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The first remnant of a homestead is seen from the Verde Canyon Railroad where Sycamore Creek merges into the Verde River. Mr. and Mrs. Packard settled the area in 1895, irrigating and farming 35 acres of produce for the Clarkdale and Jerome miners eager for fresh vegetables. Unfortunately, Mr. Packard was known to philander, so one day, Mrs. Packard forged his name on a quit-claim deed for $1,800.00, purchased two horses and a rifle, then disappeared to places unknown.

The Alvarez Ranch is the last human habitation in the Canyon. Rosendo Alvarez, a Jerome miner, acquired the ranch in 1908 from the Forest Service and the last original family member, Domingo, who lived at the ranch, died in 1996. He was a three-month-old baby when the family homesteaded.

The Alvarez family had a mutually beneficial relationship with the Railroad from its inception. Many of the structures on the ranch were built with a framework of railroad ties, which may have come from a demolished section house.

"I can’t tell you how great the train journey was and what a perfect part of our day it has now become in the memory of our wedding day. We knew it was going to be good, but far exceeded any expectations we had!"

—Kerry & Jason Ash, Warwickshire, England

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