SEE IT- The Devil’s Handiwork

What happens when turn-of-the-century railway workers in possession of surplus paint have too much time on their hands? Evidently, a stone-faced specter rises out of the desert.

The giant white skull on Date Creek Road is actually a massive boulder decorated by Santa Fe Railroad workers around 1900. The crew — in charge of painting the mileposts and other signs along the track — apparently had some paint left over when they finished, so they applied it to the rock.

According to local legend, conductors on the passenger trains that once traveled through the area would conjure up wild stories about finding skulls in the area, then take delight in watching passengers’ faces as the train rounded the bend and the huge skull popped into view.

- Sam Lowe

Photo by Sam Lowe

If You Go
Fans of “poor Yorick” can visit the skull by taking Yavapai County Road 62 for 6.3 miles west off State Route 89 just north of Congress.