September 11, 1884 - Salina to "Cedar Ridge" (nooned) to Richfield
Day 10 of 44 - (Week 2)Salina to Richfield = 20 Miles (Trip Total = 208 Miles)
Total Trip Average Miles Per Day = 20.8; Average Miles Per Day - Week 2 = 21.8
My mind wandered when I reached this point in the journal. I couldn't find a town of "Cedar Ridge" because I'm not sure there was one, but the Cedar Ridge Station was probably close to it. Maybe it was just a "cedar ridge." The writing on the door to me was a connection to the coke dispenser in St. Johns. Was this where the idea came from? Never mind that Coca Cola wasn't invented until 1886, two years later, or this sign wasn't painted on the door until much later. Both the Cedar Ridge Station and St. Johns Drug Store knew what brought people through the door.
I love reading the posts in "You Know You're From St. Johns," and hope you will bear with me in sharing my blog post for today with this Facebook page from my hometown.
After many of your ancestors reached Kanab and followed The "Honeymoon Trail," they went through the "same doors." At that point there was only one way to go and they followed the water trail. That trail led to Johnson Canyon, Navajo Wells, House Rock Spring, Jacob's Well, Soap Creek, Badger Creek, Lee's Ferry, Navajo Spring, Bitter Springs, Willow Springs, Moenkopi, Black Falls, Grand Falls, and Sunset where they crossed the Little Colorado to settle in St. Johns and many other communities in Arizona. You are invited to come along with me. Make sure you bring plenty of Coca Cola for the journey.
For those who haven't followed this blog, the original journal entry is posted first. My great grandfather then revised that journal entry to another journal from which was typed the journal which is ONLINE (CLICK). That is where the final journal entry post come from.
Original Journal Entry
"11 sep. We traveledto cedar little South of "Cedar Ridge" and nooned - then we drove to Richfield arrived there long before sundown Bought some grain and camped the whole country is red it is very dusty traveled 20 miles."
Final Journal Entry
"Sept. 11 we traveled little passed Cedar Ridge - nooned - then drove to Richfield - traveled 20 miles. Bought grain. Country very red."
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Memories from Carl Carter of the Drug Store and Coca-Cola
"I have great memories of the old St. Johns Drug Company when it was downtown. Grandpa owned it and then Al Anderson bought it. I worked there as a teen as did others. They had the most productive coke machine in the great State of Arizona! After I married and took my wife there--she could not believe that the most expensive item on the menu was just $0.60 a banana split. Sodas were a quarter and you could get a cherry phosphate or a cherry lime-aid for less than that. It was a social hub to be sure. I am sure that there were a lot of babies nursed by mothers who got their Coca-Cola at "The Drug". From working there, I learned a lot of good things. The most important was that if you opened up at 8:00 am, you needed to be there early to get ready for customers at 7:50 am. They lined up early to get the first and freshest Coca-Cola! Joy B. Patterson was always the first one there on a Saturday morning."
Added June 2, 2016 by Carl Carter
"The Drug had that red Coke machine that took syrup right out of the gallon jar and produced a euphoric elixir that could not be duplicated. When you ordered a Coke, you got the real deal! And banana splits were only $.40! Lots of love went into that fountain. I worked there during high school and loved it! My job early in the mornings was to scrub off the front walkway-and that meant deep down scrubbing with a brush. That was the welcome mat to all of the Coke-a-holics that passed through the glass door, past the scale that weighed and told your fortune for only a penny and belly up to the fountain to get your fix. People set their watch by it. Babies in town spurned mothers' milk and much preferred that Coke. Legendary!"
From "Cedar Ridge" the journey continued to Richfield
for Day 10 on the journey to St. Johns, Arizona in 1884
The Battle of Cedar Ridge (see history May 29, 2014 - 2nd entry-scroll down) was likely fought in this area somewhere. ("When at Cedar Ridge at Rocky Ford now within in
limits of Vermillion.")
Please excuse some of the formatting errors. What shows up on my screen does not always appear in the same format on the final copy.
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| September 11 - 12, 1884 |
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| September 10 - 11, 1884 |
I love reading the posts in "You Know You're From St. Johns," and hope you will bear with me in sharing my blog post for today with this Facebook page from my hometown.
After many of your ancestors reached Kanab and followed The "Honeymoon Trail," they went through the "same doors." At that point there was only one way to go and they followed the water trail. That trail led to Johnson Canyon, Navajo Wells, House Rock Spring, Jacob's Well, Soap Creek, Badger Creek, Lee's Ferry, Navajo Spring, Bitter Springs, Willow Springs, Moenkopi, Black Falls, Grand Falls, and Sunset where they crossed the Little Colorado to settle in St. Johns and many other communities in Arizona. You are invited to come along with me. Make sure you bring plenty of Coca Cola for the journey.
For those who haven't followed this blog, the original journal entry is posted first. My great grandfather then revised that journal entry to another journal from which was typed the journal which is ONLINE (CLICK). That is where the final journal entry post come from.
Original Journal Entry
"11 sep. We traveled
Final Journal Entry
"Sept. 11 we traveled little passed Cedar Ridge - nooned - then drove to Richfield - traveled 20 miles. Bought grain. Country very red."
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| Vermillion Cliffs near "Cedar Ridge" |
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| The name "Cedar Ridge" may have come from the cedars on this nearby ridge |
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| This is the town the "Cedar Ridge" Station is in today |
"Cedar Ridge" Station and Sign on the Door
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| Cedar Ridge Station |
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| The station is closed. No Coca-Cola today. |
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| The "Red-Headed Lady" read below to see the origin of this name |
A conversation from Facebook about the Coca-Cola Dispenser
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Memories from Carl Carter of the Drug Store and Coca-Cola
"I have great memories of the old St. Johns Drug Company when it was downtown. Grandpa owned it and then Al Anderson bought it. I worked there as a teen as did others. They had the most productive coke machine in the great State of Arizona! After I married and took my wife there--she could not believe that the most expensive item on the menu was just $0.60 a banana split. Sodas were a quarter and you could get a cherry phosphate or a cherry lime-aid for less than that. It was a social hub to be sure. I am sure that there were a lot of babies nursed by mothers who got their Coca-Cola at "The Drug". From working there, I learned a lot of good things. The most important was that if you opened up at 8:00 am, you needed to be there early to get ready for customers at 7:50 am. They lined up early to get the first and freshest Coca-Cola! Joy B. Patterson was always the first one there on a Saturday morning."
Added June 2, 2016 by Carl Carter
"The Drug had that red Coke machine that took syrup right out of the gallon jar and produced a euphoric elixir that could not be duplicated. When you ordered a Coke, you got the real deal! And banana splits were only $.40! Lots of love went into that fountain. I worked there during high school and loved it! My job early in the mornings was to scrub off the front walkway-and that meant deep down scrubbing with a brush. That was the welcome mat to all of the Coke-a-holics that passed through the glass door, past the scale that weighed and told your fortune for only a penny and belly up to the fountain to get your fix. People set their watch by it. Babies in town spurned mothers' milk and much preferred that Coke. Legendary!"
From "Cedar Ridge" the journey continued to Richfield
for Day 10 on the journey to St. Johns, Arizona in 1884
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| After nooning it was about 9 miles to Richfield |
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| The family camped in Richfield |
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| A fun place to visit while you're "camping" in Richfield A very short hike is required. For more information click here. |
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| Topographical map from Salina to Richfield |
The Battle of Cedar Ridge (see history May 29, 2014 - 2nd entry-scroll down) was likely fought in this area somewhere. ("When at Cedar Ridge at Rocky Ford now within in
limits of Vermillion.")
Map from Salina to Richfield
The journal says it was 20 miles from the Sevier River to Richfield. If you go from the Sevier River to the Walmart Supercenter in Richfield, it is 19.9 miles and right on if we round it to 20 miles. It would be great if Google Maps could always match up with the Journal that closely.
Join the next blog at Big Rock Candy Mountain where the sun shines everyday and then on to Marysvale!
The lyrics here are for children. They are different here than they were originally. The pioneers certainly didn't think of this as a candy mountain. It was just another mountain to cross. Today we can have fun with it.
Please excuse some of the formatting errors. What shows up on my screen does not always appear in the same format on the final copy.
