Getaway

Tortilla Flat A Piece of Arizona’s Old West History

By Jamie Killin

While Arizona has come a long way town property including a revamped menu at from its Old West roots as Phoenix the Superstition Saloon and Restaurant and becomes one the country’s largest new decorative touches. The town continues and fastest-growing cities, there are still places to maintain its history as it looks toward that hold a piece of Arizona’s timeless history its next 100 years, refreshing the look of and transport its visitors back to simpler times, property, partnering with more local vendors when the not-yet-state served as a mining for the mercantile, and remaining a familydestination within relatively unexplored friendly destination. land. One of these places is Tortilla Flat, a Western town in the Tonto National Forest During a trip to Tortilla Flat visitors can enjoy approximately 30 minutes outside of Apache scenic mountain views just minutes away Junction. The town’s history dates back to from Canyon Lake, taste southwestern cuisine 1904 when it was established as a stop along at the restaurant and saloon, shop Arizonathe Apache Trail and as a settlement for inspired gifts at the mercantile, or try prickly workers who hand-built the Roosevelt Dam. pear gelato at the Country Store – known Over the years, Tortilla Flat has had several gelato in the world, as well as a destination iterations – even rebuilding on the opposite for necessary goods and one-of-a-kind food side of the road from where it presently items like prickly pear honey and cactus salsa. sits after a flash flood in 1943. More than Before leaving, all Tortilla Flat visitors should four decades later, Tortilla Flat was forced try some of the town saloon’s famous chili, to rebuild yet again, after a 1987 fire that which has been made using the same recipe began in the restaurant engulfed nearly the for 80 years and is now incorporated into entire town. However, the history hasn’t Tortilla Flat’s Killer Chili Dog, Chili Burger been all disaster – the town has welcomed and the classic Killer Bowl of Chili. famous guests including the likes of President Theodore Roosevelt, Clark Gable, John Tortilla Flat also boasts a museum that is an Wayne, and Barbara Streisand. It’s also exact replica of the schoolhouse where the been home to a zoo and even served as the local children gathered to learn in the 1930s. backdrop of Western films, as well as helping While exploring the small museum, guests to inspire the book “Thunder God’s Gold,” will learn about the development of Tortilla and subsequent film, “Lust for Gold.” Flat, including the history of its owners dating Today, the town is a family-friendly attraction for being the largest purveyor of prickly pear back through to early 1900s. and relic of Arizona’s past. It is a fully Take a journey out to the Wild West and visit independent town and has six residents that Tortilla Flat, open seven days a week. For call it home. Residents and frequent visitors of more information, visit tortillaflataz.com or Tortilla Flat have seen recent upgrades to the call 480-984-1776.