Sedona History

Sedona history dates back a few centuries. Today we can visit Oak Creek Canyon and find lots to do, and lots of people who love nature and who have traveled to the Sedona Arizona area to enjoy the outdoors, the scenery, and the resorts in the area. In autumn, the leaves change color, and leaf-peepers come from all over to see the bright colors of Fall. There are lots of people sometimes, reminding us that the Sedona Arizona area is loved by many people, and it is a valuable natural resource for all to enjoy. It's also the place of history, where Sedona history comes alive and the story of settlers and pioneers is the story of settling of the West by Europeans told in so many towns across the American West and Southwest. The First European Pioneers Pioneers & Indians There was a time, more than a century ago, when Oak Creek Canyon and all the areas around Sedona Arizona were uncharted, untamed wilderness, and those European pioneers who first ventured out here had battles and struggles ahead of them, until the rough edges were smoothed out to make way for more and more settlers. There were Apache and Yavapai indians here in the 1870s, until they were herded out to the San Carlos Reservation by US soldiers, to make way for white people to move in on the land and farm it, mine it, and explore it. The Indians eventually came back, but never again followed their traditional way of life as they had before Europeans arrived and sent them to the reservations.

Abundant Natural Resources The natural resources and wildlife seem abundant and beautiful now, but back then this was really the case, more so than today. The creeks were jammed with trout, and deer and bears were everywhere in the forests, making pathways to the creeks. Plants were lush and bountiful and you could get berries without much effort, along the banks of the creeks. Gardening and gaming were prolific, but socializing was sparse. Companionship was difficult to come by in the early days of settlement and pioneers. Life was hard, and the land, though bountiful, was unforgiving. The Community of Red Rock The first man to settle in Oak Creek Canyon was J.J. Thompson, claiming land he called Indian Gardens, and building log cabins. He raised a family here too, and they lived part time at what we call today Uptown. Other families arrived, settling in Crimson Cliffs, near Cathedral Rock, and other niches, and the whole area in general became known as Red Rock. It was a loosely-strung community, with houses far apart, and not much time for socializing, but a community of farming neighbors nevertheless. The Thompsons, the Lees who settled near Cathedral Rock, teh Abraham James family at Crimson Cliffs and the Schuermans in the area as well, put down roots in Red Rock, and their ranches and farms grew. In 1891 a school was built to educate all the children these and a few other families were producing, and the area was starting to look like a real town. They also soon found growing markets for their produce and their livestock in Jerome, which would become the biggest town in Arizona for a while, with booming mining operations. They also sold goods to markets in Flagstaff, further north. Sedona, Arizona is Born Munds Trail played a very important role in Sedona history. It was the main route from Red Rock to Flagstaff, and because a much-used trading route, so much so that in 1902 the government established a post office here at the request of T.C. Carl Schnebly. Schnebly lived with his wife in a nice home on the creek between Oak Creek Canyon and Red Rock. The house was right on the end of Munds Trail, and people stayed at their home sometimes on the way to trading destinations towards Flagstaff. Carl was the one who applied to have the Post Office established in his own name, so it would be called "Schnebly Station". The US Government said yes to the Post Office but no to the name, which was too long to put on a cancellation stamp. So, Carl used his wife's name and named the Post Office "Sedona". Thus, the little town formerly known as Red Rock was now more or less officially called "Sedona". They gave the name to Sedona but actually left after a few years in town, grieving the death of their daughter, who died in a horseback accident. Sedona Grows The Agricultural Industry in Sedona, Arizona Munds Trail became known as Schnebly Hill Road, even after the family left, and later owners of the farm grew strawberries, vegetables, peaches, and apples. This was the Jordan family. They also blasted a ditch form Wilson Canyon to their barn, to carry water to their farm. Their well was the first water system in Sedona, as well. The Sedona farms and ranches suffered a lot during the Great Depression in the 1930s. This prompted them to form a farming cooperative, whereby small farms and orchards deliverd their produce to the Jordan Family's barn. Then George Jordan delivered everyone's produce to markets in Flagstaff, Williams, Clarkdale, and Jerome. Sometimes he even went to Phoenix. They also ran a produce stoer at the north end of Uptown. In later years, produce from Sedona would win prizes at the Arizona State Fair and it would feed troups in World War II. The Community of Sedona Blossoms The small town of Sedona worked hard through the years to work the land and live life as best as possible. They worked hard and they played hard as well. It was a tight-knit community and Saturday nights were full of rockin' good times. People would gather from all over the area gathered at the Brewer Road School for dancing and partying all night long. Men played the fiddle and accordians and women brought buckets and buckets of food and they all ate dinner at midnight. Coffee brewed on the fire all night and kept the settlers and farmers going all night, dancing while the kid slept in the corners of their school. Things really got exciting, especially for the local teenage girls, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers came to town and joined in the dances. There were two to three hundred of them in Sedona Arizona at one time, hosed in Barracks. They did things like fight forest fires, build fences to keep cattle contained, and spruced up campgrounds and made signs. The Movies in Sedona, Arizona Sedona, Arizona and Oak Creek Canyon are known for their breathtaking red rock landscape and gorgeous scenery. Hollywood loved Sedona, Arizona as a setting for western movies, and beginning in teh 1930s, many movies were shot here. Lots of Sedona Arizona people found jobs in the movies when crews came to town to film the latest western. Some titles filmed in Sedona, Arizona area in the 1930s through the 1960s were: Robber's Roost Riders of hte Purple Sage Dodge City Pony Soldier Angel and the Badman The Rounders Top

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