Paradise

"One of the Reed Daughters [first settlers here] married George A. Walker. The young couple moved to an isolated location which, because of their happiness, they named Paradise. In 1901 the Chiricahua Development Company located a vein of ore here and spent nearly half a million developing it. The isolation of Paradise was replaced by a mining town which was a Paradise for roisterers. It is now a ghost town."

- Will C. Barnes, Arizona Place Names

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Down the road and over the mountain there is a very small town called Paradise. Though it has only a handful of residents, it is not a ghost town. At least not in the sense that the buildings are inhabited. Take a trip to the cemetery and it is clear that ghosts are there. And I don't think they're roistering.

Judd - accident in mine
1904

Mexican - Unknown
no date

Mexican Child
1928

Suddenly I understood why they had to specify this surprising burial rule on the sign:


Makes me wonder what happens to the "Unknown Mexicans" today. I can only hope they found their own Paradise one way or another.