The Mysterious Garden of Allah

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January 21st, 2017
Back The Mysterious Garden of Allah

There are actually two Garden of Allahs. One was a playground for the Hollywood movie set in southern California, a place where cocktail hour never ended and beauties and strong men of the silver screen lived out their fantasies.

The other Garden of Allah was a dude ranch on the outskirts of Wickenburg, AZ. It was a sprawling property of cactus, sagebrush and rocks that sat along the Hassayampa River. The Mohave Indians, who named the river Ahhaseyampa, meaning 'place of big rocks and water,' had a legend that went, 'Drink from the waters of this river and you will never tell the truth again.'

I first visited the Garden of Allah Guest Ranch in the late 1970s. I was a staff writer for the Phoenix Gazette and heard western author Max Evans was living at the ranch. I wanted to meet him and possibly do an interview. I had read and loved two of his books that were made into movies -- 'The Rounders' and 'The Hi-Lo Country.' He had also written a book about his friendship with Sam Peckinpah, director of 'The Wild Bunch' and notorious for the violence he depicted in his failms.

Evans was born in Lea County, N.M. where I had worked as a newspaper reporter. He pleasantly invited me to have coffee with him beneath an awning on the front porch that looked out onto the ranch property. We talked about a few things and then he leaned over and said something to m softly.

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'Did you know there's gold on this spread?,' he said.

I didn't know and told him so. He nodded.

'The owners found gold and they're exploring it. That's all I know except that there might be a lot of gold. I heard it from one of the wranglers.'

Max and I parted with a handshake. I didn't get a real interview out of him, but it didn't matter. It was enough for me, a reporter in my 30s, just to meet a western author of his standing. He was a gambler and a poker player as was Peckinpah, and I knew the interview would be interesting. But to my loss and misfortune, it never happened.

For the next few months, I kept reading the newspapers to find out more about the gold discovery on the Garden of Allah. A couple of short articles appeared about the find and a spokesman for the guest ranch said the owners were exploring the possibility of developing it.

Then nothing.

Years passed. I moved away from Phoenix, traveled to the Caribbean, and then returned to Arizona. The Garden of Allah Ranch wasn't there any more. It had simply vanished into the desert like the legendary Phoenix Bird.

I knew there had to be gold on the ranch property. Henry Wickenburg, for whom the town was named, was a German prospector who discovered the Vulture Gold Mine just north of Wickenburg. Today the mine is just a tourist trap but in the late 1800s, it produced over $30 million worth of gold when the yellow metal was selling for a pittance of what it commands today.

The Hassayampa River is dry most of the year. But when a rainstorm comes, it produces gold flecks on the roots of the trees growing along the river banks. Nobody has ever mined the Hassayamp, at least not since the early days. It's a waterway protected by the federal government. You can pan for gold if you'd like, but can't bring in any engines or earth-moving equipment to seriously search for the rare metal.

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The Indians had another nickname for the Hassayampa -- 'the river that runs upside down.' It flows underground for 100 miles until it hits the Wickenburg area where the water surfaces about 10 miles from town.

Frederick Brill operated a stagecoach weigh station and homesteaded a ranch around 1878 near the site of the Garden of Allah. He used the water to grow fruit orchards and run cattle. He also operated a carp farm, the first in Arizona. Brill died in 1911 and the land passed on to his children.

Eventually the property was purchased by Norman and Dorothy Lykes. They sold a total of 630 acres to the Nature Conservatory Board which opened the Hassayampa River Preserve there.

The River Preserve now commands the property that once occupied the Garden of Allah. Desert vegetation and wildlife like the great blue heron, ring billed ducks, mule deer, javelinas, raccoons, bobcats and Gila Monsters occupy the preserve. Massive palm trees that were trucked from Castle Hot Springs where President John F. Kennedy went to relieve his aching back line the banks of the river.

My prospecting friend Jack 'Burro' Crane lived in Circle City, about 15 miles east of Wickenburg. Over coffee in his adobe home, Crane told me about finding gold in many of the washes near the river.

'This whole area is rich in gold,' he said. 'You can find color everywhere.'

Burro Crane now belongs to the ages. If he were alive today, I would ask him about the Garden of Allah. I know Jack would have a story to tell about it.

Over a century ago, a dam burst after a heavy rainstorm and Wickenburg was severely flooded. A local man reportedly lost a safe containing over $80,000 in gold. It swept away in the swirling floodwaters and was never found.

The Garden of Allah Ranch is a mystery that I would love to solve. Until then, I guess I can just dream. But there are other attractions for me in the Grand Canyon State that will never go away. Talking Stick Casino and Wild Horse Pass are known for their poker games and tournaments. When the sun goes down, that is where you can probably find me. Vaya Con Dios.

“Garden of Allah was a dude ranch on the outskirts of Wickenburg, AZ.”

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