Cemetery Crawl 5 - Part one - Phoenix Arizona Haunted Sites

The Amazing Cemetery Crawl 5 Teams stood anxious in the parking lot of the Pioneer Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. The teams met for the first time on April 10, 2010. All were rookie teams except the veteran Crawler team of the Ghostie Geckos. T-shirts, lucky gnomes, and a folder with all the rules of the road were given to each team. The theme of the 2010 event was “Graveyards near Route 66”.

The Cemetery Crawl was developed in October 2005 as a way for cemetery lovers to see and learn the history of the various cemeteries in Arizona. Teams receive directions to various cemeteries across the state. They also receive a poetic clue to which tombstone they are to photograph in each cemetery. There are several detours to complete which earn them “funny money” (play money) and extra points. Members of Cemetery Crawl say this is a great way to discover long lost tourist meccas forgotten by time because of the Interstate highways.

After a quick game of cemetery poker, the six teams were ready to take on the challenges and detours. High card won and a member of each team grabbed a clue envelope and set off down the road. This years teams consisted of: GHOSTIE GECKO”S (3 yr team-tan), TEAM COVAIR (red), TWISTED MINDS (blue) GHOST RUNNERS (purple), BE DAZZLED (black), and GRAVE DIGGERS (grey).

The Pioneer and Military Memorial Park Cemetery was in use form 1884 until 1914. It is a combination of seven cemeteries. Today it is managed by the Phoenix Parks and Recreation and the concerned hands of the Pioneer’s Cemetery Association. One of its most visited occupants is Jacob Waltz, AKA the Lost Dutchman.

The first clue envelope directed the teams north to the Black Canyon City Municipal Memorial Park. This area represents the Black Canyon wagon road and stage line from as early as 1872. The cemetery is still in use as of today.

The Crawlers continued north on I 17 towards Camp Verde. Following General Crook Trail, they made a stop at the Clear Creek Cemetery. This cemetery has burials from the early settlement in the Camp Verde area. The earliest burial recorded is dated 1868. Former Cemetery Crawl 2 & 3 team CREEPER PEEPERS hosted this site for the event!

Now the challenges began! The teams were handed a DETOUR envelope they were instructed to complete before opening their next clue envelope. Detour #1 Take a photo at Clear Creek Church. Detour #2 Salute in a picture at the Fort Verde parade grounds, Detour #3 Light at candle at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona. Detour #4 Place a bouquet of flowers on the grave on Sedona Schnebly. Detour #5 Take a picture of the Sedona landmark now known as the Sedona Devil Chicken.

Now they were heading to Flagstaff, Arizona and the Flagstaff Citizens Cemetery. The cemetery holds many of the pioneers from the logging days and is surrounded by a large Ponderosa Pine trees. One of its most famous occupants is Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens who was involved in a deadly shoot out in Holbrook Arizona.

Another set of detours sent the crawlers to Detour #6 Pose as a bear at the Museum Club. Detour #7 Enter the Monte Vista Hotel, and pose at the door of the Alan Ladd room. Detour #8 Make a fast food lunch stop.

Hunger satisfied, the teams headed west on I 40 towards Williams, Arizona. They found the Williams Cemetery at the end of town. The cemetery is a combination of old and new gravesites dating back to the 1880’s. Settlers, railroad men and residents from the Grand Canyon occupy these grounds. For bonus funny money, teams built snowmen in the residue of the snow.

Teams were faced with a U TURN and DETOURS back through the town of Williams! Detour #9 Go to the Red Garter Bed and Bakery and pose with the soiled dove. Detour #10 Stop at the Grand Canyon RR Depot and ask a tourist to pose in a picture in front of the fireplace. Detour #11 Pose outside the depot with the old locomotive. The teams then headed west to Ashfork where they Detour #12 posed by the DeSoto Salon and Detour #13 took a picture by historical RR Marker.

Tasks completely, the Crawlers were instructed to drive west to Seligman, Arizona—the heart of old Route 66, and go to the check point at the teepees near the edge of town! The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping at the Route 66 shops, posing with vintage cars representing the Disney movie “CARS”, and checking into the Historic Route 66 Motel.

We met for dinner at the Road Kill Café and dined on entries such as Shiska Bobcat and Chunk of Skunk.

But the journey was only half over! One of the members of the crawl team asked me where we would be going the following day. “Home!” I giggled. “We have more great cemeteries to visit as we make our way home!”