"That’s why the rocks are red," Mike, our driver, explained. We started our jeep tour of Sedona, Arizona with this legend of the Red Rock Country.
Of course, right when he started, the cynic in me kept asking, "Really? Are you serious?" That was until my credulity took over, at which point I could almost see the monster as I stared at the marvelous scarlet formation in front of me. Just when I nearly heard the helpless cry of the assassinated creature, Mike’s voice brought me back to reality: "It’s red because of the iron content."
The history of the formations in Sedona began 500 million years ago. Over a period of 300 million years, the land was alternately ocean bottom and coastal plain. Naturally, sedimentary layers of sandstone were formed. From 65 to 20 million years ago, southern Arizona was characterized by uplifts, while northern Arizona saw down faulting and erosion. Somewhere between 20 and 12 million years ago, volcanic activity caused the Verde Valley to down fault into a deep basin with lakebeds, creating the Mogollon Rim. The Colorado Plateau uplifted about 3 million years ago. Since then, erosion by wind, rain and snowmelt has created Oak Creek Canyon and exposed the sedimentary layers to form spectacular red rock formations in Sedona.
This explanation, though more accurate and believable than the legend, just lacks the dramatic value that befits the majesty of Red Rock Country in Sedona, once voted by USA Today as the most beautiful place in the whole of United States.
While the splendor of the formations in Sedona is beguiling, there is nothing very special about the origin of the town. By the turn of the century, early records show about 15 families have already called the area their home. In 1899 (some say 1901), Theodore Carlton "T.C." Schnebly, along with his wife, Sedona Miller, relocated from their home in Gorin, Missouri to join Carl’s brother, Ellsworth in the Oak Creek Area.
A very enterprising man, T.C. Schnebly decided to start one of the first fruit orchards in the area and then opened a little store to sell the produce. He had 80 acres in which he built a general store and a hotel. It soon became the social center of the community and a rest stop for those traveling from Jerome to Flagstaff. There was only one problem: Residents complained that it took months to get their mail. The postal office was too far away in Flagstaff.
T.C. Schnebly, realizing the need for a regular mail service, organized the community’s first postal service. Sending off for a postal permit, he used "Oak Creek Crossing" or "Schnebly Station." But the Postmaster General in Washington rejected both names because it was too long to put on the cancellation stamp. On his second try, he used the name of his beautiful wife, Sedona.
The name itself also hides another interesting story. When she gave birth to a baby girl, Sedona’s mother told everyone in her family that she was still thinking of a name for her new daughter. She had six sisters who each thought of a name. To please everyone, "She took the first initial of all her sister’s names, played Scrabble with it. And that’s how she came up with the name – Sedona," narrated Mike, our driver cum tour guide, chatting away as he maneuvers the four by four up and down the bumpy road.
It must have also been T.C. Schnebly’s way of honoring his wife who went through so much to be with him. There are stories that Sedona Miller Schnebly was actually disinherited by her family for running off to Indian country to marry T.C. Schnebly.
Nonetheless, the name was approved by post officials on June 26, 1902 and the town was incorporated in 1988.
Since then, the small town has earned its spot as one of Arizona’s top tourism and recreation centers, competing with the Grand Canyon in splendor. Sedona attracts between two and four million visitors each year. Summer, along with holidays – Spring Break and Memorial Day – are the busiest, according to the local chamber of commerce. Although winter is also right up there, when the southwestern region plays host to "snowbirds – people who fly to the south during the cold months," said David Klopp, a computer forensics analyst based in Phoenix and occasionally travels up to Sedona for R&R.
Two hours north of Phoenix, at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, lays Sedona. Perched at an elevation of 4,500 feet, about 3,200 feet higher than Phoenix, this town in the high desert terrain enjoys a mild four-season climate. Afternoon temperatures from November to March tip a high of 50s and low of 60s (in Fahrenheit scale), although it can drop below freezing at nighttime. Sedona also occasionally gets snow. Flagstaff, a 30-minute drive north, is a skiing capital. The highs of 90s F are felt during the summer months of June, July and August.
Sedona’s year-round population is 10,400, while the seasonal population is approximately 11,300. It’s just so hard to resist the call of the photogenic canyons, the wind-shaped buttes, and the mysterious sandstones. That’s why people from all over the world go to visit, while those who can afford it stay. According to Mike, 80 percent of the people living in the small town are retirees. Over 50 percent are players in the rich and famous list of America. Celebrities who have made this world-class destination their home include Lucille Ball, Orson Wells, Jane Russell, and Walt Disney.
"(There are) more millionaires in Sedona than in any other town in the whole United States. They are the ones who have at least four houses. Maybe one house in Maui, Chicago and they rotate throughout the year," Mike explained. But for ladies who think Sedona is the best place to go husband-hunting, think again. The ratio of women to men is three females for every male.
Moreover, visitors to Sedona have searching for a significant other the last thing in their minds when they go. Instead, they look for something more profound – the mysterious and not-so-easy-to-explain vortex.
What is a vortex? What is the Sedona vortex connection? More stories from the Red Rock diaries next week.