Benson, Arizona – City of Murals
/First of all, let’s get this out of the way right up front: still no word on Blue. So, as we continue our No Destination (No Blue) Road Trip with that nagging concern always in the back of our minds, we are determined not to let it rule our attitudes or dominate our road trip. We’ll adapt and modify as necessary.
I don’t think we’ve ever heard of Benson, Arizona before or, if we have, it was an unremarkable pass-through town, not a destination. Located in Arizona’s Cochise County, it was founded as a railroad terminal for the Southern Pacific Railroad back in 1880 and today boasts a population of ~5,000 people. It’s still a railroad stop in this part of the country, with Amtrak providing passenger service and the Union Pacific and San Pedro & Southwestern Railroads moving freight. Tombstone, Arizona was our ultimate destination, but when I researched the area, Benson popped up as the ‘City of Murals’ and we were curious as to exactly what the town held in store for us.
As if to emphasize the importance of railroads in Benson’s history, a train roared by as we visited the town’s visitor center.
We stopped at the small visitor center housed in the old railroad station. It is part museum, part info source and part gift shop and we were seeking more information on the murals. I’d read that the town had produced a booklet that provided descriptions and locations of all the murals, We learned that 38 murals are completed and presumably there are more to come. The intent of the murals is to preserve, publicize and celebrate the rich and diverse history of the town, as well as the flora and fauna of the area. They are a source of local civic pride. We duly paid our $5 for the plastic comb-bound booklet feeling good that the proceeds go to preserving the murals.
For five bucks, we contributed to the preservation of the town’s murals and entertained ourselves with locating and admiring them.
Doug Quarles is the primary and only mural artist as far as we could ascertain. His focus is realism and the murals were, indeed, very realistic. As an added bonus, the artist cleverly hid objects within the murals… some obvious and others quite hidden.
Armed with our newly acquired guide, we set out on foot on a scavenger hunt to locate and admire the murals, and of course, to hunt for the hidden prizes. We didn’t have to go far to find the first murals. The parking lot outside the visitor center has several, mostly scenes depicting railroad history in Benson including railroad logos.
Quarles had fun with his creations as is evidenced by this mural of the rendering of the artist painting himself painting a mural of the nearby Kartchner Caves. This mural was huge (12’x 32’) and spread across an entire historic building wall.
Three tiny bats were hidden in this mural.
We didn’t find all the murals, but we did find most of them. Here’s a sampling of our favorites.
A very realistic lion adorned the wall of the local Lion’s Club.
Buffalo Soldiers Escorting the Stage to Fort Huachuca - The all Black 24th Infantry wa garrisoned at Fort Huachuca from 1892-1896. They guarded stagecoaches and settlers against Indians and bandits. Nearby Fort Huachuca, by the way, is still active today.
Ghost Riders - This was a Benson ‘landmark attraction’ by Larry Scott on the side of the Horseshoe Cafe according to the mural booklet. It was restored by Quarles in 2014. Parked cars, signs and bright sun sometimes got in the way of clear shots.
Finding the hidden images was not always easy. In the mural below, for instance, titled Historic Cattle Drive, the mural extends for an entire block and is 14’x111’. We were looking for a dragonfly. It took a while but we finally found it along with a butterfly and a lady bug. Click on the images to enlarge them.
In the mural below which adorned the entrance to the R&R Pizza, finding the gargoyle was no easy feat. We noted that the artist also extended his mural over drain pipes and anything else that protruded from the buildings.
As we began our tour of the town, we noticed a small shop, Zearing’s Mercantile on 4th Street, the main street through town. We learned that the building’s history dates back to the late 19th century and it looked like it would be fun to explore… curios, antiques, gifts, jewelry and an old-time candy store.
When we finished our walking tour, we returned to Zearing’s and as we about to enter, we noticed a sign on the door… NOOO Masks Required. What? Though we realize some folks don’t believe masks are necessary, many other people, including scientists, epidemiologists, public health officials and us. believe masks can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We poked our heads in the door and nary a person in the store had on a mask. We retreated quickly, disappointed we couldn’t enter and very dismayed on many levels. No soap box diatribe here… come to your own conclusions. We made ours.
It goes without saying, we enjoyed the Benson murals. If you’re passing through, it’s worth an hour or two to check them out. Next time, join us for a taste of the Old Wild West and the site of the gunfight at the OK Coral … Tombstone, Arizona.