Hecla, Arizona | |
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Coordinates: 34°32′17″N 112°07′18″W / 34.53806°N 112.12167°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Arizona |
County | Yavapai |
Elevation | 4,596 ft (1,401 m) |
Time zone | UTC-7 ( Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-7 (MST) |
Area code | 928 |
FIPS code | 04-32335 |
GNIS feature ID | 42742 |
Hecla is a former way station situated in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. [2] Its name is derived from the nearby Hecla mine. [3] It is also known as Stone Corral. Hecla has an estimated elevation of 4,596 feet (1,401 m) above sea level. [1]
John Stemmer, a former trooper, set up a waystation there on Ash Creek in the 1870s for travellers on the route between Prescott and the Verde Valley. [4] [5] Facilities included at least seven furnished rooms, a bar, retail store, kitchen, dining room, stables and two stone corrals. [4]
In 1884 it passed to AJ Hudson, who with his family continued to operate it as an inn for travellers. [4] Facilities added included a root cellar, and for 18 months a post office under the name of Hecla, by which it was then known. [6] [4] As well as providing for travellers, it was an important location for social gathering for the nearby small communities. [4]
In August 1898 a flash flood on the creek destroyed most of the facilities and the site was abandoned. [4] The stone corral and root cellar remain and it now exists as a historical site on the Prescott National Forest Reserve, accessed by the General Cook hiking trail.