Heading west from New Mexico, just inside Arizona at the Dragoon exit, is Texas Canyon. During our many commutes between San Antonio and Phoenix, while Sarah was at ASU (Go SunDevils), we marveled each time we drove through the canyon but never stopped. Since now was our chance, I scheduled a 3-day stay at the Triangle T Guest Ranch. We were their only RV guests. We picked a scenic spot in front of a granite boulder, which was an estimated 20 feet tall and 80 feet long. Definitely one of our more unusual parking spots.
You know I’m going to start with some history, right?
Chiricahua Apaches wintered in the canyon over 200 years ago. Toward the end of the Civil War, the US Army began a war of extermination on Apache natives in Arizona and New Mexico to facilitate the western migration of white settlers. The famous Apache Chief Cochise resisted the white incursion. He and 200 warriors used the Dragoon Mountains as a hideout for 10 years while continuing to harass white settlers in revenge for the murder of other Apache Chiefs by US Federal authorities. In September 1871, Cochise surrendered when the Chiricahua Reservation was established and peace ostensibly came to the area.
Texan David Adams settled in the canyon in 1874, named it Texas Canyon (because he could), and established a substantial cattle ranch. In 1922, Metta Tutt bought part of Adam’s ranch because he needed a warm, dry climate for his daughter who had tuberculosis. Tutt named his property the Triangle T Ranch and started hosting guests looking to get away from their busy lives. Linda Kelly has owned the Ranch for the past 17 years and claims current visitors still come for the same reason.
Strangely, in February 1942, the Japanese Consul General and his staff, who were initially detained in Honolulu after the WW II attack on Pearl Harbor, were moved to Triangle T Ranch. They were treated more as guests than prisoners: served meals, provided accommodations, and permitted to horseback ride and walk the grounds freely. They simply couldn’t leave ranch property. The prisoners were escorted to Tucson by Border Guards four and half months later and took a train to New York where they subsequently became part of a large-scale prisoner exchange. Unknown at the time, a consulate staff diplomat named Tadashi Morimura was actually a Japanese spy named Takeo Yoshikawa. It was learned much later that Yoshikawa had supplied critical intelligence about Pearl Harbor prior to the bombing raids.
Not so strangely, Hollywood has used the Ranch as a movie set because of its dramatic scenery, old west vibe, and remote location. “Duel in the Sun” was the first movie shot there in 1946, and six more followed, the most recent in 2017. Of course, movie stars are part of the film business, and we were told Glenn Ford, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne all had stayed at the Ranch while filming. I did a little fact checking and couldn’t confirm any John Wayne movie had ever been made at the Ranch. While no full-length films have been shot there recently, we were told the industry continues using the ranch for a variety of filming needs, although at a much reduced scale.
Giant granite boulders are the primary attraction in Texas Canyon. They give the canyon an other-worldly appearance, which makes it perfect for hiking, horse-back riding, mountain biking, and photography. In addition to the 25 full-hookup RV campsites, the ranch can accommodate 60 guests in their eight casitas, Tutt’s bunkhouse, the Glenn Ford Ranchhouse, and Duke’s cabin. We only saw one other guest during our 3-day stay, and the staff we encountered outnumbered us 4 to 1. This was their off-season because of the summer heat, but we left just before their annual Garlic Festival. The ranch gets sold-out with Festival vendors of garlic and garlic products, and crowds come from far and wide to taste, buy, and enjoy their scenic surroundings. Yea, we didn’t get why it was such a big deal either.
MFI and I strolled the grounds several times, and I took 3 morning hikes: one on the ranch property and two off the property by passing through a 10′ square box culvert beneath I-10. The weather was gorgeous and the scenery spectacular.
A woman our age named Mona played a critical, diversified management role at the ranch. She had taken my phone reservation a month earlier and the night before we left invited us to dine at the The Rock Saloon. She was our bartender, waitress, and historian.
The Rock Saloon and Grill was built around the granite boulder centered behind the bar. That was Mona talking as we entered. We bellied up to the bar, had a scotch, and chatted with Mona. The evening meal was fixed: BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Potato, Grilled Vegetables, House Salad, and of course, another scotch. MFI described her delicious BBQ sauce recipe to the chef and asked for his. He declined to share, but did say it closely matched hers. We generously compensated both he and Mona.
The mural mounted behind us had been brought from outside the ranch. It was 16 feet long, and every character on it had the face of a past movie star. For example, John Wayne is standing behind the campfire while Glenn Ford pokes it. Movie buffs of cowboy westerns should have a field day with this.
There is another attraction at the I-10 Dragoon Exit called “The Thing.” For miles before the exit in each direction, drivers are subjected to large and numerous billboards with enticements such as, “The Thing, Mystery of the Desert” and “The Thing: What is it?” Well, let me save you the trouble of stopping. “The Thing” is the modern-day version of P.T. Barnum posting his devious museum sign, which read “This Way To The Egress.” The curious and ignorant who went to see the “Egress” of course were duped into exiting. But don’t take my word for it. Google “The Thing” and decide for yourself whether you want to waste the price of admission.
