The Thompson family in front of house
The Thompson family consisted of seven sons and two daughters. All nine of the siblings lived to adulthood, which was unusual in those days. The youngest child was 6 years old when Jim died and Maggie...
View ArticleThe Schuerman Red Rock winery
Unfortunately, Heinrich (Henry) Schuerman found out that what the previous owners occupied wasn't exactly what they owned due to a bad survey. Henry ended up buying some land from the railroad to...
View ArticleThe Walter Jordan place
Many orchards are still visible in photos, especially aerial photos of Sedona, into the 1970s. But the influx of retirees in that decade brought a transition from an agriculture-based economy to one of...
View ArticleWill Steele and Joe Farley try out a new piece of equipment
In 1924, Joe Farley learned his old homestead was for sale, so he and Sarah moved back with their daughter, Minnie, and her husband, Will C. Steele. They split the purchased property, with the creek as...
View ArticleFruit boxes stacked to the packing shed roof
The smooth concrete floor of Walter's new packing shed was popular with all the kids in town for roller skating. How disappointed they were when harvest time arrived and their skating rink was filled...
View ArticleMechanized apple sorting machine
The apple sorting machine in Walter's fruit packing shed was state of the art in 1948. It was not uncommon for it to run 8+ hours per day during harvest, stopping only for the packers to catch up when...
View ArticleSmudge pots
Oak Creek orchardists used smudge pots to protect fruit from frost. The pots/heaters were brought to the field on a sled. At Walter Jordan's place, the sled was pulled by a caterpillar tractor. Once...
View ArticleWalter pruning in the orchard
Orcharding required work in the field year round. Pruning was one of Walter's specialties. When the pruning was done, there was spraying for pests, spreading fertilizer, monitoring the weather for...
View ArticleJordan carrot crop
Before their fruit trees produced, the Jordans grew carrots planted between the rows of immature fruit trees. Carrots were loaded on a Model A and 12 hours later the carrots would be in Phoenix where...
View ArticleAmbrosio and Marcellina Armijo
Juan Armijo was a friend of the Chavez family who came to Oak Creek to homestead. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace at the Red Rock precinct and performed marriages, among other tasks. His son,...
View ArticleRed Rock fruit display at the county fair, 1930
Fruit from the Schuerman place, among others, was selected by fair organizers to make up this incredible display at the Yavapai County Fair. Note the photos of Courthouse Rock (now referred to as...
View ArticleThe David Dumas farm
The Dumas family moved next door to the Schuermans in 1905. They grew peaches, apples, apricots, plums and blackberries in addition to large gardens. David and Margaret Dumas were known throughout the...
View ArticleIra Smith picking fruit from his horse
This was not the common way to harvest fruit. More likely, Ira was in the neighborhood and took advantage of his elevated position from atop his horse. A canvas bag over their shoulders allowed workers...
View ArticleThe Manual Chavez family
When Juan Nuanez's American citizenship was questioned, he sent for his father-in-law, Manual Chavez, to take the place Juan had been homesteading along Oak Creek. Chavez lost his rights to homestead...
View ArticleOrchards grow to commercial sizes
The Jordan orchards would eventually boast over 1,500 fruit trees. During World War II, Walter had a contract with the government to ship apples to our troops. He made 8 trips to Phoenix to deliver the...
View ArticleFrank & Nancy Owenby
The Owenbys arrived from Texas in 1893 to homestead along the west side of Oak Creek, where the bridge crosses today. Their first filing was found to be in error so they had to re-file. They were the...
View ArticleThe Jordan waterwheel, early 1930s
The Jordan brothers each built irrigation systems; George's included this large waterwheel. Walter researched the design and George patterned the wheel from a picture in a catalog. The overshot wheel,...
View ArticleThe Schuerman House at Red Rock before it burned
The Schuermans lived in a nice wood home that stood on their new property when they arrived. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1900 with all their possessions except a few pieces of old furniture and a...
View ArticleWalter Jordan takes his daughters for a ride on a tractor, about 1937
The Jordan brothers were open to a modern approach to farming. They got that from their dad, Will. Will's successful lawsuit against the smelter in Clarkdale for damaging his crops there helped buy the...
View ArticleJess Purtymun in his cave kitchen
Early Oak Creek housing options were limited and primitive at best. A cave in the side of Oak Creek Canyon provided Jess, Steven and Martha's son, a place to live for awhile. Other families lived in...
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