Two Guns; Tourist Trap to Urban Exploration Icon
Motel and pool.
The history of Two Guns dates back to the 1880s where a section of the Santa Fe Railway was being constructed. The camp, called Canyon Diablo, quickly became the traditional wild west town; a wild and lawless place as drifters, gamblers, and outlaws made their way in.
1960s WESTERN THEMED MOTEL
Inside the motel
The first formal settlement of Two Guns came from Ed Randolph, who built a store next to the death cave then later sold the store and cave as well as 320 acres of his ranch to Earle and Louise Cundiff in 1922.
In 1925, Harry E. Miller leased the property from the Cundiffs and wanted to capitalize on the passing tourism. Miller constructed a zoo made of brick, mortar and chicken wire; animals included mountain lions, cougars, gila monsters, coral snakes, birds and a lynx.
Miller continued to add to the property, erecting large neon signs, a death cave canyon tour that showcased faux cliff markings, ruins, and ancient remains; and temporarily renaming the settlement to “Fort Two Guns” to pay homage to Henry Hart, a talented silent movie actor throughout 1910-1920, to which Miller claimed he had worked at in the past.
CAMPGROUND RANGER STATION
Miller and Earle reportedly had a disagreement about the lease in 1926 and resulted in Miller shooting and killing an unarmed Cundiff.
Acquitted of the killing, Miller left the state in 1929 after his store was destroyed in a fire and left Louise to remarry and oversee the property with her new husband.
SHELL SERVICE STATION; 1963
A new Texaco station opened in 1934 and the property continued to see development through the decades to follow:
Miller’s zoo; closed prior to 1950
New Shell service station; 1963
KOA campground, western themed motel/tavern; late 1960s
New zoo with reptile exhibit; late 1960s
GENERAL STORE; 1960s
ZOO; 1960s
The service station burned in 1971 and the businesses, that depended on the stopping tourists, left town shortly after. Today, Two Guns is what you see here; ruins of one of many tourist traps along Route 66 that have been left to be reclaimed by nature.
A shell of its former self.
FULL GALLERY: (Photographs taken: May 13th, 2018)
