Fast forward a few years. Route 66 became I-10 and I relocated with my husband and children to Show Low, Arizona. Show Low didn’t have much to offer in shopping at that time so we occasionally traveled to Flagstaff to go to the nearest K-Mart. That’s when we recognized the iconic landmarks my mother had shared in her slide show many years ago and we’d point them out to the kids. There were the teepees; there was the big jack rabbit; there was the turn off to the meteor crater and there was... Two Guns. That’s when I realized my mother’s mistake. She had loaded her slide in backwards! snuG owT suddenly made sense. 

We always talked about stopping at Two Guns someday but, as we were always hurrying to get to the mall or later, Northern Arizona University, we just never had the time. Fast forward a few more years. The kids are grown now and, on our way back from the new Twin Arrows Casino, we finally pulled off at the turnoff and stopped in Two Guns. We followed a rutted dirt road and pulled up in front of the iconic curiosity that has fascinated us all the years and that we’ve buzzed past on the interstate -- the remains of a rock building with MOUNTAIN LIONS stenciled largely across the doorless entry. I’d always imagined it was the ruins of a saloon or some sort of notorious outlaw hangout but, as we wandered the ruins, I could see that it was a zoo. There are the remnants of animal cages and occasionally the fading titles of the former occupants: Gila monster, bobcat, snakes. We wandered about and marveled at the rock ruins, the old bridge, the abandoned gas station, the KAMP building and the colorful graffiti that now decorates the empty swimming pool. 

We scrabbled down into the deep canyon that runs between the rock ruins of the zoo and more rock dwellings on the opposite side. I’d always assumed Two Guns was simply a tourist trap built to entertain and lighten the pockets of the travelers along old Route 66 but, as we looked more closely, it appears that there’s more here than meets the eye. Even with the Interstate nearby, the breeze whispers loudly that there’s a long and rich history on this land. The mystery of Two Guns deepens. What is this place? Who built it? Why? The shadows lengthen and the breeze starts to grow chilly and we reluctantly return to our car promising ourselves that we’ll be back, another day, knowing that another day rarely comes. I haven’t been back but snuG owT/ Two Guns has been too long a part of my family history to abandon now so I do some research. I indeed find a long history so I’ll give you the abbreviated version and encourage you to read further if your interest is piqued.

 The real story of Two Guns begins eons ago with a geological interruption on the Coconino Plateau, a sort of mini Grand Canyon. This really wasn’t a problem until humans came along. Humans like to travel in a straight line to wherever it is they’re going and found this fissure on the desert floor annoying when it forced them miles out of their way to find a crossing. In 1853, Lieutenant Amiel Whipple, tasked with surveying the area for the future railroad, was so aggravated about not being able to travel in a straight line, he dubbed the chasm Canyon Diablo -- Devil Canyon -- and it stuck. 

Not to be thwarted, in 1881 when the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company reached Canyon Diablo, they chose to build a trestle. It would halt their progress for many months and so a camp was set up. Entrepreneurs quickly took advantage of the opportunity to set up shop and the settlement of Canyon Diablo was born. It became a wild and lawless place, popular with drifters, gamblers and outlaws. Legend has it that loot from an 1889 train robbery is still buried somewhere below the rim of Canyon Diablo. 

The railroad brought settlers and, eventually, a highway was built. That’s where Two Guns comes into being. In the 1920’s, Earl and Louise Cundiff opened a Trading Post. Henry Miller came along not long after that and enticed travelers to stop by adding a zoo and a lodge and the roadside attraction was born. The ensuing years brought a motel, a restaurant, a coffee shop, service station and a KOA campground. Time passed and Route 66 became Interstate 40 and Two Guns became a road-sign as travelers zipped past on their way to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland or Las Vegas. 

Nothing remains today except for some rock ruins, the graffitied remnants of a gas station and campground, an artistically decorated swimming pool and a deep, rich history that emanates from the detritus of another time. Two Guns is now a ghost town. Some say it’s haunted and stop to look for ghosts. Some still stop and search the craggy cliffs of Diablo Canyon for the outlaw treasure rumored to be hidden there. 

Two Guns is reportedly owned by actor Russell Crowe and it is posted “No Trespassing,” but, apparently it’s not enforced as Two Guns has a rather iconic following and has once again become a popular stopping point. For those who dare. As for me, two Guns will forever remain that fascinating little town of snuG owT.