Wickenburg, AZ - We Rate Brothels on a Roman Numeral Scale

Welcome to Wickenburg, Arizona, the Dude Ranch Capital of the World!  Wickenburg was founded in 1863 by ranchers and miners.  The town went through a number of trials in its first few decades including the Indian Wars, mine closures, drought, and disastrous flooding due to a dam failure in 1890.  The town endured and then flourished with the arrival of the railroad in 1895.  Although only freight trains runs through Wickenburg now, passenger trains ran through the 1960s.  These trains and the newly constructed Route 60 brought travelers to the areas guest ranches, better known as dude ranches.  At its height in the 1950s and 1960s, as many as 14 dude ranches operated in the area.  While many of the dude ranches have closed, a few still operate in the area.  One of the more interesting stories about the town is the Jail Tree.  According to legend, from the towns founding until 1890, criminals were chained to the Jail Tree because they had no jail.  Many discount the story, but the town has embraced the legend and set up a small tableau including a prisoner chained to the tree.  We hope you join us in Wickenburg for a heck of a good time!

Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov