Montezuma Castle National Monument (Cape Verde AZ) and Montezuma Well (Rimrock AZ)

 The Well is a subunit of Montezuma Castle National Monument and much less visited than the castle but it's infinitely more interesting. Here are some photos of the "castle", dwellings built by the Sinagua people between AD 1100 and 1425.

This is where the tour buses roll up and it's a fascinating place. But the Well (5512 County Rd 77 in Rimrock AZ) is about 15 minutes north of the Castle. It has a tiny ranger station with one ranger on duty. There's no Visitor Center but she did have the national park passport stamps. One short climb up from the station brings you to this beautiful sight.

The surrounding land has been home to many prehistoric groups of people going back as far as 11,000 CE and some dwelling remains can be seen.

The well is an oasis in a desert but because the water contains arsenic, carbon dioxide and other chemicals, no fish can live in it. 

The castle was named after the Aztec emperor, Montezuma, because early settlers thought the structure was of Aztec origin. Apparently the well was named to match. But the well is a spring, and Montezuma never left what is now Mexico City. The name notwithstanding, it's a stunning place and worthy of a visit.

Nicodemus National Historic Site, 304 Washington Avenue, Bogue, Kansas

The town was founded in 1877, and former slaves were encouraged to resettle here in Kansas, a free state. Kansas was part of the Underground Railroad and was also home to John Brown. At its height, Nicodemus had roughly 700 residents. When the town failed to get the railroad to come through (it was built south of them), the town slowly died. According to the ranger on duty during our visit, there are 20 descendants of the original residents still living here. And five original structures still stand. The old Township Hall is now the Visitor's Center.

St. Francis Hotel is still there but crumbling.

The First Baptist Church looked like some work was being done on a newer addition to it.

The A.M.E. Church remains open to the public.

The District 1 School stands closed and distant.

This is the only remaining town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. The National Park Service states it is the oldest remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River. The railroad may have passed it by but the story of the town remains.