Two Heads Are Better Than One

Uno Cabezas, Dos Cabezas, Tres Cabezas.  Actually there aren't tres, only dos.  The Dos Cabezas Mountains are just south of Willcox Arizona.  This is NOT what I was looking for, but these two rocky outcroppings are how the town of Dos Cabezas (Two Heads) got it's name.

I was off to check out Fort Bowie National Historic Site.  If you want to see it, you have to hike in 1.5 miles from the trailhead at the end of an 8 mile dirt road.  No problem I even brought food and water.

What I spotted along the way was this cemetery where I got completely sidetracked.  

This is the Dos Cabezas Pioneer Cemetery.   Although Kansas Settlement is located across the valley, a huge crop growing enterprise that began after World War II due to big markets and new techniques in irrigation, there's nothing here but dirt, mountains and scrub brush.  

It started out as a stage depot on the Apache Trail in the 1870's because of available water.  Later, gold was discovered in the Cabezas mountains.  Due to the water, there was lots of game to eat, but not much else.

For such a small town, this is the biggest cemetery I've seen in a long time.  It seems families have carved out their separate sections.  

There are many with iron fences, but most have no headstones or names.

Although very little information seems to be available, this cemetery is one of the biggest I've seen.  You may have to click on the picture to see the number of rebar crosses scattered across the landscape.  No names, but MANY crosses.

This is probably the oldest one I found.  Born in 1820, William VanDeWalker died in 1893.  He must have been pretty well off to have a headstone carved for him way back then.

I'm not even near the top of the cemetery ... that's my truck you can barely see at the bottom of the tan grass.  Watch out for rattlesnakes if you visit.

As I drove through the actual town just a half mile down the road, I spotted a few adobe buildings disintegrating into the ground.  There are about five families that still live here in very old, very small houses.  

This one little house is still standing, but is vacant.  The town was first settled around 1878 and sported a post office, a brewery, a barber shop, a hotel, blacksmith shop and a brick yard.  Mining was the name of the game, but it was such a slow producing area, it didn't last long. 

I did notice there would be one little house and eight cars parked out front.  I'm not sure if they were having a party or they all lived there.  

This is apparently the old grocery store.  It's kind of sad that all these buildings are vacant.  Don't you think one would make a great  QUILT store??  Nah, me either!!

Back on track, THIS is my destination.  

Will I make it?  Will I get lost and never return???  Where the heck AM I???  The adventure continues tomorrow!!