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ORIGINS: THE STONEHOUSE AT FOREST HIGHLANDS By William Godfrey June, 2023

The historical stone structure sits just a few yards from the 11th tee of the Canyon course. It has been a stopping off place for many golfers and a Member destination spot for decades. The building has also been given multiple names. It was originally known as the Cookie Shack, named for its delicious homemade baked goods. More recently it has been referred to as both the Rock House and the Stonehouse. By any name, it has been a welcome oasis and picnic area serving drinks, snacks and lunch fare to Forest Highlands’ residents. However, decades before it had any names, the building served a more rustic and utilitarian purpose. Basically…it was used for shelter and storage. In a recent interview with Dennis Dixon of Dixon Builders in Flagstaff, the origin of the stone structure was uncovered. “It was originally a building from the cattle range era. It was a ‘Cowboy Line Shack.’ It provided cowboys with protection from the weather,” explained Dixon, in a telephone conversation. According to cowboy dictionaries, a Cowboy Line Shack was: ‘A cabin for use of cowhands when out patrolling the boundary line of the ranch for cattle that may have strayed over the line.’

Dixon’s company worked with Dick Bailey of the Bailey –Bartlett Group in the early development years of Forest Highlands. Along with his team, it was Dennis Dixon’s assignment to clear the property.

“We started in a section of Forest Highlands, I called it the ‘Sedona side.’ It was very remote. There was brush, short pine trees, junipers and ponderosa pines,” Dixon recalled. “It was ‘thick as thieves.’ It was really a wilderness.” “The entire area was probably closed off for maybe 50 years. It was also the place where Griffiths Spring came up. The spring surfaced on that part of the property and provided water year-round to wildlife.” “When we found the Stonehouse, it was boarded up and surrounded by barbed wire. It was a bit like a haunted house; we didn’t know what we would find,” chuckled Dixon. “When we got in there, we found coffee pots, mugs and other supplies. There were rolled coils and dusty tools. We also found thick glass, empty elixir bottles with corks. Only God knows what they had in there…probably fifths of whiskey.”

VOICE IN THE PINES | JUNE 2023 16