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The Sedona Dream with Jack & Helen Frye
Jack and Helen enjoying their earliest years of Deer-Lick & Smoke Trail Ranches, this was truly an 'oft sought out respite from the stress of running TWA for Jack. Helen Frye (stunningly beautiful) shown with full head dress in about 1942 at the Frye Deer Lick Ranch property (first purchase at Sedona). Helen always had an affinity with the Anasazi, Hopi, Zuni, & Navajo Native Americans, indeed, these peoples were frequent visitors and inhabitants of this property long before the white man claimed Sedona. Jack's image was taken about the same timeframe, when Helen dressed him up as an Indian Brave. Interestingly, Jack was indeed part Cherokee, hailing from Oklahoma. Of interest, is the Concho belt around Jack's neck, a piece of Native American jewelry (likely Navajo) worn by Helen in many photographic images through the years. Helen later gave this beautiful piece to her adopted daughter Rosie Armijo
Jack and Helen enjoying their earliest years of Deer-Lick & Smoke Trail Ranches, this was truly an 'oft sought out respite from the stress of running TWA for Jack
Helen's mother Maude in front of the Willow House, and riding in the corral of Deer Lick Ranch (1941). The foreman may be Roy Kurtz (first ranch manager)
Jack and Maude (mother-law) and Helen dressed like a Cantina girl. These images were taken in about 1943, pre- House of Apache Fires
Rare indeed are color images of Jack and Helen at their first Sedona ranch purchase in Sedona (1941). Helen named this property Deer-Lick Ranch, the property Jack and her flew over in 1941 after they were married. Helen looked out the window of their Lockheed Electra and exclaimed, 'this is where I want to live!' This image was taken by Jack's co-pilot Robby Robinson
The Fryes flew in and out of their Sedona Ranch via their 1937 Lockheed 12A Junior, this plane was the smaller version of the Lockheed 10E Amelia Earhart was flying in when she disappeared (1937). The telegram was typical of the Fryes in letting the ranch employees know they were enroute to the ranch (in this case Ranch Manager Roy Kurtz). This said, it was hard to keep ranch hands in the early days at Sedona because of World War II. The second image of the 12A was taken by Frye co-pilot Robby Robinson, Jack had not developed his Cornville private airstrip yet. This photo is at Clemenceau Airport (now Cottonwood Airport) the nearest refueling service facility to the Frye Ranch. The man kneeling in front of the Lockheed no doubt is checking out this flagship Lockheed belonging to the President of TWA, what an occasion for the people of the small town of Cottonwood! You can see the engines are painted flat black and the famous TWA circle can be seen on the nose with 'TWA Research'. One need understand there was little to nothing in Sedona, early 1940's, as the community had not yet been discovered, indeed, early residents like the Fryes would have never discovered Sedona if not for the luxury of a private plane, and as well, access was difficult without TWA and Frye
This is in the Village long before it's current sprawl, pretty amazing the transformation. Either way, Jack Frye took this image.
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