Poverty Flats Road

That’s the name of the dirt road that I grew up on.

A small town of 300+ people is where my mother and her second husband decided to call home. I was five years old when we arrived. My mom and stepfather had purchased 20 acres of desert land in Arizona that sat on top of what I thought was an enormous hill. Nothing at all on it except scrub brush and tumbleweeds. My mom was an optimistic person. Anyone else, it would have been a daunting expectation to create a home on this seemingly barren, dry dirt lot. Not her, she was thrilled! I remember watching her with the help of a local native American, look for water holding two sticks in their hands waiting for them to cross which somehow translated to water being found. Not sure if that is an exact science as we ended up having to drill another well but it was a very cool visual and experience at the time. I also remember vividly; the double-wide trailer being delivered in two halves on two trucks. I thought this was the most amazing thing ever - An instant house! Interesting now more than it was four decades ago, is that most builders today considered "Prefab Housing" the most eco-friendly way to go. Back in my day, I just lived in a trailer.

In time she added 100 fruit trees with a drip system, a pool, a stable, a corral and finally a horse named Big Red. I think he was for all of us kids, but he did not particularly take to the boys and my sister was too young, so ultimately, he was mine. Big Red, in all likeliness, was the beginning of the ridiculousness that would befall my life. That is not to say in a bad way. Just silly inexplicable stupid and more often than not, humorous events that have happened in my life. Starting with Big Red. The irony is that he wasn’t big at all. In fact, he was a small Welsh Cob – basically the size of a large pony. I had never had riding lessons nor did my mother even inquire when she bought him, what discipline he was used for previously. I found out very quickly that he was a barrel racer! By found out, I mean he literally turned so sharp I flew off a million times only get back on to figure him out. It took a while, but I became the best tumbleweed barrel racer in town – or in my own mind. I also learned a valuable lesson of ‘check the cinch 3 times’ rule. At one point on a long ride through the desert, Big Red decided to jump over something and with the saddle, I completely swung under his belly! It felt like forever underneath him until I just let go of the death grip with my legs and dropped. That was not pleasant and it never happened again. Lesson learned.

There were many misadventures as a child on Poverty Flats road such as the time I took my older brothers Yamaha 80 motorcycle for a spin unbeknownst to him. I got all the way down the hill before I realized I had no idea how to shift gears, so I wrecked into a dirt pile and did not have the strength to walk it back up. This was also the time; it was discovered that I am a horrible liar…. “I have no idea how it got down there”.

The following is a collection of stories and moments in my life that seem too ridiculous to be real. Oh, but they are and now that I am into my fifties – They make me laugh. I hope they do the same for you and that if you take away anything, it is that life moves very quickly. Embrace your own story, the good, the bad and the dumb luck.

From Left to right: Eric, Blue, Joy & Jon

HISTORY

Fort Thomas is a census-designated place in Graham County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 374 as of the 2010 census. The community has an elementary school and a high school.

After Fort Goodwin, Arizona was closed, the Gila Valley was still in need of protection and a new post on the Gila River was established in the summer of 1876, about six miles east of old Fort Goodwin. The post was initially named Camp Thomas in honor of Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas, who had died in 1875. Two years after it was built, the post was moved to the present-day townsite of Fort Thomas. At its peak, 27 buildings were situated at the fort, all constructed of adobe by the soldiers. Like its predecessor, Fort Goodwin, Fort Thomas was also afflicted with malaria outbreaks throughout its existence. The post was re-designated as a fort in 1882 and became the regimental headquarters for the 3rd U.S. Cavalry that same year.

Following the Battle of Cibecue on August 30, 1881, right up until the final surrender of Geronimo in 1886, Fort Thomas was an active military post. However, with the Apache Wars over, the troops gradually began to be moved to other posts and the fort began to decline. It was over to the Department of the Interior in the spring of 1891.

The town that grew up around the fort, which took its name, had a poor reputation in its earliest days – filled with brothels and saloons. The small, unincorporated community continues to be populated today, but of the fort, there are no remains.

The site of the first Camp Thomas is marked with a bronze plaque reading “Geronimo.” On the north side of U.S. Highway 70 between the abandoned village of Geronimo and the present-day town of Fort Thomas. The site of the second Fort Thomas is about one mile west along U.S. Highway 70 on the across the highway from the Fort Thomas high school. There are no visible remains except for a few stones with mortar between them on a low hillside to the southeast of the original site.

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Yep.... Super exciting place to be a kid. :) I did just recently find out, however, that the name had been changed in 2014(ish) from Poverty Flats Road to Desert Sage Road. I guess some people did not care for the original name - I wonder why? :)