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All the United States Arizona Leupp Canyon Diablo

Canyon Diablo

The remains of this hell for leather wild west town can still be found in the Arizona desert.

Leupp, Arizona

Added By
Travis Dewitz
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Ruins of the 20th century structures in Two Guns near the Old Route 66 side of Canyon Diablo, Arizona as of 2013   Z22 on Wikimedia
1890   Tillman on Wikimedia
Railroad Bridge spanning Canyon Diablo   Thad Roan on Wikimedia
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
8-16-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
8-16-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
4-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
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About

If any place defined the lawless, fickle disposition of the Wild West, it was Canyon Diablo. 

Progress on Arizona's stretch of the transcontinental railroad was temporarily halted in 1882 after reaching the edge of Devil's Canyon, a span that would require a bridge. With an estimated six months of staying put, a railman's work camp emerged, and quickly reached a population of over 2,000. 

A hasty business community sprung up to serve the needs of the men working on the bridge; brothels, gambling dens and saloons seemed to satisfy the bulk of the consumer demand. Open 24 hours and with no lawmen to regulate or intervene, the town was a dark and dangerous place that was soon branded Canyon Diablo, its main street christened "Hell Street." 

The town showed a passionate disinterest in law and order, and any lawman that attempted to stop the havoc was shortly dispatched. The first marshall clocked in at 3:00 PM and was dead by 8:00. Five more tried and failed, earning a one way ticket to the rapidly growing Boot Hill. A particularly wily marshall lasted an entire month, and remained the record holder. 

When the bridge was finished, Canyon Diablo was deserted as quickly as it had appeared, another lonely ghost town littering the race to the west. Long after Hell Street was left to the ghosts, Route 66 was routed a few miles away, and the area had one last pathetic gasp of life in the form of a bizarre tourist trap called Two Guns, managed by an eccentric hermit named Herman Wolfe, who based his schtick heavily on the extremely dark legend of the nearby Apache Death Cave. It was short-lived. 

The location now contains the traces of a place that trouble from the beginning: ruins and a few crumbling foundations, the grave of Herman Wolfe, and what's left of his trading post. 

Related Tags

Wild West Railroads Ghost Towns Route 66

Community Contributors

Added By

travisdewitz

Edited By

Rachel, Darrell Powers

  • Rachel
  • Darrell Powers

Published

January 6, 2016

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Sources
  • http://www.therailroadcollection.com/atlas-series/canyon-diablo-historical-railroad-geography-series/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_Diablo,_Arizona
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_Diablo_Shootout
  • http://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-canyondiablo.html
  • bit.ly/TwoGuns1Mile
Canyon Diablo
Leupp, Arizona, 86035
United States
35.167261, -111.128701

Nearby Places

Apache Death Cave

Winslow, Arizona

miles away

Two Guns

Winslow, Arizona

miles away

Twin Arrows Trading Post Ruins

Flagstaff, Arizona

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leupp

Leupp

Arizona

Places 2

Nearby Places

Apache Death Cave

Winslow, Arizona

miles away

Two Guns

Winslow, Arizona

miles away

Twin Arrows Trading Post Ruins

Flagstaff, Arizona

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leupp

Leupp

Arizona

Places 2

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