Hecla is a former way station situated in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States.[2] Its name is derived from the nearby Hecla mine.[3] It is also known as Stone Corral. Hecla has an estimated elevation of 4,596 feet (1,401 m) above sea level.[1]
Hecla, Arizona | |
|---|---|
  Hecla Location within the state of Arizona  Hecla Hecla (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 34°32′17″N 112°07′18″W / 34.53806°N 112.12167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yavapai |
| Elevation | 4,596 ft (1,401 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (MST) |
| Area code | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-32335 |
| GNIS feature ID | 42742 |
John Stemmer, a former trooper, set up a waystation there on Ash Creek in the 1870s for travellers on the route between Prescott and the Verde Valley.[4][5] Facilities included at least seven furnished rooms, a bar, retail store, kitchen, dining room, stables and two stone corrals.[4]
In 1884 it passed to AJ Hudson, who with his family continued to operate it as an inn for travellers.[4] Facilities added included a root cellar, and for 18 months a post office under the name of Hecla, by which it was then known.[6][4] As well as providing for travellers, it was an important location for social gathering for the nearby small communities.[4]
In August 1898 a flash flood on the creek destroyed most of the facilities and the site was abandoned.[4] The stone corral and root cellar remain and it now exists as a historical site on the Prescott National Forest Reserve, accessed by the General Cook hiking trail.
References
edit- ^ a b "Feature Detail Report for: Hecla". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Hecla (in Yavapai County, AZ) Populated Place Profile". AZ Hometown Locator. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ^ Barnes, Will Croft (2016). Arizona Place Names. Tucson: Arizona Place Names. p. 203. ISBN 978-0816534951.
- ^ a b c d e f Judy Stoycheff. "The "Stone Corral"". Sharlot Hall Museum.
- ^ "A correspondent from Ash Creek..." The Weekly Arizona Miner (Prescott, Arizona). June 18, 1875.
- ^ Theobald, John; Theobald, Lillian (1961), Arizona Territory: Post Offices & Postmasters, United States Postal Service – via Arizona Historical Foundation
Further reading
edit- An Archaeological Opinion on the Stone Corral (Ash Creek Way Station), United States Forest Service, 1976
- Steve Ayers (July 23, 2008). "Ash Creek Station". The Verde Independent & Camp Verde Bugle.
- "Days Past: The Ash Creek 'Stone Corral': Part I". The Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ). 2011.
- "Days Past: The Ash Creek 'Stone Corral': Part II". The Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ). 2011.