The Weird West - The Curious case of Two Guns, AZ

Two Guns, Arizona is an abandoned trading post with a long and tragic history. The area is located just south of I-40, 33 miles east of Flagstaff and not far at all from the famous Meteor Crater Natural Landmark. Two Guns sits along the eastern lip of Canyon Diablo. Many of the ruins are easy to see from the highway and taking exit 230, sign posted as 2 Guns, will get you to the abandoned gas station and what is left of a main building that was part of a KOA campground in the 1960’s and ‘70’s.

The gas station and KOA buildings are interesting to nosey around in, the old pool and accompanying building are covered in colorful graffiti, but the highlight for us were the stone structures that were once part of a bustling roadside trading post. We even stumbled upon the entrance to a cave that we would come to find out was the infamous Apache Death Cave.

The name Two Guns has only been the official title since 1926, but the history of the area goes back much further. There have been artifacts found that were left by the Apache, Hopi, and Navajo peoples that date 1050 -1600 A.D. Many generations of people were living in the area before the U.S. Cavalry set up a post not far away in the early 1860’s.

Now, in the 1870’s, the Apache and the Navajo were not getting along very well at all. In 1878 a group of Apache raided a Navajo camp that was set up near the Little Colorado River. The only people left alive were three young girls that were taken prisoner. Navajo warriors from a camp not far way got wind of what had happened and attempted to track down the offending Apache. These warriors were eventually unable to track down the Apache and returned to camp. Not long after, another Navajo camp was raided, and the warriors again set out to find them. Just as they were about to give up again, they felt a hot blast of air coming from out of the ground.

The Apache had been found. They were hiding in a cave large enough for 42 men and their horses. Before the Apache knew what was happening, the Navajo had filled the entrance to the cave with scrub brush and bits of wood, which they promptly set on fire. In a panic, the Apache killed their horses to use the blood to attempt to put out the flames once their water was gone. In the end 42 Apache died and the Navajo had their revenge. The Apache Death Cave was the very cave that we had come to discover entirely on accident.

Billy the Kid and his gang of outlaws are also attached to this area of Arizona. In the winter of 1878-79, he and his gang waited out the winter in an abandoned stone house on the west rim of Canyon Diablo. And that’s the story of Billy the Kid and Two Guns.

In 1915 the first concrete bridge was built across Canyon Diablo. This was part of the National Auto Trail system. This road and bridge were the precursors to Route 66 that would find its pavement laid down on the same trails.

The 1920’s saw the Canyon Diablo area really begin to take shape. Early in the decade, Earle and Louise Cundiff bought 320 acres of land, and seeing a potential business opportunity, quickly erected a gas station and restaurant next to the highway.

1925 saw the arrival of Henry “Two Guns” Miller. Miller leased some land from the Cundiff’s, and he proceeded to build his own trading post right on top of the Apache Death Cave. He sold the bones of the Apache dead to motorists that would pass through. Miller also is responsible for building the zoo that can still be seen today. He had all manor of animals from the Arizona wilderness including mountain lions, bobcats, snakes and reptiles. The stone building advertising, “Mountain Lions” can still be visited today. Out back of this building are the pens that used to house other animals. These were made of chicken wire and stone. The original stone and wire are still there today.

Harry would shoot and kill Mr. Cundiff in a dispute over his lease in 1926 but would not spend any time in jail as he was acquitted of the murder for unknown reasons. This was the same year that the name Two Guns was made official. Fate got back at Miller however. He was mauled twice, yes, twice by the mountain lions he had imprisoned and took a bite from a gila monster, becoming very sick. He left the area soon after.

Mrs. Cundiff would run multiple trading posts and gas stations throughout the coming years. The trading post and gas stations would succumb to a series of fires over the decades to come. Leading many to say that Two Guns was cursed.

The heyday of Route 66 was a prosperous time for Two Guns but once the I-40 interstate was laid the area quickly died. There were attempts to bring the area back to its’ former glory, like the KOA campground in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but it never did recover from the interstate highway build.

So, when driving through Arizona on I-40, do yourself and the ghosts of yesteryear a favor and take exit 230 to Two Guns. There are still many buildings spread out over acers of beautiful countryside. From the gas station and KOA building and pool, to stone buildings and concrete bridge, to the Apache Death Cave, the history can be felt here. A high 4-wheel drive vehicle is ideal, but we managed in a Subaru Legacy and hiked the parts we were not comfortable driving on.

Some information taken from Wikipedia, Atlas Obscura, and legendsofamerica.com