The Chamber of Commerce serves two celebrated towns, with two distinct, celebrated histories.

Carefree and Cave Creek share a beautiful, ancient landmark, Black Mountain; and, a dedicated Chamber of Commerce. Interestingly, the towns do not share historical beginnings. Cave Creek was established pre-statehood, and Carefree was established post-statehood. Let’s explore the diverse histories of two celebrated towns.

ARIZONA STATEHOOD:

Arizona became a United States Territory on February 24, 1863. Fort Whipple, near the future town of Prescott, became the first territorial capital. In October 1870, the commanding officer of the new Arizona Territory, brevetted Major General George S. Stoneman, was exploring an established Native American trail that potentially would serve as a shortcut to Fort Whipple, from Camp McDowell (later Fort McDowell). Along this ancient trail, later called the “the Military Road,” the Army found a lush, riparian area bordering a flowing creek with adjacent bubbling springs. The welcomed creek was designated “Cave Creek” by the Cavalry because of a sizable, eroded cave found along the bank.

A few years later, in 1877, the first industrious Anglos built an adobe home along the creek close to where the Cavalry first rested in 1870. Jeriah and Amanda Wood soon established Cave Creek Station. A “station” is an inviting “lodge” for hungry and exhausted travelers. Yes, General Stoneman “discovered” the future town of Cave Creek; it was part of a fortuitous journey to a protective fort in northern Arizona, Fort Whipple (Prescott).

Let’s move to the next century. On February 14, 1912, Arizona became the last of the contiguous forty-eight states to achieve statehood. Yes, we are the “Valentine State!”

LOCAL HISTORY:

The charming towns of Carefree and Cave Creek beckon visitors with their natural beauty and unique personalities. Snug behind towering Black Mountain and fascinating granite formations, the little towns retain the allure that has drawn people to the area for millennia.

Evidence for prehistoric nomadic people in the area dates back many thousands of years, but it was the arrival of the prehistoric Hohokam, a sedentary farming culture, that left the greatest imprint. Their pottery, homes, and tools give us insight into these early residents of the area.

The Hohokam chose to live in the Foothills. The land was agreeable for their crops of corn, beans, and squash. Most importantly, reliable water flowed along the creek and trickled from mountain springs. The Hohokam were true scientists, who explored the bountiful resources the Sonoran Desert offered and experimented with different applications of those resources. The trees, shrubs, and roots were used for Hohokam structures, medicines, glues, tools, soaps, and of course, food. The Hohokam were also engineers, constructing miles-long, hand-dug irrigation canals. The canals were so well designed that, hundreds of years after abandonment, when historic settlers arrived, the canals were restored for use.

The Hohokam’s archaeological record ends around 1450 CE. For hundreds of years after, no evidence indicates who lived in the area. Undoubtedly, people passed through, hunted, and foraged, but if so, they left no record. It was not until after the Civil War that the next round of settlers arrived, to farm, to ranch and to test the nearby mountains for gold.

Despite nearby water, farming was difficult. However, a handful of residents had success with vegetable gardens. They even grew roses. Ranching fared better, with both cattle and sheep grazing the land. Along the creek, west of present-day Cave Creek Road, a small remote settlement developed, with a sheep shearing station, a store, a school, and a post office. Several days of travel were required to get into Phoenix, so workers, ranchers, and miners gathered by the creek, at Cave Creek Station, to find social contact, a game of cards, and perhaps a brew to wet their whistle!

Mine diggings, small and large, scarred the nearby mountains. The bigger mining enterprises brought in huge ore-crushing machines known as stamp mills to efficiently process tons of rock in search of precious metals. The giant machines thundered as heavy shafts pummeled rocks to bits, a sound so loud that they said one could hear the rumble in Phoenix. One such machine from the 1890s was relocated from its original site on Continental Mountain to the Cave Creek Museum where dedicated volunteers laboriously restored the ancient relic to a fully functioning stamp mill. As with miners of old, the museum has hoped some gold will be found during the runs of the mill.

Cave Creek remained small and remote, but its citizens, like the Hohokam before them, chose to live near the creek. The residents promoted their town’s well-being, forming the Cave Creek Improvement Association, which brought pavement to the little community and other advances to Cave Creek Road. In 1955, the Mother’s Club was formed to organize school and civic activities, including the area’s newspaper, the Vacuum Cleaner, where townsfolks could read “all the dirt.”

One item from a 1959 issue announced, “the arrival of the largest sundial in the western hemisphere.”

For many years, it had been the dream of K.T. Palmer, Tom Darlington, and Les Rhuart to create a planned community far beyond the population centers of Scottsdale and Phoenix. In 1955, a four-hundred-acre site, a goat farm, was found with an abundant well. Soon, 2,200 surrounding acres were secured. The corporate name, “Carefree Development Corporation,” survived as the new town’s name (Carefree)

They chose a whimsical name for their future town: Carefree. The dreamers concocted equally fanciful names for their streets. One may meet at the corner of Ho and Hum Roads, be undecided on Nonchalant Avenue, or put one’s feet up on Leisure Lane. To enhance interest in the new town, an airport was built for ease of arrival of residents; a golf course was built for their amusement; and, in the town center, amid shops and restaurants, the sundial was installed “Where the sun marks time,” and where visitors can rest in its shadow or explore the peace of adjacent desert gardens. Both towns have grown over the decades, offering much to enjoy, from the solace of a hike at Spur Cross Conservation Area to a boisterous time during Cave Creek Rodeo Days. Restaurants abound and unique shops dot both towns, promising entertaining and enlightening explorations of the beautiful desert foothills.