Ash Fork, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Ash Fork is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Yavapai County
, Arizona
, United States
. The population was 457 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), all of it land.
Geologic places of interest include Cathedral Caverns which are approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) west of town off Arizona Road, and Dante's Descent, a 275 feet (83.8 m) deep sinkhole that is also known as Devil's Hole, which is approximately five miles northwest of Ash Fork, off of Crookton Road; unfortunately, after closure by the state, Dante's Descent cannot actually be visited legally. However, the Ash Fork Library has several pictures of it on file.
Approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) to the north of Ash Fork is Beale Road, which has the distinction of being the first federally funded highway.
, later known as the Santa Fe Railroad, in October 1882. It was purportedly named in 1883 by F.W. Smith, General Superintendent of the railroad, because of ash trees at the site. The first official post office was established on April 12, 1883, with one Henry W. Kline serving as the first Postmaster. Following a damaging fire in 1885, the entire town of Ash Fork burned to the ground in 1893, and was rebuilt on the other side of the railroad tracks, where it remains today.
In later years, Ash Fork was the location of the Escalante, a large hotel and "Harvey House
" built in 1907 and closed in 1948, operated by the Fred Harvey Company
. Ash Fork's convenient location along the railway and later famous U.S. Route 66
made it recognizable to many cross-country travelers, as evidenced by its fleeting mention in several films from the era of Classical Hollywood cinema
, such as 1947's Dark Passage starring Humphrey Bogart
and Lauren Bacall
.
U.S. Route 66
provided a slight boost to the town's economy in the 1950s, but construction of the divided highway through the town resulted in the destruction of many of the storefronts, sidewalks, and residential streets, forever altering the aesthetic qualities of the downtown area. When the Santa Fe Railroad moved its main line north and away from the town in 1960, Ash Fork lost nearly half its population, as most families employed by the railway were forced to leave the area.
Another large fire, known locally as the "Big Fire", devastated the community on November 20, 1977, destroying most of the downtown businesses. When I-40
bypassed the town soon after, the local economy never fully recovered. The community's last major fire occurred on October 7, 1987, destroying nearly all the remaining buildings along the two block business district located on the south side of Route 66.
Part of what was once Route 66 still runs directly through Ash Fork, though as a divided highway, with Park Avenue running east and Lewis Avenue running west, both serving as a main thoroughfare.. A few historic buildings, including a false front structure and some old railroad company houses can be seen along these. Many of the town's few commercial businesses, including the Oasis Lounge and the Ranch House Cafe, can be found along Park Avenue. The post office is also located on this street.
Certain areas of the town were selected to be used as sets in the filming of 1992's Universal Soldier
, supposedly due to the extremely low purchase price and poor condition of several buildings, including an old motel, which were blown up for cinematic effect.
The Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam
is located outside of Ash Fork.
The longest original, uninterrupted stretch of Route 66 still in existence, approximately 9.6 miles (15.4 km) long, can be found between Ash Fork, Arizona, and Seligman, Arizona, beginning just beyond Ash Fork at Crookton Road. This stretch of the route runs parallel to the Santa Fe roadbed.
Ash Fork has proclaimed itself "The Flagstone Capital of the World", due to the large number of stone quarries
and stone yards in and around the town.
of 2000, there were 457 people, 149 households, and 109 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 199.1 people per square mile (76.7/km²). There were 189 housing units at an average density of 82.3 per square mile (31.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.28% White
, 1.31% Native American
, 1.53% from other races
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic
or Latino
of any race were 51.42% of the population.
There were 149 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 161.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $23,854 versus $21,094 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $11,802. About 16.5% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
The largest (and only) employers in the area are the numerous flagstone yards and quarries, and the local school (though most of the teachers commute from nearby cities.)
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Yavapai County
Yavapai County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.3% White*0.6% Black*1.7% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*5.0% Other races*13.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 457 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Ash Fork is located at 35°13′16"N 112°29′14"W (35.221236, -112.487100).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), all of it land.
Geologic places of interest include Cathedral Caverns which are approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) west of town off Arizona Road, and Dante's Descent, a 275 feet (83.8 m) deep sinkhole that is also known as Devil's Hole, which is approximately five miles northwest of Ash Fork, off of Crookton Road; unfortunately, after closure by the state, Dante's Descent cannot actually be visited legally. However, the Ash Fork Library has several pictures of it on file.
Approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) to the north of Ash Fork is Beale Road, which has the distinction of being the first federally funded highway.
History and trivia
The community was established as a siding of the Atlantic and Pacific RailroadAtlantic and Pacific Railroad
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjoint segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Southern California. It was incorporated by the U.S. Congress in 1866 as a...
, later known as the Santa Fe Railroad, in October 1882. It was purportedly named in 1883 by F.W. Smith, General Superintendent of the railroad, because of ash trees at the site. The first official post office was established on April 12, 1883, with one Henry W. Kline serving as the first Postmaster. Following a damaging fire in 1885, the entire town of Ash Fork burned to the ground in 1893, and was rebuilt on the other side of the railroad tracks, where it remains today.
In later years, Ash Fork was the location of the Escalante, a large hotel and "Harvey House
Harvey House
Harvey House may refer to:*One of many hotels of the Fred Harvey Company in the U.S. west, which include :*La Posada Hotel and Gardens, in Winslow, Arizona, a contributing property in NRHP-listed La Posada Historic District, in Navajo County...
" built in 1907 and closed in 1948, operated by the Fred Harvey Company
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
. Ash Fork's convenient location along the railway and later famous U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
made it recognizable to many cross-country travelers, as evidenced by its fleeting mention in several films from the era of Classical Hollywood cinema
Classical Hollywood cinema
Classical Hollywood cinema or the classical Hollywood narrative, are terms used in film history which designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures and a mode of production used in the American film industry between roughly the 1910s and the early 1960s.Classical style is...
, such as 1947's Dark Passage starring Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
and Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
.
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
provided a slight boost to the town's economy in the 1950s, but construction of the divided highway through the town resulted in the destruction of many of the storefronts, sidewalks, and residential streets, forever altering the aesthetic qualities of the downtown area. When the Santa Fe Railroad moved its main line north and away from the town in 1960, Ash Fork lost nearly half its population, as most families employed by the railway were forced to leave the area.
Another large fire, known locally as the "Big Fire", devastated the community on November 20, 1977, destroying most of the downtown businesses. When I-40
Interstate 40 in Arizona
Interstate 40 is an east–west Interstate Highway that has a section in the U.S. state of Arizona connecting sections in California to New Mexico. It enters Arizona from the west at a crossing of the Colorado River southwest of Kingman...
bypassed the town soon after, the local economy never fully recovered. The community's last major fire occurred on October 7, 1987, destroying nearly all the remaining buildings along the two block business district located on the south side of Route 66.
Part of what was once Route 66 still runs directly through Ash Fork, though as a divided highway, with Park Avenue running east and Lewis Avenue running west, both serving as a main thoroughfare.. A few historic buildings, including a false front structure and some old railroad company houses can be seen along these. Many of the town's few commercial businesses, including the Oasis Lounge and the Ranch House Cafe, can be found along Park Avenue. The post office is also located on this street.
Certain areas of the town were selected to be used as sets in the filming of 1992's Universal Soldier
Universal Soldier (1992 film)
Universal Soldier is a 1992 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead...
, supposedly due to the extremely low purchase price and poor condition of several buildings, including an old motel, which were blown up for cinematic effect.
The Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam
Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam
The Ashfork Bainbridge Steel Dam, the first large steel dam in the world, and one of only three ever built in the United States, was constructed in 1898 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to supply water for railway operations near Ash Fork, Arizona. It is named for the town of Ash Fork,...
is located outside of Ash Fork.
The longest original, uninterrupted stretch of Route 66 still in existence, approximately 9.6 miles (15.4 km) long, can be found between Ash Fork, Arizona, and Seligman, Arizona, beginning just beyond Ash Fork at Crookton Road. This stretch of the route runs parallel to the Santa Fe roadbed.
Ash Fork has proclaimed itself "The Flagstone Capital of the World", due to the large number of stone quarries
Arizona flagstone
Arizona Flagstone is composed of rounded grains of quartz which are cemented by silica. Other minerals are present, mostly as thin seams of clay, mica, secondary silicam calcite, and gypsum...
and stone yards in and around the town.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 457 people, 149 households, and 109 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 199.1 people per square mile (76.7/km²). There were 189 housing units at an average density of 82.3 per square mile (31.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.28% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.31% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.53% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race were 51.42% of the population.
There were 149 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 161.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $23,854 versus $21,094 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $11,802. About 16.5% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
The largest (and only) employers in the area are the numerous flagstone yards and quarries, and the local school (though most of the teachers commute from nearby cities.)