You find them everywhere in America – and particularly in Texas. They’re the little towns that grew up around the railway. Thistle Junction, Utah; Amboy, California; Searchlight, Nevada, and Skull Valley, Arizona to name a few.
When the first settlers arrived they found a lot of human remains from wars between the local Indians (Native Americans/Indigenous Peoples) bleaching in the sun, thus the name “Skull Valley” stuck.
As with most railway towns, there is a general store, a gas station, a cafe, an elementary school, an auto repair shop, a fire station, a church, and a post office. There were 525 people living in Skull Valley (at last count in 2003).
The general store was closed today because it’s Sunday, and they take the sabbath seriously there. Even the gas station (fuel and feed store) is closed. The railroad doesn’t bring income into the town as it once did. Now it’s mostly a ranching community.
I passed quietly through Skull Valley today on my way from here to there. There were no other cars on the road, but there were quite a few cars at the church. That’s how they roll in Skull Valley – and that’s a good way to live.
A lot of old railroad towns turned into ghost towns. Others survived. Sometimes it’s only the US Post Office (still open) in these little communities that marks the presence of outlying ranches, still present behind the hills and copses of trees.
They’re an echo of an America that is still there, which provides an anchor to the basic culture that is missing in so much of society.
These small towns exist because of community volunteers. Always unpaid and often criticized they keep the school open, the community hall painted, etc. When they give up, the town dies.
Being 'unchurched' I have no personal knowledge but believe the same is true for small town churches.
Yep. They do it because of pride in 'their town'.
Look like the gas station-feed store has a strip show or something, according to the two silhouettes on the porch columns. Entertainment while you get our oil changed, I guess.
I really like these Arizona Reports of yours. I always open up Google Maps and look around. Maps are my thing.
I too am a "map person". They're all packed for the move at present, but I have a large supply of different paper maps. Google Earth makes it more convenient, but I still like paper maps.
I don't know whether or not it's a "full service" service station or not. There's a road near there called "Painted Lady Road", and it may lead to a place where the cowboys can have lead removed from their pencils. I didn't explore to that depth.
A good post. Thank you.
The Norks are nothing but a laugh a minute. A real hoot.
"They're an echo of an America that is still there, which provides an anchor to the basic culture that is missing in so much of society."
Well said.
Gotta love the Skull Valley. Talked like a pirate all day.
Skullduggery in Skull Valley. Love these kind of little, off beat towns.
Har, matey, if you lived in Skull Valley you'd be saying things like "avast" and "lower the boom" every day.
They are very fun – both in England and in the US.
There are so many of those railroad towns in Texas. Some of them are ghost towns now.
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