Citizens of Boston purchased the land in 1634 for the purpose of having a shared area to graze cattle.
I’m guessing the days of cattle grazing on the Common are long gone, I least I didn’t see any.
A few of the trees were showing their autumn colors during my recent visit in the first week of November.
A century later, the Galveston 1900 Storm Memorial was dedicated on the seawall overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
The memorial survived another major hurricane in 2008.
The jetties help stabilize the seawall and slow erosion – as well as providing convenient places to fish.
The park is listed as a National Monument and part of the part National Park System.
It is located off Interstate 17 about 90 miles north of Phoenix.
If you are driving north from Phoenix toward Sedona or the Grand Canyon, this is an easy stop along the way.
National Park Service: Montezuma Castle
This area used to be under a shallow sea. The red color in the rocks comes from iron mixed in with the limestone and sandstone.
It is supposed to be about a two-hour drive from Phoenix to Sedona. It took me more like three, but I stopped a few times along the way.
As you drive north from Phoenix, you also go up in elevation. You leave behind the saguaros and see more trees and, eventually, the red rocks of the area around Sedona.
Along the way, you pass by the Prescott National Forest to the west.
Here is a description from the United States Forest Service:
“At the lowest elevation, the primary vegetation is of the Sonoran Desert type. As the elevation rises, chaparral becomes common, followed by piñon pine and juniper. Above that, Ponderosa pine dominates the landscape.”
Forest Service: Prescott National Forest
