By Judy Stoycheff

A favorite summer hike and picnic area is on trail #64 to the Stone Corral north of State Highway 169 east of Dewey. This site, shaded by huge ancient Cottonwood trees, watered by Ash Creek and guarded in the past by long-horn cattle, consists of two large stone wall circular structures, obviously meant to be used as corrals. In the 1870s, General George Crook was stationed at Fort Whipple in Prescott and frequently traveled between there and Fort Verde, possibly using this portion of the trail that may have been an existing freight line. It has become part of what was later named the "General Crook Trail" between Prescott, Fort Verde and Fort Apache.

Also, still to be found on this site from days long past are remnants of a root cellar dug into a mound and lined with rocks as well as some of the large flat rocks that made up the mining arrastra across the creek. At one time, pieces of a metate and a mano were found. There are still several flakes of lithics from jasper, chert, quartz, and pot sherds, indicating that native people enjoyed the coolness of this site as well as more recent historic guests.

An obvious question is: who built the corrals? The answer frequently given is that Crook and his soldiers did; however they were undoubtedly too busy guarding the populace, fighting Indians, etc., to engage in this type of activity miles from either fort.

Enter John Stemmer, a trooper from Fort Verde who mustered out of the US Army service in 1870. John was born in Wittenberg, Germany, probably in 1838. He, with his Swiss-born wife, Katrina immigrated to this country in 1862 and became a naturalized citizen in 1872. John was familiar with the Prescott area and was astute enough to know that travel between Prescott and the Verde Valley would not be restricted to the military. Freighters and other travelers, once the Indian Wars were over, would use it and would like some accommodations along the way. And what would be a better place than under the Cottonwoods at Ash Creek where the water flowed year round, the grass was sweet and firewood plentiful. Deer, quail and rabbit were abundant as well in Stemmer’s time and, as recently as 10 years ago, there was a spring on the property.

By 1875, local newspaper ads stated that John now has his Stemmer Station upgraded. It now contains "seven plastered and neatly furnished rooms." Further, "The proprietor has had great experience as a caterer," and "a table supplied with the very best of everything." He offered "liquors and cigars, first choice, and an inexhaustible supply of horse feed."

Katrina, or Catherine, died in 1881 apparently childless. John made the acquaintance of Mary Slansker who made her living by cooking and taking in wash in Prescott. For some time she apparently did this at the Stemmer Station as a single woman. According to the marriage record book at the Yavapai County Courthouse, John and Mary were married July 28, 1883. She was listed as Mary Slansker on the certificate. Their son, Charles, refers to her as Schlensker, and she is so listed on her grave marker. His parent’s marriage date is mentioned in more than one of his writings as having taken place in 1881, quite possibly because he was born February 7, 1883. He wrote that he was often referred to as being born out of wedlock, which he denied! He appears to have been the only child of this union.

Charles wrote in his autobiography, "A Brand from the Burning," that his dad built a long and wide adobe structure near the spring that had a bar and a store with merchandise, a kitchen and dining room. He also built stables and corrals from stone, hence the nickname "Stone Corral."

John and Mary Stemmer sold the station in 1884. Next week, in Part 2, the details of the sale and the new owners will be introduced. The property, along the General Crook Trail, became known as the Ash Creek Station and continued to be used as an inn.

Days Past articles are available on sharlothallmuseum.org/library&archives/history/dayspast and via RSS e-mail subscription. The public is encouraged to submit articles for Days Past consideration. Please contact Scott Anderson at Sharlot Hall Museum archives at 445-3122 for information.

Judy Stoycheff has been Steward of this site for seventeen years while researching its history.

Photo courtesy of Camp Verde Historical Society) Reuse only by permission.
This photo of the stone wall of the corral is the earliest found. No photos have been located from the period when the site was functional as an inn and station in the 1870s, 80s and 90s.