By Larry Schader
In 1947, Warner Brothers Studio made a movie titled, "Dark Journey", starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Near the end of the film, Bogart goes into a bus depot in San Francisco to buy a ticket to "Benton, Arizona." The ticket clerk consults his tariff and tells him he can go by way of Ash Fork, Prescott, Skull Valley, and Wickenburg. Thus, for one brief shining moment, the community of Skull Valley was thrown into the worldwide movie spotlight. One can only wonder what went through the minds of the viewers if they were quick enough to catch that brief mention of a town called Skull Valley. Was it the image of a dark and foreboding scar on the landscape? Or did they think, "What a great place for a Halloween Party!" The reactions, if any, were probably as varied as the explanations that exist today for the origin of the name.
Those of us who have lived in this area for any time at all, have undoubtedly heard that the settlement was so named because of the piles of skulls and bones littering the landscape when the first settlers arrived. As to how they came to be there, many theories have been advanced. The most popular seems to be that they were the result of intertribal warfare among Yavapais, Apaches, Maricopas, and Mohavas. Added to the mix are stories of encounters between the army and marauding bands of Indians. On May 8, 1962, the Santa Fe Railroad ran an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times for the newly opened Abra-Skull Valley cut off which shortened the mileage and time between Ash Fork and Phoenix. It also bypassed Prescott. Appearing at the bottom of the ad was a paragraph titled in bold print, "The Story of Skull Valley." It went on to state that according to legend, a battle occurred in the middle of the 1800s between Mexican troops traveling North, and Indians; the bones being those of the combatants that were killed during the skirmish. Recently, a radio commercial airing in Prescott purported the bones were the result of an Indian attack on a party of Mormon settlers en route to the Colorado River. A Prescott resident informed me that the bones were not human, but those of a herd of buffalo slaughtered by Indians.
In the absence of concrete evidence, this becomes a classic example of the old saying, "you pays your money and takes your choice". On the other hand, if you don't like any of the existing theories, put your imagination to it and develop an explanation of your own. In any event, the beautiful, pastoral community of Skull Valley today belies the bloody explanations of its name.
The only disturbance to the tranquility of present day Skull Valley is the rumbling of the freight trains as they pass through four to six times a day going both ways between Phoenix and Ash Fork. It wasn't always so tranquil. In 1864, the first settlers started arriving. They were drawn to the area by its fertile soil, abundant water, mild climate, and natural beauty. It soon became a stopping place for freight wagons between Prescott and La Paz on the Colorado River as well as a stage stop between Wickenburg and Prescott.
The arrival of The Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix Railway in 1894, marked the beginning of a new era in Skull Valley. It became a stop for both passenger and freight trains. The settlers' needs became more available, and a reliable method of distribution of their agricultural products to both Prescott and Phoenix was provided. An 1898, Santa Fe passenger timetable lists No.1 leaving Ash Fork at 12:35 P.M. daily, and arriving at Skull Valley at 4:35 P.M. for a dinner stop. However, as it left at 4:55 p.m., 20 minutes later, this has to be construed as the epitome of early days' 'fast food.'
In the same year, the depot became the defacto Post Office. Mail was delivered to the station agent by train for distribution. This practice continued for 18 years until the Post Office was moved to the Skull Valley Store. The original depot, built in 1898, remained in service for 28 years at which time it was converted to living quarters for the agent. Mary Kukal, Past President of the Skull Valley Historical Society, states in her history of Skull Valley, that in 1941, it was sold for $50.00 and the wood used to build a storage shed and barn on the property of K.L. Pearson.
In 1926, the Santa Fe R.R. moved a larger depot, also built in 1898, from Cherry Creek (Dewey) to Skull Valley. This is the depot that still stands today. The move was necessitated because of the growing demand for passenger and freight service in the area. Over the years that demand fluctuated, but remained relatively strong until after World War II. As the trucking industry moved from inner city, to intrastate, to interstate, rail freight shipments from Skull Valley steadily declined. With the increasing popularity of automobile travel, demand for passenger service declined dramatically. And so it was that passenger service was discontinued in 1962, and freight service in 1969.
Today, the little red and white depot stands as a proud reminder of the time when it was a center of activity in the community. The two passenger trains that served the Valley are long gone. The freight trains still rumble up and down the line, but no longer stop there. Inside, nearly everything remains that was necessary to run an agented station. As one enters the waiting room, the original bench, wood-fired stove, and ticket counter stand in their original positions. The passenger Arrival and Departure board hangs on the wall. One must surmise that when the station was moved from Cherry Creek, no change was made in its directional headings, as they still read east and west bound. Timetables on the Skull Valley line indicate north and south bound trains. The station agent's desk still sports the tools of his trade; a telegraph key, an antiquated typewriter, and ticket stamp. Nearby, on the wall, a crank-type telephone supplied a direct link to the Ash Fork office.
The freight room walls are covered with the scrawled names and dates of the men who worked there. Some go back to the turn of the century. The platform that ran along the outside of the depot is gone now, but, standing there in the shadow of the old depot, one can almost sense the bygone activity of unloading and loading freight shipments, of excited passengers dressed in their finest detraining and boarding with great expectations of a better life or an adventuresome vacation. The ghosts are there. All one needs to do is listen.
If you have not visited the depot, now a museum, you are missing a rare opportunity to step back in history to a time when the railroads were the binding that held America together, not just the big cities, but small towns and hamlets like Skull Valley. The museum is open from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. every Sunday through the summer.
Larry Schader has been in theater for many years. He directs for the Prescott Fine Arts Association. He writes Melodramas including "Midnight Train to Skull Valley", which will be presented at the Sharlot Hall Museum Blue Rose Theater on July 20, 21,22, 27, 28, and 29, 2001. Call the Museum at 445-3122 for show times and to get ticket information.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (pb015a75-322n). Reuse only by permission.
The was the center of life in the area since it served as the transportation and communication link to the world. The essence of railroad life in Skull Valley is captured in a play to be presented at the Sharlot Hall Museum in July 2001. Call the Museum for complete details.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (rr235p)
Reuse only by permission.
The depot in the height of it's activity in 1910.