To call Mr. St. John tough is a major understatement. Living to 84 alone around the turn of the century was a feat. Let alone for someone who went through the hell he did. That man was a BEAST!
Beautifully done, Steve. I love your choice of lesser-known locations to explore. Your narration and editing are outstanding, and I always learn a lot. Thanks so much!
Excellent job Steve. I have ridden the trails throughout that area. Your presentation is far superior to the accounts by historians like Marshal Trimble. You provide the facts in story form. The way history should be taught. First rode that area horseback in the early 90s. I am not a fan of the USFS but they seem to have done a nice job with signage. We are still dealing with Mexican criminals. See to your weapons and stand to your horses, Storm Rough Country Horses Arizona Territory
*Love the picture @**8:22** of what it originally looked like* *Construction appears similar to stacked stone that the Indians would build.* *Dragoons were Spanish mounted soldiers that first came to this area two hundred years earlier.*
Very good video sir. My father in law and his sons ran cattle not to far from there back in the 40’s and early 50’s. He told me stories of cowboying that country that made your hair stand on end. Times have certainly changed from the days when he would take his 12 & 11 year old sons out there and leave them for a month or more on their own with a wagon, some food and water and a few head of horses to tend and gather their cattle. I don’t think many of us would have survived. My brother in law still cowboys on his ranch to this day. I really look up to him and miss my father in law.
Ray, I think maybe I met you in 2007 during a ride on the Butterfield stage route to Ft Bowie. Early during the day the clouds rolled in with stinging blowing rain. You loaned us heavy shirts which made the ride bearable. If that was you, a belated thank you!!
I am a European (Dutch) and I,m absolutely mesmerized. Of course I saw western movies, but these films did not give me the right idea of the correct landscape.This is totally different of what I had in mind. Also people settling and living and facing all the dangers in this remote areas is stunning. Thank you Steve.
The Western Movies are fiction. If you want a more accurate depiction of the West during that period read Louise Lamour. I don't know how accurate any of the accounts are since people lie so much.
Hello Sir, I live in Benson, 15 minutes from where you are in this video. I grew up hiking, hunting and camping all over those mountains. There is so much history up there and in this valley, most of which you can easily access. There is everything from the Indian wars, the Earp days all the way to Clovis people and petrified mammoth tracks. I can lead you to petroglyphs and ruins and so many sites you could have years worth of content. I would be happy to point out some locations if you are interested. Thanks for the great video.
I live in Northern Ireland and would love to have been able to visit places like this. Plus definitely would have loved to see Cochises grave but at least he can rest in peace. Loved your narration of this story.
Hello! Many of your recent videos have connected strongly with me. I am from El Paso, TX and my dad is from Douglas, AZ. My parents used to go to see each other over the South Line of the SPRR. My great grandmother's first husband was J.W. Walton who was a victim of the Raid in Columbus, NM. Also, I lived in San Diego from 1970 to 1994. I spent a lot of time in Las Cruces and Deming, NM. I have lived in Tucson since 1994 and have been all over Cochise, Co. AZ and know of many of the sites you have visited. Your channel is nice, informative, warm and meaningful. Thanks.
I've been there twice in the last few years. You did some good research to tell the story. Some of the hike towards the actual spring is taxing and I had to stop to catch my breath. You did a great job of eliminating the sounds of walking, the wind and breathing hard. Very nice presentation. Thank you.
The structure you pointed out at 12:30 is a basin for collecting gold during high water runoff. I’ve seen similar walls built in Mexico that prospectors built to capture gold carried by storm runoff.
I'm a Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache that is a direct descendant of Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache chief's Victorio, Mangas Coloradas, and Loco and I am also a direct descendant of Chiricahua Apache US Scouts Charles Martine Sr and Paul Guydelkon Sr. I need to visit this place when I go through that area to Tucson. I live in New Mexico on an Apache reservation.
@Goyahkla6772 okay, I'm a Mescalero Apache tribal member but I have no Mescalero blood, my mother is one of a few full blood Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache left. My dad was Menominee, Badriver Ojibwe and Norwegian from Wisconsin, that's why I have a Norse name.
So much of the American Southwest story is gruesome. Hard times, hard life, hard people. Survival was difficult. Desert, no water, very little vegetation for livestock, hot, glaring sun. Mining about the only income and in most cases, that ran out.
That last structure on the way to the spring possibly could have been a spring house, where water was diverted and allowed to collect in a pool and sheltered from the elements.
That structure seems to be what is left of a retaining wall that likely spanned the wash below the spring. It would have dammed up and collected water year-round, and overflowed during seasonal monsoon rains, typically July through September each year. There is a similar structure on the eastern side of the trail up to the top of Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains, shown as a backdrop in much of this video. Great video!!! 😄
Great post! Your narration is excellent, the phrasing is perfect, with great pauses for emphasis! Your channel is on another level compared to 99% of YT posts! Thanks!
I would contact the State of AZ Mines Department to see if that mine shaft is registered. There could be more information provided for that area you explored. If anything, the State Mines Department could note the area and put up signs announcing danger in and around this potential abandoned mine. Abandoned and unregistered mines in the AZ can bring injury and fatalities to unsuspecting explorers. Excellent video and story provided. You continue to do and provide great insight to our historic and iconic American Southwest. Thank you again.
There is a wire fence around it. Its somewhat hidden by the brush but you can see it in the video. If not for that though, someone could easily fall in.
@@SidetrackAdventures when you positioned your phone I thought I saw water at the bottom???! which would not be surprising. in desert areas if you watch for bird action you'll often find a crevice or shaft with water running several feet down.
If my Dad was still with us you would be his number one fan,he loved the south west and traveled off the beaten path every chance he got,I think of him every time I watch one of your videos,thanks for all your efforts🤗😎🤗😎
Good job and a story well told. 50 miles northwest of Tucson on I-10 is Picacho Peak the site of the western most battle in the Civil War. That occurred April 15th. 1862. I had an ancestor that killed the last Earp in Arizona in a gunfight on July 6th, 1900, in Wilcox, AZ. just east on I-10 from Dragoon Springs. Warren Earp was the youngest brother of Wyatt, Virgil et. all. He didn't take part in the gunfight at Tombstone but did take part in the "Vendetta ride" afterwards.
Another excellent video. I had never heard of this. As a former San Diego native recently relocated to Arizona, im really enjoying these Arizona videos you are doing.
Thanks for covering this. The Civil War and related parallel conflicts involving the Apache are an interesting yet highly obscure topic. Thanks as an Arizona resident.
Great narration and camera work. Have lived within 30 miles of this location 75 years of my life. Beautiful desert views. My compliments on the research and all the work put into this excellent video. Certainly to be shared with others..
Great video! I love seeing and hearing about these old US historical sites from up close!!! Since I cant get out to them much anymore, this is the next best thing! Makes me want to get back out and do some metal detecting again.
Say brother, have been watching your videos for a while now and have become a huge fan. At a time in our country when things seem on fire, you are providing a respite and shift to a far more interesting era in America. You’re doing a great job, please keep producing these great videos.
I recently found your channel and really enjoy the videos about small, out of the way historical events in the southwest. They are helping me create a list of battle sites to visit when I travel to the southwest. Keep up the great work!
As a person whose father dragged us all over The West in the 1960s with his radar technician turned space shuttle comms engineer job assignments, 4 kids, a hunting dog and a wife, my little brother was born at Ft Huachuca we lived for a short time in Tombstone and me, as an adult driving I10 countless times across the West for decades and living in Tucson and beyond, stopping at the Dragoon Springs rest area around 2006 during a complete downpour, and camping in extreme cold in 2018 at Benson, you just never know what happened just right down the road until savvy people like you dig deeper and brave the elements and danger to give us these history stories, also my dad's ancestors were Mormons who settled in Willcox, Snowflake, Oaxaca, Missouri and Provo Utah, so all of this makes me want so badly to get out there and see this places you are showing us in this video and others. I feel so connected, misconnected to the history and my 6 grandkids grew up in Atlanta under their mother's thumb so they really have no clue as to half of their background. Thank you so much!
Awesome!!! Arizona is filled with stories. Some may never be told. Many times I’ve run across structures in the desert made of rocks (probably because no lumber was available) and always wondered what their story was.
Steve you do such a wonderful job! The quality of your narratives and the videos are 2nd to none. Thanks for all the hard work and the editing that we are the recipients of. Great subject matter too.
another banner show Steve . i shunned history as a kid but now… i love it .. thank you again for taking the time to make such great stories.. Merry Christmas 2023😎
Bliley what a sad and wonderful story Steve St John must have been blessed with something we do not know about it have been a privilege to have known him you sure know how to do a story it is a real treat to watch them a big thank you from a bloke who loves history I Am down under Australia Rural NSW best wishes to you and crew ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Hey Steve, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much I enjoy the channel. I live in Kingman Arizona and am a history buff of the southwest. Thanks.
You've got a great Channel. And you have a great voice for this work I wish I could travel to these places like you. You are truly living the dream young man
In this situation, my wife wanted to go to the Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert in Phoenix, and I thought if we are going to Arizona, surely we have time to stop by the Dragoon Springs Station... Most of the time its just fitting in things around work and school schedule.
@@SidetrackAdventures I would rather spend a month exploring the cool stuff you do than spend 5 minutes watching/listening to those old has beens....LOL
I enjoyed this, usually I find American documentaries overblown and full of hyperbole, but your was measured, informative and well narrated. I will certainly watch more. I have been to the US on many occasions but always on business so I never got to explore much, one or two civil war sites, and one memorable drive from San Diego to Las Vegas through the desert, that's about it. At least I can see stuff via your site, so thanks Buddy.
Thanks Steve for sharing yet another “ Off the beaten path location” & providing the history lesson along with it in your usual no nonsense & no filler material fashion. Really appreciate your time & efforts involved in doing what you do. I personally have traveled a good portion of the old “ Butterfield stage “ trail here in our own backyard out in Anza Borrego & have to say that trail & stage run was no joke !! Those early pioneers & travelers had more moxie & stamina than anyone around here these days , that’s for sure !! I enjoy visiting places like Vallicito Stage station & the Box Canyon narrows where the Mormon battalion cut that swath with pickaxes through hard stone & had to partially dismantle a wagon or two and drag them up & over what looked to be a dry waterfall & then re-assemble the wagons to continue on ….. Just imagine doing something like that today with a Tesla 😏😆. Anyway glad to see those flags flying at the sites in your video here & paying respect to those whose lives ended there . Carry on With your travels & mini documentary’s , & Merry Christmas & a Happy 2024 to you & yours 😊😎👍
Thanks Steve. Great job. I'm gonna head there as soon as the weather settles. Just found you. Looking forward to seeing more. I'm always looking for remote historical sites to visit. Thanks again!
Really nicely done. Your camera work and narration are very good. I just stumbled on your site and will look for more. Thank you for your diligent historical work.
I am really enjoying your informative stories on the area I've lived in off and on. (I live in Benson.) 13:46 My Mother and I drove out to Dragoon Springs years ago. We also enjoyed driving down the road in the springtime when the wildflowers were in bloom. Also, the story of the murders at the station reminded me of another murder scene; the "haunted" Brunkow Cabin located off Charleston Road, which runs between Tombstone and Sierra Vista. The adobe ruins are still there.
Steve, Thank you for enlightening us. My family used to live in Tucson and one way of coming into town was through the Dragoon Mountains (Foothills?) I always felt that something had taken place there, so Thankyou for filling in the storyline!
Love, love, love your adventures. My whole family looks forward to them each week. You do such an amazing job of bringing a dirt road and some rock to life with your detailed story telling. Hugh Hauser would be proud. Thank you for a wonderful year of adventures into the past. Wishing you, your lovely wife and adorable son a very merry Christmas, and a joyous New Year.
@@sharonwestbury7137 You're quite welcome! Just in case anyone wanted to look him up.
11 місяців тому+1
Fantastic video about my home state - Arizona. The narration was excellent and the unobtrusive background music did not distract from the video. Life was certainly hard in those days!
I look forward to your videos every week... they're always interesting and give me ideas for future excursions... a glimpse into sites and worlds I wasn't aware of. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Steve. Your videos just keep getting better. Thanks for these informative journeys. I'm watching from Indonesia in semi-retirement planning my next move. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Really well done, Steve! A complete story. Glad one of the fellows survived in what was a very dangerous place and time. I read a collection of early (1950s-1960s) western stories by Elmore Leonard, many of which feature Apache conflicts. Very rarely did more than a few people survive, though it's interesting how the short stories differ from the films inspired by them. The 3:10 to Yuma is one. Happy Holidays to you and your brave family. I so enjoy your jaunts. Cheers!
Much enjoyed that. I'm in Australia, so it's interesting to see all these sites I'd never otherwise see, and so refreshing not to have to put up with A.I. narration and intrusive music.
I find your content to be a pleasure to watch. Interesting historical locations that I will probably never visit and your presentation is interesting and calming. I’ve come across some videos in the past but I’m subscribing now. Thanks for what you do.
Steve, I have been enjoying your videos for a few years now. Thank you for uncovering and telling the stories of the old west in the S.W. I find your style relaxing and informative. I grew up in east San Diego county and these videos bring back many memories.
Love your posts. You do a great job. Thank you for sharing places that I've never heard about and probably wouldn't without your efforts. Thank you for your research.
Nice job on the video! The small wall you asked us to comment on towards the end was a sluice. When water flowed behind it. it was channeled through the opening into a sluice for settling gold at the bottom.
The only time I went to Tombstone since I've read about the stories of the Shootout was to see the desert and the old buildings that are still left. I also had to go see Cochise's Stronghold which I truly enjoyed. Thanks Steve for the great videos.
I plan on getting to the Cochise Stronghold area soon. I thought about doing it on this trip, but had another place I wanted to visit (that I ended up not being able to get to...). Hopefully soon.
If you are a camper, stay on the dispersed camp spots that are before the official campground area. The official paid spots are *very* tightly packed together.
Awesome video, Steve. I really enjoyed learning about the history of this location. I live in California and love the state, but I also really love Arizona. 🌵🤠 I also love learning about the history of the Southwest, so this video was really enjoyable and interesting. Thanks very much for your channel! I truly enjoy your videos!
From the UK I have to say-brilliant; what a wild, lonely and emotive place to be laid to rest- thank you for a glimpse of another-harder- time; makes one realise how much we have softened up...!
Another well-done and informative video. You mention this being the westernmost battle of the Civil War. I thought the battle/skirmish at Picacho Peak held that title.
To call Mr. St. John tough is a major understatement. Living to 84 alone around the turn of the century was a feat. Let alone for someone who went through the hell he did. That man was a BEAST!
his knuckles probably dragged on the floor . to live through that.
Beautifully done, Steve. I love your choice of lesser-known locations to explore. Your narration and editing are outstanding, and I always learn a lot. Thanks so much!
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Excellent job Steve. I have ridden the trails throughout that area. Your presentation is far superior to the accounts by historians like Marshal Trimble. You provide the facts in story form. The way history should be taught. First rode that area horseback in the early 90s. I am not a fan of the USFS but they seem to have done a nice job with signage. We are still dealing with Mexican criminals.
See to your weapons and stand to your horses,
Storm
Rough Country Horses
Arizona Territory
*Love the picture @**8:22** of what it originally looked like*
*Construction appears similar to stacked stone that the Indians would build.*
*Dragoons were Spanish mounted soldiers that first came to this area two hundred years earlier.*
I agree. Your videos are always so interesting and beautifully presented!
Very good video sir. My father in law and his sons ran cattle not to far from there back in the 40’s and early 50’s. He told me stories of cowboying that country that made your hair stand on end. Times have certainly changed from the days when he would take his 12 & 11 year old sons out there and leave them for a month or more on their own with a wagon, some food and water and a few head of horses to tend and gather their cattle. I don’t think many of us would have survived. My brother in law still cowboys on his ranch to this day. I really look up to him and miss my father in law.
Would love to hear those stories
Ray, I think maybe I met you in 2007 during a ride on the Butterfield stage route to Ft Bowie. Early during the day the clouds rolled in with stinging blowing rain. You loaned us heavy shirts which made the ride bearable. If that was you, a belated thank you!!
@@bongomakers no sir that was not me… but had it been, I would have loaned you whatever you needed.
We`ve made ouir kids pussys.We`ve ruined our black men taking their families away from them.Made them bitter.That has to stop.
I am a European (Dutch) and I,m absolutely mesmerized. Of course I saw western movies, but these films did not give me the right idea of the correct landscape.This is totally different of what I had in mind. Also people settling and living and facing all the dangers in this remote areas is stunning. Thank you Steve.
The Western Movies are fiction. If you want a more accurate depiction of the West during that period read Louise Lamour. I don't know how accurate any of the accounts are since people lie so much.
Many Hollywood westerns are filmed in California Mexico
Or even Alberta Canada.
@@tomrinde4487 And of course Italy!
Hello Sir, I live in Benson, 15 minutes from where you are in this video. I grew up hiking, hunting and camping all over those mountains. There is so much history up there and in this valley, most of which you can easily access. There is everything from the Indian wars, the Earp days all the way to Clovis people and petrified mammoth tracks. I can lead you to petroglyphs and ruins and so many sites you could have years worth of content. I would be happy to point out some locations if you are interested.
Thanks for the great video.
That's great let's meet by that wall in 10 minutes
Can u take my husband tom? We're in wilcox
I'm serious. Hed love it. Retired and bored. His great uncle owned the mercantile in pearce
Live in Benson,too. Been there. Quiet and peaceful. The war is over for them, let them rest in peace.
@@CoDisFactSearchwaaaaaaaaaaa
Steve you are the best teacher of western history and you don't make it boring like books. Thank you!
I'm a 63 year old native Arizonan. This is the first time I've heard this story. Thank you.
I'm a little older & I haven't heard this either.
I live in Northern Ireland and would love to have been able to visit places like this. Plus definitely would have loved to see Cochises grave but at least he can rest in peace. Loved your narration of this story.
Native Americans were not buried in graves by their people, the bodies were wrapped in blankets and placed in trees. Their horses were killed nearby.
Don't come in summer. Heat is brutal.
Hello! Many of your recent videos have connected strongly with me. I am from El Paso, TX and my dad is from Douglas, AZ. My parents used to go to see each other over the South Line of the SPRR. My great grandmother's first husband was J.W. Walton who was a victim of the Raid in Columbus, NM. Also, I lived in San Diego from 1970 to 1994. I spent a lot of time in Las Cruces and Deming, NM. I have lived in Tucson since 1994 and have been all over Cochise, Co. AZ and know of many of the sites you have visited. Your channel is nice, informative, warm and meaningful. Thanks.
I've been there twice in the last few years. You did some good research to tell the story. Some of the hike towards the actual spring is taxing and I had to stop to catch my breath. You did a great job of eliminating the sounds of walking, the wind and breathing hard. Very nice presentation. Thank you.
Good point that you never hear wind noises in Sidetrack's videos. He's got it covered! Makes it much more enjoyable to listen to.
The structure you pointed out at 12:30 is a basin for collecting gold during high water runoff. I’ve seen similar walls built in Mexico that prospectors built to capture gold carried by storm runoff.
That is more probable than my suggestion that it is the remains of a small shot/blast shelter
I'm a Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache that is a direct descendant of Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache chief's Victorio, Mangas Coloradas, and Loco and I am also a direct descendant of Chiricahua Apache US Scouts Charles Martine Sr and Paul Guydelkon Sr. I need to visit this place when I go through that area to Tucson. I live in New Mexico on an Apache reservation.
Mescalero?
@@Goyahkla6772 Au
@@ewellfossum right on that’s cool. I’m Lipan Apache but live on the Navajo rez
@Goyahkla6772 okay, I'm a Mescalero Apache tribal member but I have no Mescalero blood, my mother is one of a few full blood Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache left. My dad was Menominee, Badriver Ojibwe and Norwegian from Wisconsin, that's why I have a Norse name.
Deep respect to your ancestors. They truly were amazing people.
Wow, what a gruesome story. Thanks for all the effort you put into this.
Yeah, not exactly a holiday tale. Bad timing on my part!
perfect timing IMO@@SidetrackAdventures
As I mentioned previously
Steve is so easy to understand.
I don’t have to filter thru heavy accents nor rapidity of speech.
So much of the American Southwest story is gruesome. Hard times, hard life, hard people. Survival was difficult. Desert, no water, very little vegetation for livestock, hot, glaring sun. Mining about the only income and in most cases, that ran out.
@@SidetrackAdventures Not at all, Steve. It's all good!
Being an Arizona native I love this history lesson! Great job of telling the story!
That last structure on the way to the spring possibly could have been a spring house, where water was diverted and allowed to collect in a pool and sheltered from the elements.
👍 Gotta keep that donkey milk cool!
@@georgevanaken925 😂
That structure seems to be what is left of a retaining wall that likely spanned the wash below the spring. It would have dammed up and collected water year-round, and overflowed during seasonal monsoon rains, typically July through September each year. There is a similar structure on the eastern side of the trail up to the top of Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains, shown as a backdrop in much of this video. Great video!!! 😄
The structure by the mine shaft was probably a smelter to process ore.
@@LoloD1833That’s my assumption as well.
Great post! Your narration is excellent, the phrasing is perfect, with great pauses for emphasis!
Your channel is on another level compared to 99% of YT posts!
Thanks!
Wow, thank you!
I would contact the State of AZ Mines Department to see if that mine shaft is registered. There could be more information provided for that area you explored. If anything, the State Mines Department could note the area and put up signs announcing danger in and around this potential abandoned mine. Abandoned and unregistered mines in the AZ can bring injury and fatalities to unsuspecting explorers.
Excellent video and story provided. You continue to do and provide great insight to our historic and iconic American Southwest. Thank you again.
I doubt there are many people tromping around that area - but that mine shaft was not well marked or protected from accidental falls.
There is a wire fence around it. Its somewhat hidden by the brush but you can see it in the video. If not for that though, someone could easily fall in.
Ah, I did not notice a fence in the video.@@SidetrackAdventures
@@SidetrackAdventures when you positioned your phone I thought I saw water at the bottom???! which would not be surprising. in desert areas if you watch for bird action you'll often find a crevice or shaft with water running several feet down.
There are excellent mining books online that generally describe the mine, what was mined and years of mining operations.
If my Dad was still with us you would be his number one fan,he loved the south west and traveled off the beaten path every chance he got,I think of him every time I watch one of your videos,thanks for all your efforts🤗😎🤗😎
Good job and a story well told. 50 miles northwest of Tucson on I-10 is Picacho Peak the site of the western most battle in the Civil War. That occurred April 15th. 1862. I had an ancestor that killed the last Earp in Arizona in a gunfight on July 6th, 1900, in Wilcox, AZ. just east on I-10 from Dragoon Springs. Warren Earp was the youngest brother of Wyatt, Virgil et. all. He didn't take part in the gunfight at Tombstone but did take part in the "Vendetta ride" afterwards.
Excellent presentation. You provided a very nice glimpse of 19th century history in situ. Excellent visual effects.
Thank you
Another excellent video. I had never heard of this. As a former San Diego native recently relocated to Arizona, im really enjoying these Arizona videos you are doing.
Thank you.
Thanks for covering this. The Civil War and related parallel conflicts involving the Apache are an interesting yet highly obscure topic. Thanks as an Arizona resident.
Thanks Steve for another great history lesson from a bygone era! Keep them coming please!
Great narration and camera work. Have lived within 30 miles of this location 75 years of my life. Beautiful desert views. My compliments on the research and all the work put into this excellent video. Certainly to be shared with others..
Know comedian Doug Stanhope?
@@smsmoof8128 I certainly recognize the name, but don't personally know Doug. Will keep in mind, if there is ever the opportunity to meet him.
@@bisbeekid only ask because he lives in Bisbee, and talks about the town in his podcast and a bit on his standup
@@smsmoof8128 Will check it out. I was born in Bisbee, but have lived about 25 mi from there for the past 50 years. Bisbee is great!! Thx.
Dang Steve, you're really good at this. Thanks for sharing as always!
This was wonderful! Beautifully narrated and produced. I recall enjoyed watching it. Thank you!
Bravo! Thanks Steve for another great tale and superbly produced video!
Great video! I love seeing and hearing about these old US historical sites from up close!!! Since I cant get out to them much anymore, this is the next best thing! Makes me want to get back out and do some metal detecting again.
Say brother, have been watching your videos for a while now and have become a huge fan. At a time in our country when things seem on fire, you are providing a respite and shift to a far more interesting era in America. You’re doing a great job, please keep producing these great videos.
I recently found your channel and really enjoy the videos about small, out of the way historical events in the southwest. They are helping me create a list of battle sites to visit when I travel to the southwest. Keep up the great work!
Glad you like them!
Appreciating these historical tours. Well done.
As a person whose father dragged us all over The West in the 1960s with his radar technician turned space shuttle comms engineer job assignments, 4 kids, a hunting dog and a wife, my little brother was born at Ft Huachuca we lived for a short time in Tombstone and me, as an adult driving I10 countless times across the West for decades and living in Tucson and beyond, stopping at the Dragoon Springs rest area around 2006 during a complete downpour, and camping in extreme cold in 2018 at Benson, you just never know what happened just right down the road until savvy people like you dig deeper and brave the elements and danger to give us these history stories, also my dad's ancestors were Mormons who settled in Willcox, Snowflake, Oaxaca, Missouri and Provo Utah, so all of this makes me want so badly to get out there and see this places you are showing us in this video and others. I feel so connected, misconnected to the history and my 6 grandkids grew up in Atlanta under their mother's thumb so they really have no clue as to half of their background. Thank you so much!
You are lucky your father dragged you around the west in the '60's. Much of what was around back then has been destroyed by nature and modern society.
Very formidable terrain and an interesting history lesson, thanks!
Awesome!!! Arizona is filled with stories. Some may never be told. Many times I’ve run across structures in the desert made of rocks (probably because no lumber was available) and always wondered what their story was.
Steve you do such a wonderful job! The quality of your narratives and the videos are 2nd to none. Thanks for all the hard work and the editing that we are the recipients of. Great subject matter too.
Thanks!
another banner show Steve . i shunned history as a kid but now… i love it .. thank you again for taking the time to make such great stories.. Merry Christmas 2023😎
Merry Christmas to you too!
Your videos just keep getting better and better. Thank you Steve!
thanks Steve for another awesome adventure. You uncover obscure history that I have never heard of. Would love to visit there sometime.
Bliley what a sad and wonderful story Steve St John must have been blessed with something we do not know about it have been a privilege to have known him you sure know how to do a story it is a real treat to watch them a big thank you from a bloke who loves history I Am down under Australia Rural NSW best wishes to you and crew ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks! What an awesome tour into a forgotten piece of history except to a few. Enjoyed the tour very much and look forward to more. 😊
Steve is always bringing us the best informative and historical videos.
I can't thank you enough.
Outstanding work, loved the historical detail. Very professionally done, thank you!
Great video Steve, thanks for all your research and travel to make these possible!!
Excellent storytelling and accompanying video that makes this history so tangible. Keep up the good work!
Hey Steve, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much I enjoy the channel. I live in Kingman Arizona and am a history buff of the southwest. Thanks.
The best historian on UA-cam! Thank you so much for your hard work.
I really appreciate your use of drone footage it really gives a sense of how isolated and small that fortification was.
Your story-telling and technical abilities are really improving. Nice work!
You've got a great Channel. And you have a great voice for this work I wish I could travel to these places like you. You are truly living the dream young man
Enjoyed the video, Steve. I love learning about little known events in history, and the people who were involved, and their lives.👍
Hey Steve, thanks for bringing these stories to light.
I enjoyed your video . I love the history of actual events like this .
Thanks for sharing 👍
Great storytelling as always! Man, gotta ask... how do you find all the time to travel so far from home regularly? 😅 Truly impressive!
In this situation, my wife wanted to go to the Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert in Phoenix, and I thought if we are going to Arizona, surely we have time to stop by the Dragoon Springs Station... Most of the time its just fitting in things around work and school schedule.
Hey, we were at the same concert!
Aha! I knew you were a teacher! :) @@SidetrackAdventures
@@SidetrackAdventures I would rather spend a month exploring the cool stuff you do than spend 5 minutes watching/listening to those old has beens....LOL
@@steveludwig4200 Well Steve someday You'll be a "has been" or dead..
Like all the others, thank you for taking us along to these places where people lived their lives and left their legacy
Thank you for bringing all this history to us.
Our pleasure!
Very interesting
I enjoyed this, usually I find American documentaries overblown and full of hyperbole, but your was measured, informative and well narrated. I will certainly watch more. I have been to the US on many occasions but always on business so I never got to explore much, one or two civil war sites, and one memorable drive from San Diego to Las Vegas through the desert, that's about it. At least I can see stuff via your site, so thanks Buddy.
Thanks Steve for sharing yet another “ Off the beaten path location” & providing the history lesson along with it in your usual no nonsense & no filler material fashion. Really appreciate your time & efforts involved in doing what you do. I personally have traveled a good portion of the old “ Butterfield stage “ trail here in our own backyard out in Anza Borrego & have to say that trail & stage run was no joke !! Those early pioneers & travelers had more moxie & stamina than anyone around here these days , that’s for sure !! I enjoy visiting places like Vallicito Stage station & the Box Canyon narrows where the Mormon battalion cut that swath with pickaxes through hard stone & had to partially dismantle a wagon or two and drag them up & over what looked to be a dry waterfall & then re-assemble the wagons to continue on ….. Just imagine doing something like that today with a Tesla 😏😆. Anyway glad to see those flags flying at the sites in your video here & paying respect to those whose lives ended there . Carry on With your travels & mini documentary’s , & Merry Christmas & a Happy 2024 to you & yours 😊😎👍
Yeah, the Butterfield was no easy road, especially considering they ran day and night. I can't imagine some of the trails the stage was on at night.
Steve, you're so good at marrating your videos with thorough research! We can tell how much work you put into these. Thanks so much!
Thanks! Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. See you on your next adventure.
Thank you so much and Merry Christmas to you as well.
Thanks Steve. Great job. I'm gonna head there as soon as the weather settles. Just found you. Looking forward to seeing more. I'm always looking for remote historical sites to visit. Thanks again!
Another outstanding and informative episode! Thanks so much Steve for showing me some place I will probably never get to visit!
I probably will never set foot in these areas. Thank you Steve for these very interesting stories and pictures. The old West sure does come alive,
Really nicely done. Your camera work and narration are very good. I just stumbled on your site and will look for more. Thank you for your diligent historical work.
I'm going to be so sad when I finish watching all your old videos as I am a new viewer this year! Yeah, they're that good!
I am really enjoying your informative stories on the area I've lived in off and on. (I live in Benson.) 13:46 My Mother and I drove out to Dragoon Springs years ago. We also enjoyed driving down the road in the springtime when the wildflowers were in bloom. Also, the story of the murders at the station reminded me of another murder scene; the "haunted" Brunkow Cabin located off Charleston Road, which runs between Tombstone and Sierra Vista. The adobe ruins are still there.
Steve, Thank you for enlightening us. My family used to live in Tucson and one way of coming into town was through the Dragoon Mountains (Foothills?) I always felt that something had taken place there, so Thankyou for filling in the storyline!
Love, love, love your adventures. My whole family looks forward to them each week. You do such an amazing job of bringing a dirt road and some rock to life with your detailed story telling. Hugh Hauser would be proud. Thank you for a wonderful year of adventures into the past. Wishing you, your lovely wife and adorable son a very merry Christmas, and a joyous New Year.
Huell Howser.
@@noelfoley7359 Thank you so much, for taking the time out of your day to correct my mistake in the spelling of Mr. Howser's name.
@@sharonwestbury7137 You're quite welcome! Just in case anyone wanted to look him up.
Fantastic video about my home state - Arizona. The narration was excellent and the unobtrusive background music did not distract from the video. Life was certainly hard in those days!
Another nice adventure. Thank you for the time you take to put these videos together. 👍🏻
Great story as always…and so remote. All those people that lived back then were a hearty breed!
I look forward to your videos every week... they're always interesting and give me ideas for future excursions... a glimpse into sites and worlds I wasn't aware of. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Steve. Your videos just keep getting better. Thanks for these informative journeys. I'm watching from Indonesia in semi-retirement planning my next move. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Thank you for this presentation, which was fascination to watch. I'll be looking for more of your work.
Really well done, Steve! A complete story. Glad one of the fellows survived in what was a very dangerous place and time. I read a collection of early (1950s-1960s) western stories by Elmore Leonard, many of which feature Apache conflicts. Very rarely did more than a few people survive, though it's interesting how the short stories differ from the films inspired by them. The 3:10 to Yuma is one. Happy Holidays to you and your brave family. I so enjoy your jaunts. Cheers!
Much enjoyed that. I'm in Australia, so it's interesting to see all these sites I'd never otherwise see, and so refreshing not to have to put up with A.I. narration and intrusive music.
Thanks. You'll never find AI narration here.
I find your content to be a pleasure to watch. Interesting historical locations that I will probably never visit and your presentation is interesting and calming. I’ve come across some videos in the past but I’m subscribing now. Thanks for what you do.
Great story. Loved this trip through time. Keep it up.
Steve, I have been enjoying your videos for a few years now. Thank you for uncovering and telling the stories of the old west in the S.W. I find your style relaxing and informative. I grew up in east San Diego county and these videos bring back many memories.
Fascinating Steve, I've just visited the South West so it's fascinating to learn more about the area. From South Africa.
Thank you for taking us with you through your videos! I enjoy watching them and appreciate it! Be safe out there!
I enjoyed the cadence in which you told the story, and the subtle background acoustic music. Beautiful expansive vista's.
You never disappoint Steve.
another good history lesson.... Steve, you have a way about you that is always enjoyable.
and this episode is in my backyard.... so extra fun
Can't wait for your next video. You have one of the best channels. Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
Love your posts. You do a great job. Thank you for sharing places that I've never heard about and probably wouldn't without your efforts. Thank you for your research.
Glad you like them!
Your videos are fascinating and I appreciate your sharing of them. Now back to watching them! Thank you, sir!
Nice job on the video! The small wall you asked us to comment on towards the end was a sluice. When water flowed behind it. it was channeled through the opening into a sluice for settling gold at the bottom.
Thank you for another great history lesson. Your the best Steve.
The only time I went to Tombstone since I've read about the stories of the Shootout was to see the desert and the old buildings that are still left. I also had to go see Cochise's Stronghold which I truly enjoyed. Thanks Steve for the great videos.
I plan on getting to the Cochise Stronghold area soon. I thought about doing it on this trip, but had another place I wanted to visit (that I ended up not being able to get to...). Hopefully soon.
If you are a camper, stay on the dispersed camp spots that are before the official campground area. The official paid spots are *very* tightly packed together.
Awesome video, Steve. I really enjoyed learning about the history of this location. I live in California and love the state, but I also really love Arizona. 🌵🤠 I also love learning about the history of the Southwest, so this video was really enjoyable and interesting. Thanks very much for your channel! I truly enjoy your videos!
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent job, thanks for brining us along on you trip.
From the UK I have to say-brilliant; what a wild, lonely and emotive place to be laid to rest- thank you for a glimpse of another-harder- time; makes one realise how much we have softened up...!
Thanks Steve for your sidetrack Videos. Greetings from San Diego.
Another fine job! Good camera and drone footage, well scripted and narrated, well edited with appropriate music.
Steve, I love your channel. I've watched many of your videos. Thank you for this incredible lesson in history...
Wow, Steve! I really enjoy your off the beaten path travels! This one was a little gruesome! Have a great holiday!
Another great story. So many of these places were near my travels but I didn't know they existed!
What great way for me to enjoy a cold winter night.Thank you.
You have a perfect voice for narration!! Great story!! Nice work!!
Another awesome video Steve I try not to miss any keep up the great work thank you merry Christmas
Thank you, Merry Christmas to you as well.
Another well-done and informative video. You mention this being the westernmost battle of the Civil War. I thought the battle/skirmish at Picacho Peak held that title.