Carl Richards' Garage

Before Sedona had a fire department, it had Carl Richards and his keys. Richards built this blacksmith shop in 1947, taking on automobile work as a sideline, and because he kept the town's first fire truck inside, he became Sedona's first fire chief by default — when something burned, someone had to find Carl. The building doubled as a community hall for meetings and dances, the kind of all-purpose space a small town leans on. It survives as a City of Sedona landmark, a relic of the days when one handy man was half the town's institutions.

What the plaque says

Carl Richards' Garage. , Carl Richards constructed this building in 1947 as his blacksmith shop. At the time, auto garage work was just a sideline. Richards is known as Sedona's first 'Fire Chief' because he kept the town's first fire truck in his garage. If there was a fire, someone had to find Carl to get the keys. The building also served as a community hall for town meetings and dances.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Sedona — steps away
  Red-rock skyline, Little Hollywood, and the town Sedona Schnebly gave her name to
• Oak Creek Canyon — 6.6 mi
  The switchback drive from red rock to ponderosa on State Route 89A
• Tuzigoot — 17 mi
  A hilltop Sinagua pueblo over the Verde, dug out of the ground in the Depression
• Montezuma Castle — 18 mi
  A five-story Sinagua cliff dwelling, misnamed for an emperor who was never here

More markers nearby

• Rollie's Camera — steps away
• The Sinagua — steps away
• Jordan Sales Building — 0.2 mi
• Hart Pump House — 0.5 mi