Hunting For The Elvis House
The Sedona Elvis House has been an internet sensation recently. YouTube videos of people hiking to the Elvis House have received millions of views. Having lived in Sedona for 16 years and never having heard of the place I decided to investigate.
First, I had to discover where exactly this alleged “Elvis” house was located. The videos gave few clues and my first couple guesses based on quick glimpses of scenery were incorrect. My friend Matt Mann thought he had figured it out and I tagged along for the ride. We pulled off into a patch of dirt beside an old corral in the middle of a long dirt road. There were already other cars parked here. I did not know the name of this canyon, but I did know it as being famous for other things besides the Elvis House. In the 1970’s, shortly after the release of the first Endangered Species List, a pair of peregrine falcons were spotted nesting in the canyon. To preserve the nesting site of the endangered raptors, the Nature Conservancy swooped in and purchased the land.
Shortly after the sale the peregrine falcons disappeared and have not been seen in the canyon since. The Nature Conservancy held onto the property because of the large number of archeologically sensitive sites contained within the canyon. Because of the Nature Conservancy purchase the majority of this canyon is private land. Although its internet fame has caused a major uptick in traffic, it is important to note the Elvis House is not on public lands.
The trail head begins from the old corral and enters the canyon on the opposite side of the Elvis House. Shortly after a small rise in the hill a cattle pond comes into view, reflections of the red rocks shimmer atop the shallow water. The trail traverses the canyon in a long wide arc before depositing the hiker directly beneath the Elvis House. The house is built of red rock found right there in the canyon and is perched a little up the cliff. It is architecturally splendid, blending in with the cliffs. There are multiple structures at slightly different elevations, stacked on top of each other. There are hidden doorways, unexpected staircases, and each window is uniquely shaped and sized, looking out on the beautiful canyon. Some of the buildings are connected by interior stairs and others linked only by exterior stairs. Inside, it is obvious the house has been abandoned for some time. There is an old water pump beside the sink with a thick iron handle. There are two patios, both built of red rock and with wonderful views of the canyon. The patios are magnificent, and it is easy to imagine Elvis and Priscilla having dinner as sunset makes the red rocks glow pink while a cooling breeze drifts across the colors of the sunset. Priscilla might be having lobster and champagne. Elvis would probably have dined upon his favorite meal — grilled banana and peanut butter sandwich.
Elvis Presley rented this house while making the movie Stay Away Joe. Elvis played a Navajo rodeo performer named Joe Lightcloud. Elvis rented this house in 1967 and brought Priscilla out to stay with him. It is rumored that Elvis paid $10,000 dollars to have the telephone lines run to this remote canyon miles outside of Sedona, so he could call his mother every day.
Following the steep and narrow driveway down from the Elvis House takes you down to a shallow wash. On the other side of the wash is a beautiful rock art site, filled with sun shields, giant serpents, and dancing kachina spirits. A small spring seeps out from the rock. Serpent images were often associated with mountain springs. I wonder if Elvis ever wandered down to visit the rock art and if he did visit the pictographs, what did he think.
Shortly after I moved to Sedona, I was signing up to use the computers in the Sedona library. I noted that the person had the same last name as one of my favorite archeologists.
“Emil Haury is my grandfather.” Eric Haury said. Eric wrote a book about his other grandfather, Ned Danson. The book was titled “Steward of the West” and chronicled Danson’s forty plus years heading the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. Eric’s parents met as children as his grandparents excavated archeological sites. I was at a birthday dinner for Eric one year at his parent’s house. There were sheep in his parent’s yard, sheep from the Hopi reservation, being kept safe in Sedona. Ceremonial corn grew in the garden, because it must be grown in many places in case it fails at one place there is still some ceremonial corn growing somewhere else to bring to the kiva when the time is right. The inside of the house is filled with beautiful books and artwork. We were enjoying dinner and pleasant conversation when there was a knock on the door.
Uncle Ted had arrived. He was Uncle Ted Danson, the famous actor of “Cheers” and other television fame. Uncle Ted was very polite and pleasant, spent most of his time conversing with his sister and the birthday boy. At one point he did show me his wedding pictures, a ceremony which took place at Snake House Ruins, an old adobe structure with a gigantic snake pictograph behind it. I do not know for certain but strongly suspect that Snake House Ruins are within this canyon as well but they are certainly on private property and are absolutely off limits.
It is important to note that Elvis rented more than one house in Sedona. Before this remote but charming cabin became known far and wide across the internet as “The Elvis House”, a different rented home in a different part of Sedona was known in local lore as “The Elvis House”. Both houses can make legitimate claims. Older Sedona residents still think of the house in the Village of Oak Creek as THE Elvis House but younger residents, whose history of the region is more internet based, are aware of only this remote cliff palace as the Elvis House. It is an interesting example of how place names can change over time.
Another interesting example of place names changing over time in the Sedona area would be a red rock mound with a sheltered rock overhang which contains prehistoric structures and some beautiful natural rock windows which contain the most amazing views. When Sedona was still used as a western movie set this place was known as Robbers Roost. As Sedona has transformed into a New Age spirituality site the same place is now often referred to as Shamans Cave. The most recent time I went hiking as we approached the overhang with prehistoric walls and the most incredible natural rock windows we could hear drumming and the drone of a digeridoo. Sure enough, inside Shaman’s Cave was a small gathering of furry freaky folk practicing their version of heathen hippy rituals — dancing. As we came nearer I realized they were friends of mine — so we danced too.
It might still be true that Elvis paid to run the telephone lines all those miles west of Sedona but doubtful that it was so he could speak to his mother because she had been dead for many years by the time he filmed Stay Away Joe. Then again, considering Sedona’s supernatural reputation perhaps that is exactly what happened.
