eaten lunch at the Waffle Iron -- I always think of it as a place for a special breakfast!

And it's been in Gail's family for 27 years; always a real recommendation!

False Fronts

Thanks to Hollywood, the crude wooden building with a false front is cliche for Old West. In fact, the picture above is from Corriganville, which served both for shoot 'em up settings for Republic Pictures' movies and as a minor tourist attraction in 1950s LA. Below, a building that still stands in Parks, Utah, tho it's now an upscale "saloon" for the apres ski set. Natch.

I found a concise history at a model railroad accessory site: "false fronts were typical of the early western structures. Their earliest application was to the front of large tents, and then to structures that had four walls and a canvas roof. In almost every case, a false front wall was extended as a façade, [alluding] to the size, finish, and importance of the building. They contained character, expression, and the spirit of the builders. Most false fronts also served as signboards and became a place to decorate with fancy work of one kind or another. Not too may folks were fooled by the false fronts, but almost all were enjoyed."

Yet another structure built to remember the past -- in this case down at the Pioneer living museum attraction off I-17 on the way down into Phoenix. Are you wondering just why I got caught up in this false front nostalgia. There is a local reason:

You see, there is this cottage over in the Prescott College block; in fact, judging from the exterior colors, I would presume that it now belongs to the school. It was a modest home in its time -- but it had pretensions. Take a close look at the peaked "roof". Move in closer, below -- it's a scene fit for the Wizard of Oz. Do you see the brace that's holding up the false front?

Curious, too -- the cottage seeks a peaked roof image, while the Utah store pictured above seeks to hide its sensible (for the high mountains) peaked roof. There's no satisfying some folks!