4x4tographer   2,712 Posted March 22, 2022 (edited)  As if you needed another reason to visit Crown King! 😉  If you've been up to CK in the last year or so, you may have noticed some development happening in the heart of town, just across from the General Store.  This will be the site of the new-old Crown King Depot. When I say "new-old", it's because that particular site was the original site of the original train depot that was built around 1904.   Some details related to the Crown King Inn & Depot Open weekends only Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11am - "closing" (whenever that is 😊) Local Beers & Wines Offering beers that are brewed locally exclusively for the Depot (Kiss My Kaboose, Crazy Train Ale, Cowcatcher Porter, for example) They will also offer wines (presumably some AZ varieties) Restaurant with a simple menu "Grill Your Own" Burgers Charcuterie boards Snacks Flatbread pizza Lodging At least 4 "tiny homes" that you can rent that will be built from shipping containers  If you're interested in more information an news as it develops: The CK Inn & Depot website: https://crownkingdepot.wixsite.com/mysite Their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/crownkingdepot   Some History The depot was the result of Murphy's Impossible Railroad, started in 1901, connecting a range of destinations, such as Big Bug Creek, Humboldt, and Poland via the Bradshaw Mountain Railway, operated by Santa Fe. There was an additional spur that became the famous "front way to Crown King" that connected Mayer and Crown King and was completed in 1904. The current "front way" in on Crown King Road via the i17 was laid right down on top of the foundations of the old railroad, including all of the tight switchbacks climbing the Bradshaws.  For more information on the original railroad, click here for a fascinating telling of the history.  Here's a great map I found of the original Bradshaw Mountain Railway. If you look closely, you can see the switchbacks on the final climb into Crown King:   Here's another angle on the original Depot. Note the snow on the tracks and the roof.  Here's a shot of one of the big iron beasts that used to make the climb into CK from Mayer:    The New Crown King Depot The new depot appears to be a modern spin on an old classic, with the depot being rebuilt entirely out of (currently very trendy) shipping containers.  Here's a rendering of the concept/plans:   The very first of the retrofitted shipping containers being installed just a few days ago in March of 2022!     I'm looking forward to my next trip up to CK once the construction is finished to check out the latest reason to make the climb to CK! Hope you all found this as interesting as I did.   Edited March 22, 2022 by 4x4tographer 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Curly   838 Posted March 22, 2022 Saw the beginning of that last year. Didn't realize what it was. Sounds like fun! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shellback91   1,733 Posted March 22, 2022 Great information and history on the area, thanks for posting it! I'll have to make my way out there at some point and check it out. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4WLNRN Â Â 518 Posted March 22, 2022 Oh hell yeah!!! Sounds like another ORP Back Way to Crown King run is in order so we can hit this! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
