Jump to content

Winona, Arizona

Coordinates: 35°12′18″N 111°24′30″W / 35.20500°N 111.40833°W / 35.20500; -111.40833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winona, Arizona
A freight train passing through Darling
A freight train passing through Darling
Location in Coconino County and the state of Arizona
Location in Coconino County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates: 35°12′18″N 111°24′30″W / 35.20500°N 111.40833°W / 35.20500; -111.40833
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountiesCoconino
Elevation6,263 ft (1,909 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
Area code928
FIPS code04-83860
GNIS feature ID36324[1]

Winona is a small populated place in Coconino County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona.[1] At one time it was also called Walnut, and Winona's railroad station was renamed Darling in honor of an engineer.

History

[edit]

Winona was once an incorporated village called Walnut Creek, until the 1950s when it became part of Flagstaff. Walnut Creek runs through Winona. It has been a dry creek bed since a dam was built above Walnut Canyon in the 1950s to provide Flagstaff with a reservoir. Before this, the creek ran year round.[citation needed]

Railroad

[edit]

Winona train station was renamed on 6 December 1959 as "Darling" after William B. Darling, a local railroad engineer.[2][3][4] Darling Cinder Pit to the north east of Winona is also named after him.[5]

The history of Darling is tied directly to the railroad that crosses through it. The Southwest Chief has been a regular visitor[6][7] and for many years it was served by the Santa Fe Railway.[8][9][10]

In October 2019 a Burlington Northern freight train derailed there, disrupting both freight traffic, intermodal freight[11] and passenger train traffic on Amtrak.[12][13]

[edit]
Winona Bridge, which is no longer accessible by car

Winona is located along Interstate 40 (old U.S. Route 66), and the otherwise-obscure town was made famous due to its inclusion in the lyrics to the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66". It lies about thirteen miles (21 km) east of Flagstaff, meaning that it is out of sequence with the rest of the cities named in the song because of its near-miss: "Don't forget Winona."

The singer Wynonna Judd adopted her name upon hearing "Winona" in "Route 66."[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Winona, Arizona
  2. ^ "Dinner Honors William B. Darling". Arizona Daily Sun. September 29, 1958. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Cook, James B. (April 15, 1973). "The Super C". Arizona Republic.
  4. ^ The Santa Fe Magazine, vol. 53, 1959, p. 46
  5. ^ "The Santa Fe, a partner in progress". Arizona Daily Sun. March 27, 1976.
  6. ^ "Southwest Chief". RailNews. 404–409. Pasadena, California: Pentrex: 76. the Southwest Chief, rolls through Darling, Arizona, on Sept. 20, 1996.
  7. ^ Schmollinger, Steve. Images of Western Railroading. Voyageur Press. p. 153. ISBN 9781610604123.
  8. ^ Lawrence, Elrond G. (2008). Route 66 Railway: The Story of Route 66 and the Santa Fe Railway in the American Southwest. Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation. p. 107.
  9. ^ "Railfan and Railroad". 11. Carstens Publications. 1992: 20. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ "ATSF Railway train symbol VLAKC at West Darling, Arizona". CarrTracks. Retrieved January 16, 2020. Santa Fe train VLAKC approaches the old US highway 66 bridge at Darling, AZ early in the morning of February 21, 1988. In the background are the San Francisco Mountains. Humphreys Peak is the highest point in Arizona at 12,670 feet. Disk 68
  11. ^ "BNSF Darling, AZ Derailment Disrupts Intermodal Service to/from CA and AZ". October 15, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020. ... October 14, 2019, BNSF received a preliminary report that a non-intermodal train derailed near Darling, AZ, blocking both main lines to/from California and Arizona. ...BNSF does not have an alternate route available. As a result, customers should expect delays of 24-72 hours on shipments moving to/from California and Arizona. Due to the severity of this service interruption during domestic peak season, equipment availability may also be temporarily disrupted in some markets. J.B. Hunt will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.
  12. ^ Buffon, Scott (October 14, 2019). "Freight train derails east of Flagstaff, closes tracks indefinitely". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Customer Notifications Final Report: Train Derailment near Darling, Arizona (Seligman Subdivision)". Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. October 14, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020. ... we received a preliminary report of a train derailment near Darling, AZ which has affected both main tracks. Darling, AZ is approximately 15 miles east of Flagstaff, AZ. Main track 2 was returned to service October 15, 2019 at 11:40 a.m. CT and Main track 1 was returned to service October 15, 2019...
  14. ^ Wynnona Judd - Country Artist Country Music Performers