March 2026.
Pinal County, Arizona.

In March, we left Tucson to visit family from Minnesota who were wintering in Apache Junction. When I checked Google Maps for the best route, the app offered three choices: two fast, efficient Interstate options, and one slower path following Old U.S. Highway 80—a road long since decommissioned but still alive as Arizona State Highway 79. To borrow from Robert Frost, I took the one less traveled by. That choice led us onto a stretch of Historic U.S. 80 now designated as the Pinal Pioneer Parkway, where we stumbled onto the history of an early 20th‑century movie cowboy who met his end on this two-lane desert highway.

Near Florence, Arizona, we noticed a small roadside picnic area marked by a simple brown sign reading “Tom Mix Memorial”. We were on a tight timeline, so we passed it by, promising to stop on our way home. I knew the name Tom Mix mostly because I’m old enough to remember hearing about him, though his silent‑film cowboy days were long before my time. When we finally pulled in later that afternoon, another car was already parked, and a small group stood gathered at the monument. Not wanting to intrude, I wandered the site and took in the surroundings. Today, the site functions much like a modest desert rest stop—a quiet pull‑off where travelers on the Florence–Tucson route can stretch their legs, find a bit of shade, and read up on a piece of local history.

While I waited for the other visitors to finish their view of the monument, I read the stories on the large plaque affixed to a stone table just behind the monument, where I learned of the tragic accident that took his life. The articles are copyrighted, so I can’t legally reproduce them here, but here is the story they told.

The first article recounts the final moments of Tom Mix, one of early Hollywood’s most famous cowboy actors. It describes how Mix was driving north toward Florence in his Cord Phaeton when he encountered construction barriers at a bridge near a washed-out gully and lost control of the car. The high-speed crash killed the famous silent-film star, whose daring stunts had helped define early Hollywood Westerns. The article pairs the story with illustrations and photos that highlight Mix’s celebrity status and the dramatic circumstances of his death.

The continuation reflects on the aftermath of the accident and the impact Mix’s death had on fans and the film community. It notes how his legend endured long after the silent‑film era faded, kept alive through movie posters, memorabilia, and the stories of those who grew up watching him. The article also describes the memorial erected at the site—the same monument that stands along the highway today—and explains how this stretch of desert became a permanent historical marker for travelers passing through.

Just a few days later, we had dinner at El Corral, a longtime Tucson restaurant that first opened in 1926 and now sits near our apartment complex on River Road in the Catalina Mountain foothills. Among the movie photos of historic Western cowboy stars, a prominent portrait of a man in a large white hat caught my eye—the frame beneath it engraved with the name Tom Mix. Mix had deep ties to Tucson during his life and career, and this restaurant proudly honors his legacy.

As I stood in front of the memorial topped with a riderless horse, it seemed a fitting symbol for the cowboy with ties to Arizona who traveled the route between Florence and Tucson many times during his motion picture career. At the height of his fame, he spent significant time in Arizona. The state served as a major filming location for his Westerns, and Tucson was one of the hubs where he stayed, trained horses, and prepared for shoots. Finding that memorial prompted me to check out a few of his movie trailers on YouTube. Here’s a short trailer from the last of his movie serials, The Miracle Rider, released in 1935. It’s a striking monument, and a reminder of how a piece of Hollywood history ended up preserved right beside an old Arizona highway.

About the photos: Taken with my Samsung S25 Ultra, these photos were shot with the Expert RAW app and processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic. The photos required minimal processing with the Adaptive Profile and cropping. You can view the images in 2K HD on my Flickr site here.

I invite fellow bloggers to join in by creating their own Cellpic Sunday posts. There’s no set theme. The first rule is that your photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or other mobile device. The second rule is simple: link your challenge response to this post or drop a comment here with your link so others can find it. And remember, despite the name, there’s no penalty for sharing on a day other than Sunday.

John Steiner.