Dead Horse Ranch

The rain that we drove through yesterday left quite a bit of snow on the mountains around Williams.

Over 7,000 feet can make a difference. Last night, we needed to unhook our city water line and rely on our fresh water tank.

After turning south at Flagstaff, we began a 3,500 foot drop in elevation. We slipped the car into 4th gear and coasted down at about 60 mph.

Part way down we began to have spectacular views of the red rocks around Sedona.

Oak Creek Canyon, a 16-mile gorge with Sedona at the south end.

Tonight we are near Cottonwood, at Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

How Dead Horse Ranch Got Its Name

The story of the park's name begins with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked the best. The kids said, “the one with the dead horse, Dad!” The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale.