To get to and from the Vulture Mine, we drove through Wickenburg.

The scenery was gorgeous.

And it had been a while since I’d actually visited downtown. We were pleasantly surprised that the town has taken measures to preserve its history and to help visitors on a self-guided tour.

We started at the tourism center which is in the old railroad station and right next to these two trains. I love trains.

This was one of the interactive statues near the station that explained about the buildings.

Along the sidewalks are bronze critters including snakes, scorpions and tarantulas, several of which I almost tripped over.

In a local supermarket parking lot is the original school house. Benches and trees make this a nice spot for a picnic.

Inside the building, the city holds music lessons. It also has exhibits that showcase the history of the school.

But my favorite thing was the jail tree. Jail tree? What’s that? Well, it’s this:

It seems the good folks of Wickenburg wouldn’t take time away from their mining to build a proper jail, so they just chained folks up. They originally tried chaining them to the tree but one sot just broke off the limb and lugged it to the bar with him.  Gotta love it. I wonder if the summer heat was enough of a crime deterrent, but I somehow doubt it.