The official motto of Holbrook is “Gateway To The Petrified Forest”, one of the many amazing National Parks that makes Arizona such a special state. The town is also bisected by the fabled Rte. 66 which has played such an important part of Holbrook’s twentieth century history, but the town has had quite a tempestuous earlier history as well – birthed as a rough & tough railroad settlement in 1881-82 when tracks of the Atlantic & Pacific were placed through northern Arizona, heading to the coast. The new town which sprang up along these tracks was named for the chief railroad engineer Henry Randolph Holbrook – who was among the many numerous, legendary men instrumental in opening up the western states for development.
In addition to the rough & tumble railroad types who initially created it, Holbrook quickly gained a reputation as a Wild West “cow town” with over two million acres of surrounding Arizona territory becoming vast ranch holdings, setting off numerous violent conflicts between at least three major, rival land holders. These ongoing feuds raged over large swaths of Apache, Gila, and Navajo counties, collectively known as the Pleasant Valley War (also called the Tonto Basin War) – quite a contradictory place name if there ever was one! Many colorful characters of all types were embroiled in this ongoing feud that lasted for a decade between 1882-92 – – a monumental competition over land which sucked farmers, cattlemen, sheepmen, rustlers, cowboys, local vigilantes, outlaws, and even lawmen into its vortex. This was the most deadly and destructive conflict of its type (among many) in the annals of the Old West.
Although I haven’t found any reliable figures as to just how many people died in various gunfights or met violent ends in Holbrook’s Wild West era the best estimate is staggering. It’s widely believed that at least thirty-five and possibly more than fifty men died in the Pleasant Valley War up through the second half of 1892. However, It should also be kept in mind that the Holbrook area was originally inhabited by the Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache tribes which no doubt had their own share of historical trauma. They clashed, having numerous bloody, clashes over the territory as well. One of these more prominent Native Americans was Edwin Tewksbury, born into a biracial family, who later became one of the biggest ranchers in the Arizona Territory and a leading participant in the power struggle for grazing land dominance. At the end of the Pleasant Valley/Tonto Basin War Tewksbury was virtually the last man standing as all other feuding parties were shot dead in various gun battles by August, 1892.
The Holbrook area (along with most of Arizona) also experienced intermittent warfare between the Apache tribe and the U.S. Army right up to the start of the twentieth century, when the army finally prevailed. In any case, it’s undeniable that Holbrook certainly earned its historical reputation for wickedness – although by the 1920s more peaceful pursuits such as tourism which took center stage over the local economy. Part of this transition occurred as the old wagon road from the 1850s became part of the celebrated Rte. 66 or “Mother Road” which was the only route completely traversing the entire state east to west. The road passed through Holbrook by 1926 and the nearby Petrified Forest became a major tourist draw. Soon various cafes, restaurants, motels, and motor courts sprang up to give the town a new lease on life. There is so much more to learn about the Holbrook area with it’s rich, varied past and the Navajo County Courthouse & Museum is a great place to check all out. It has a great deal of fascinating artifacts from the long period of Native American habitation and subsequent European settlements.
Another great source of information comes from the Images Of America historical books series, specifically the title: Route 66 In Arizona. There is one especially memorable and humorous story of many from this book that stuck out to me and seems to symbolize Holbrook in my estimation. Back in 1928 a restaurant called Chester B. Campbell’s Coffee House opened up downtown and became well known for its chief menu item: Son-of-a-Bitch Stew, apparently a cowboy delicacy containing the heart, liver, brains, and other organs of the calves.
For more information about Holbrook, Navajo County and Route 66 check out the following websites:
