Published July 12, 2022, for State 48 A2Z
Much like the name of Arizona’s state capital, Phoenix, the town of Winslow, Arizona has continued to rise, time and time again, from the ashes. From a town founded when the Santa Fe Railway brought its tracks through this remote area of the then Arizona Territory and relocated its headquarters there, to its days as a popular tourist stop on Route 66 in the 1940s through 1970s, to a city immortalized in song, this western Arizona town draws a crowd of over 100,000 tourists, annually.
I must admit that when I visited Winslow for the first time back in 2021, I found the town itself a little off-putting initially. However, I was excited to visit “The Corner” and snap my obligatory photos, and before long I found myself not caring too much about how historic downtown looked I even managed to find a few gems around the area during my two-day stay to snap some shots at, which, by the end of my stay, were well over 1,000 photos between historic Winslow itself, very cool and iconic La Posada Hotel, McHood Park Clear Creek Reservoir, First Street Pathway Park, Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park, Chevelon Creek Bridge, Apache Death Cave, and Meteor Crater. Winslow is also a great jump-off point for visitors to access these areas and attractions.
‘Cornertown’s’ beginnings go back to 1880 when the Santa Fe Railway made the decision to place a stop in this remote area of the Arizona Territory, roughly two miles west of the Little Colorado River. While Winslow wasn’t technically founded until 1882, its beginnings go back a little earlier when a man by the name “Doc” F.C. Demerest operated a business out of a tent. A short time later, J.H. Breed built the area’s first stone building and a Post Office opened on January 10, 1882. The town of Winslow was named after General Edward F. Winslow.
The town of Winslow, which profited from the railway traffic and those passengers who had overnight layovers, grew over the years and, by 1900, had grown to 1,305 residents. The Santa Fe Railway’s decision to relocate its headquarters to Winslow from Gallup, New Mexico in 1897 had paved the way for the boom, and it became obvious to their executives that for Winslow to continue growing and attracting more railway passengers and visitors, they would need a quality hotel near the depot. On May 15, 1930, the La Posada Hotel, which was the last built in the Harvey Hotels & Restaurant chain, opened its doors on the heels of the 1929 stock market crash. So, things were looking great for Winslow’s future, right?
Regretfully, the boom was short-lived as railway travel started to die off following World War II, as personal automobile travel and air travel became more available. At that time, Americans were really starting to take to the open road with their sights on visiting the west coast, especially with Route 66 completed connecting Chicago with Santa Monica. Luckily for the town, Route 66 rans directly through its heart.
As railway tourism died off, Route 66 coming through the center of town would help keep Winslow active. Plus, they still had the Santa Fe headquarters despite it being a shell of former self. By 1957, railway travel was nearly non-existent, and Winslow felt the pinch as the La Posada was shuttered and businesses for forced to close. Still Winslow grew to a population of nearly 9,000 residents by 1960 thanks too Route 66.
The La Posada Hotel, an amazing piece of architecture designed by Mary Jane Colter, architect for The Fred Harvey Company, was a complete showpiece and the pride of the Santa Fe. Colter did a masterful job of preserving the look of the area’s native people’s designs in the hotels exterior and interior and had only the best museum-quality furniture and artwork gracing its interior. Regretfully, all furnishings were auctioned off in 1959.
A major blow to Winslow came in 1970 when Interstate-40 was built, connecting the west and east coasts, and making it easier to travel cross-country without driving the much slower Route 66 which went through the historic downtown. Bypassed traffic meant bypassing tourists, diners, and visitors.
To make matters worse, the Santa Fe Railroad pulled up stakes in 1994 and, plans were made to tear down the beautiful and historic La Posada Hotel. That was until the National Trust for Historic Preservation found out about the hotel’s plight and added it to their endangered list. Allan Affeldt would then purchase the once doomed hotel from the railroad and began a delicate $12-million renovation, that would restore the hotel to is past glory. Some of the notable names that have stayed at the hotel in its day include Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Cagney, Betty Grable, Clark Gabel, Bob Hope, and many more.
However, the only thing that most likely kept the town a tourist destination in the 21st century occurred by complete happenstance. In 1971, a young musician named Jackson Browne was struggling with the words to a song that he was writing for his first album but decided to shelve it instead. Another young upcoming musician/songwriter named Glenn Frey happened to live in the same apartment building as Browne in central Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood. Frey had heard the song previously and asked Browne how it was coming. Browne admitted to Frey that he was still stumped on a particular lyric and asked if he would give it a listen and offer any suggestions he may have.
As Browne started playing the second verse of the song, the one he was having difficulty with, he sang, “Well, I’m a-standin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona”, and Frey then added, “Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flat-bed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me”. Browne was so ecstatic with the Frey’s suggestion that he suggested that the would-be musical legend finish the song with him. The song is still a classic 50-years after its writing.
The iconic Take It Easy would be featured on Frey’s band, The Eagles, first album release titled Eagles, in 1972. Browne would record the song the following year to be the opening track on his second album, For Everyman. Even Travis Tritt recorded a version of the hit for a 1994 Eagles tribute album titled Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles.
According to Frey, the beginning of the second verse refers to one of the times that Browne was traveling to Sedona and his car broke down in Winslow and Browne had to spend the day there waiting for the necessary repairs to be made. What’s amazing to me is that it took the city of Winslow nearly three decades before they would cash in on the recognition from the song. I mean, it basically markets itself.
But cash in they have and it itself is responsible for the roughly 100,000 tourists that this town sees annually, when, in 1999, Winslow erected a bronze statue and mural on the corner of North Kinsley Avenue & 2nd Street (old Route 66), to pay homage to the song and become a mecca for baby-boomer rockers and the following generations. While the mural appears to be on the side of a building, is merely a tall wall with a two-story, Trompe-l’œil mural by John Pugh facing Kinsley Ave.
The original statue on the corner is of a long-haired, musician/songwriter holding an acoustic guitar titled “Easy”, sculpted by Ron Adamson. In 2016, with the help of Phoenix radio station KSLX’s Morning Show hosts, Mark Devine & Paul Marshall (aka Mark & NeanderPaul), raised the necessary funds to add a statue of Frey, who had passed earlier that year, to the corner. Most people feel that one statue is Frey, and the other is Browne, but Browne himself once stated that the original statue was a representation of every rock song writer of the time. To him it represented Everyman, the title of Browne’s second album.
Admittedly that town doesn’t have an over abundance of quality accommodations, especially in the historic district, but there are a few. Hands-down, indisputably, the La Posada Hotel is the place to stay even if you are not a guest there; you can still walk the main floor and take in the art and history, tour the grounds and flower gardens, or grab a bite or drink from their highly-rated restaurant the Turquoise Room. We spent hours walking the grounds and enjoying a great dinner. It’s such a peaceful environment that we spend hours sitting on a bench by the railroad tracks train watching and enjoying the cool evening air. However, you will want to book your stay well in advance. When we were there in 2021, they had about a six-month wait list, for bookings. You will not regret the wait.
My other stops in the area included McHood Park Clear Creek Reservoir, and First Street Pathway Park. McHood is a great place to enjoy fishing, swimming, camping, canoeing and kayaking, hiking, and picnicking. You can even rent a canoe if you don’t have one. First Street Pathway Park links the historical landmarks of the La Posada Hotel with the Hubbell Building Visitor’s Center with a six-block long park alongside the BNSF railroad tracks and includes historic exhibits and cultural elements of the town’s diverse history. It is also a great place to safely get up-close looks at moving trains.
Winslow is a definite stop at least once in your life, especially if you are passing through the area, there really is a lot to do here. I know that I’ll be going back soon to take in some of the sights I didn’t get to in 2021, such as Homolovi State Park and Rock Art Ranch. If you plan to tour Rock Art Ranch, please be aware that they require you to schedule a visit with them before arriving. They are not open to the public.
That’ll wrap things up for this week. As always, thanks for reading, stay safe, and happy travels. Like and follow us on social media (links below) and please share our posts. And feel free to give us your feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Peace!
That’ll wrap things up for this week. As always, thanks for reading, stay safe, and happy travels. Be sure to like and follow us on social media (links below), share our blog posts, and feel free to give us your feedback. And, if you go somewhere in Arizona that you think others should know about, please let us know so we can add it to our travel list. We’d love to hear from you. Peace!
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