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    The Jail Tree

    4.0 (9 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

    The Jail Tree Photos

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    Exterior
    Courtney M.

    Mood- Weird History As we were on a travel for oddities this was on the radar to check out. The tree itself has attracted so much tourism since the 1930's. Back in the day the attraction was just the tree and a safe along with the sign. Jail trees were commonly used to incarcerate a person by chaining that said person to a tree. These trees were used in the Arizona Territory and on the American Frontier in the 19th and 20th centuries. Jail trees were also used in Australia. Some of the trees are still around. In Wickenburg during the years 1863- 1890 the town didnt have a jail. So when offenders would commit crimes, they would be locked to this tree until an official from Phoenix would come and place them in custody. I am thinking Sheriff Joe used some history re: his outdoor tent camps. Just my opinion. An artist names Seward Johnson did a sculpture of a lifesize human on the platform. Complete with prison clothes and tattered socks. This was created in 2009. There is a speaker that is supposed to tell the tale if you press the button. On my day of visit the button didnt work. The grounds are in very good condition. There is a bench for you to sit should you decide. This tree is a 200 year old mesquite. Would def recommend - especially if you are into roadside attractions or even obscure history. Some say this tree was not used for this and this attraction was created for just that " Tourism Purposes" However from all of the research I have done, this is one of the oldest trees in Wickenburg, they didnt have a real jail, and the officials would come from Phoenix to collect offenders, and jail trees were notoriously used in Arizona. So I will leave this for you to decide. Location is Tegner/Wickenburg Way - parking is in the 7-11

    One of the biggest landmarks in Wickenburg, the town made due chaining outlaws to a tree when they didn't have a place for them

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    5 months ago

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    11 years ago

    Easy parking, wakes down an alley. There was a homeless man with some younger looking kids hanging around. Felt okay.

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    Town of Wickenburg

    Town of Wickenburg

    3.3(6 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    On the night of November 17, 2016, as I drove back from Las Vegas to Tucson, where I was staying,…read moreOfficer L. Pollei of the Wickenburg Police Dept, badge #56, pulled me over for a headlight that, unbeknownst to me, was out. I gave him my license and registration. He said they checked out, but he would need a moment to write up a repair order for the broken headlight. He went to his car. When he came back, he asked me if he could search the car because I "seemed nervous." (I later found out this is a common practice of the Wickenburg PD.) I declined the search, as any lawyer would advise. He then said he was calling a canine unit to inspect the car. Officer Gabe Fuentes arrived with his dog, K9 Santos. The dog alerted to the presence of illegal drugs in the car. The officers searched the car and found 146.5 grams (about 5 oz) of a white crystalline substance: Maldon sea salt, beloved by chefs everywhere. My lawyer thinks the officers field tested the salt and the test came back negative for the presence of illegal drugs since no test was reported. Nevertheless -- with absolutely no evidence I had done anything illegal -- they arrested me, impounded my car, phone, laptop, and other belongings in the car, and booked me into the Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix for possession (a level 4 felony) and transporting (a level 2 felony) methamphetamine. Presumably because I had no criminal record, and am an old, highly educated white man, the judge released me the next morning on my own recognizance. I made my way back to Tucson and spent thousands of dollars to hire a criminal defense attorney to defend me against the State of Arizona for possessing gourmet culinary salt. I endured a very stressful two months. This included receiving a "Notice of Seizure for Forfeiture" of my car and other impounded property from Det. Joe Lahey, badge #67, of the Wickenburg PD. This was an attempt by the Wickenburg PD to take my property, which they could then sell, keeping some or all of the proceeds. Finally, in early January the State of Arizona tested the substance the Wickenburg PD had identified as meth and determined that it was, in fact, table salt. At that point, the Wickenburg PD was ordered to return my car, phone, laptop, and all other property in the car. It was my responsibility to travel from Tucson to Wickenburg (a drive of two and a half hours) to retrieve my property. My lawyer advised me to bring someone with me since it would be less likely that the Wickenburg PD would do anything untoward. I had a friend pick me up in Tucson and drive me to Wickenburg. We were met at the police station by Det. Joe Lahey, the same person who had previously been involved in the attempt to seize my property. The meeting was awkward. Det. Lahey seemed to be trying as hard as he could to be nice to me, and had the demeanor of someone who did not want to be sued. But he did not apologize or do anything to indicate that I had been egregiously wronged by the Wickenburg PD. I retrieved my property, which was more or less intact. But there was still more to do. I had to petition the State of Arizona to expunge the records of the arrest and legal proceedings, even though the State itself had determined I had done nothing illegal. After my lawyer wrote the prosecutor in Maricopa County, and after I paid several hundred dollars to the State, they issued an order clearing me of any wrongdoing and sealing the records. I badly wanted to sue the Wickenburg PD and the State of Arizona for false arrest, and for pain and suffering, which was considerable. My lawyer referred me to a personal injury lawyer. I described the situation to him. His response was that he saw no basis for a lawsuit, and he said I was lucky I didn't get the crap beaten out of me. It seems, then, that getting arrested and charged with felonies on the basis of no evidence, and having to pay thousands of dollars to defend oneself, is business as usual for the State of Arizona and the Wickenburg PD. If I could give the town of Wickenburg less than one star, I would.

    As I was traveling back to Las Vegas from Tempe AZ, we stopped in the Town of Wickenburg, it was a…read moresmall quite town nothing was open because it was Sunday in the late afternoon (so I didn't expect to see busy stores) so we strolled around to the different statues and pressed a button to hear the history of that statue and what it represents. It was so cool. Absolutely loved it! We also found a book library that was FREE to support healthy reading in the community which I think all towns should adopt this idea! Thank you Wickenburg for my daughters chapter books!

    Photos
    Town of Wickenburg - Riverwalk

    Riverwalk

    Town of Wickenburg
    Town of Wickenburg - Clock

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    Clock

    Arcosanti

    Arcosanti

    3.4(152 reviews)
    44.2 mi

    I'm not sure why the Yelp page states Arcosanti is closed. We were just there and is open and…read moreoperating. Clearly what the original architect had in mind many years ago never came to fruition as it really hasn't changed in years. Is appears to be a small artist community but we didn't see anything going on at the moment so couldn't tell if it id still active or they make everything south in Scottsdale at Cosanti. There is a gift shop where you can watch a brief video on the history and learn about their wind chime creations. Personally I've received many of the wind chimes over the last 20 years for housewarmings or Christmas gifts. Each is unique. The greeter in the gift shop was friendly and stated there is a tour available as well. We didn't have time for the tour but purchased a couple of small gifts. He suggested visiting the Scottsdale location as well which is called Cosanti. I had no idea it was located in Scott's well. Will check it out.

    70s vision for communal living by architect Paolo Soleri, this is on the way from Phoenix to Sedona…read moreand worth a stop if you are into architecture and ecology, you'll see Soleri's unique "arcology" vision here which is a fusion of both. We signed up for the tour and yes the dirt road is rough leading to Arcosanti, our tour guide mentioned a future expansion in the living area but in order to keep building the road has to be paved, hopefully it's better in the future. The behind the scenes tour participants was twice as large as they normally have so at times it was hard to see and hear though our guide tried their best. We loved hearing about the different spaces and seeing what was hand made by volunteers though we enjoyed the more intimate feel of Cosanti more. The gift shop is one staircase above the cafe and it's where the tour meets. There is better bell selection at Cosanti If that's what you are shopping for but Arcosanti has more hand-made knick knacks by residents, there is also a nice selection of books about Soleri and Arcosanti. You can stay the night here and get a good view of the stars and a more intimate experience, we would do this next time. The architecture and vibe would make it worth it!

    Photos
    Arcosanti - From www.kunzelmedia.com

    From www.kunzelmedia.com

    Arcosanti
    Arcosanti - Entrance from the dirt road

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    Entrance from the dirt road

    Hassayampa River Preserve

    Hassayampa River Preserve

    4.3(34 reviews)
    3.2 mi

    My husband and I came here on a Sunday morning to do some bird watching. We spent about 5 hours…read morehere and could have spent longer if we weren't hungry for lunch. The preserve is well maintained and has plenty of benches and shade throughout. We were able to see a variety of birds. The parking lot had more cars than what seemed people in the preserve- so it doesn't feel crowded at all. The only downside is you do hear a lot of traffic noise especially in certain areas. We will definitely be back!

    This is one of my favorite places in Maricopa County to come to be with nature and do some birding,…read moreand get in a nice walk. I have been birding for the past 5 years, and I have found this activity to be very relaxing but also at the same time really helps with improving pattern recognition, and it's a fun hobby! We came here on a Sunday morning around 8:30 am. Ample parking available and $5/entry, and since it is now summer here in Phoenix, the preserve closes at 4pm. I noticed that all the bad reviews came down to people either not reading clearly hours of operation or wanted to bring their dogs in (which is not allowed and states it on their website) or people couldn't seem to get good photos. I have been here multiple times, and each time I am here, I've loved coming here. The Palm Lake trail is nicely shaded, so you get some reprieve from our warm and sunny weather. I've been here for organized birding walks, and they offer other activities also, just check on their website. When we came this time, I renewed my annual Maricopa Parks annual pass, which is $85. Shockingly, this is more than the US National Parks Service annual pass. I didn't make too much a fuss about it as the money goes towards taking care of these parks that I love so much. Definitely come check this place out and don't forget your binoculars!

    Photos
    Hassayampa River Preserve
    Hassayampa River Preserve - Turtles sunbathing

    Turtles sunbathing

    Hassayampa River Preserve

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    Kay El Bar Guest Ranch - Getting ready to ride!

    Kay El Bar Guest Ranch

    4.7(23 reviews)
    3.0 mi

    Wonderful new manager and staff. They have new owners who are working to keep the old west alive. I…read morelove to ride and I do wish they offer more time in the saddle but the 4 rides I took were great. Wrangler(Jason?) was interesting, polite and since I was the only one on each of the rides we covered a lot of territory. Room was clean and decor was authentic western. Stables and tack room where neat and lodge,dinning rooms where clean. Good signage when you get off the main road to find the office. Fun activities such as Archery, target and skeet shooting, swimming,games , cattle and cards. No TV which is refreshing. This way you get to really talk to guest and staff or not. Cool town of Wickenburg 10 minutes away. Happy hour everyday at the ranch before dinner with nice cheeses and food. Come here for the riding cuz it's some of the best especially after a good rain.

    We loved this little gem in Wickenberg. We are from Phoenix so didn't have to travel far. We were…read moregolfing here this weekend and decided to find a dude ranch to stay at. This place was perfect. Our reservation came with one activity per day. We went shooting clay pigeons the first afternoon and then horseback riding the next day. The ride was 2 hours long and our guide Ky was very friendly and informative. Our reservation also came with breakfast each day. The food was excellent. There is a pool and hot tub also. We used the hot tub after a long day of riding and golfing. It was wonderful. Would stay here again for sure.

    Photos
    Kay El Bar Guest Ranch - Our friends ready to go horseback riding

    Our friends ready to go horseback riding

    Kay El Bar Guest Ranch - Wrangler Jason

    Wrangler Jason

    Kay El Bar Guest Ranch - Manager Caitlin  in her office.

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    Manager Caitlin in her office.

    The Jail Tree - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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