A thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers roamed the prairie now known as Williamson Valley. They used flint, quartz, and obsidian to fashion their stone tools, and built pit houses on the plateau that overlooks Mint Wash. By 1200 AD they were living in stone pueblos along the wash and pecking petroglyphs in nearby water canyons that celebrate the precious nature of water.

This is the Central Arizona Highlands, a pinon-juniper forest breaking to prairie of blue gramma and bear grass. This land grows rock; pink quartzite folded with granite, micaceous shist with sheets of sparkling mica everywhere. We're at the 4,800 foot elevation with clear blue sky for 300 days per year. You can feel the spirit of this place.

The Yavapai Apache had a rock sheltered camp here, just a quarter mile from the old stagecoach station next to the wash. In the days when Arizona was still a "Territory" that stop was used to keep fresh horses for the Seligman to Prescott stagecoach run.

The descendants of the original inhabitants still live here; deer, javelina, pronghorn, bobcat, lion, lizard and eagle. We see them all the time. This house was built to welcome them and in small ways, support their continuation. Our pond is the only oasis for miles. They watch us, we watch them - refuge for both.