Hecla is a former way station situated in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States.[2] Its name is derived from the nearby Hecla mine.[3] It is also known as Stone Corral. Hecla has an estimated elevation of 4,596 feet (1,401 m) above sea level.[1]
John Stemmer, a former trooper, set up a waystation there on Ash Creek in the 1870s for travellers on the route between Prescott and the Verde Valley.[4][5] Facilities included at least seven furnished rooms, a bar, retail store, kitchen, dining room, stables and two stone corrals.[4]
In 1884 it passed to AJ Hudson, who with his family continued to operate it as an inn for travellers.[4] Facilities added included a root cellar, and for 18 months a post office under the name of Hecla, by which it was then known.[6][4] As well as providing for travellers, it was an important location for social gathering for the nearby small communities.[4]
In August 1898 a flash flood on the creek destroyed most of the facilities and the site was abandoned.[4] The stone corral and root cellar remain and it now exists as a historical site on the Prescott National Forest Reserve, accessed by the General Cook hiking trail.
