According to public records we are the second owners of this boulder strewn hill to try building a house. Mr. Pierce, the Texas prospector built a house and had a well drilled. His house stood for many years after his departure and we know that at least once it was occupied by a true Yarnell character--that's another story.
I speculate and imagine that the boulders in today's pictures made up Badboulder's first home. All are huge, the one to the south stands about twenty-five feet tall. It's almost as wide as tall. Two giants rest against it to the east and west, forming a nice little cave. The interior receives no moisture from our infrequent but raging winter and summer storms. The entrance is narrow but not intimidating as one can easily check for rattlers and other varmints before entering. A perfect resting place for the wandering Yavapai tribes of old.
About thirteen years ago, a Yarnellian found a piece of Yavapai pottery on Boulder Mountain and sold it for either one or two thousand dollars depending upon the storyteller. For a couple of weeks, people used our property for a parking lot as they climbed over the easier trails looking for pottery.
I headed for the local library to pore through a limited amount of written history of Yarnell. Indeed, the Yavapai did camp in the area at various times of the year. Some still return to harvest the billions of acorns our live oaks provide. Yavapai workers helped construct our famous Highway 89, the first road to connect to the small town of Congress to the south and on to Wickenburg. The "Yarnell Hill" road is famous because one can gain more altitude in the shortest amount of distance than on any other road in AZ. There are numerous switchbacks, all providing motorcycle fanciers an exhilarating ride. Exhilarating enough to be featured in motorcycle magazines. Yarnell roars on the weekends. The Yavapai helped put us on the map.
Neighbors have found pottery shards, arrows, grinding stones and basins. I haven't had much time for searching but did find one grinding stone on Badboulder. What I think I have found from Badboulder's early days is a Yavapai home--this tidy little cave.
FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Hi again, it's me, keeping an eye on Badboulderlady. That gal sure has an imagination. Can you visualize anyone living under a leaning boulder? Let me tell you. Those Yavapai Indians are too smart for that. They are the richest and biggest landlords in Yavapai County. When the city of Prescott said no to development, the Yavapais said yes, come on down. When Walmart, Home Depot, Target, etc. wanted to build in the Prescott area, the town fathers of Prescott dug in their heels and said not no but heck no. But the Yavapai tribe said yes. Their reservation is next to Prescott. So, ever time we go to Prescott, we go to Injun country and do our shopping. If those Yavapai Indians ever lived under our leaning boulders, they are making up for lost time now, raking in all that dough from the white man and living the good life.
a parting shot from bbman: political power grows out of the barrel of a rifle. mao tse-tung, china's most notable 20th century leader
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