More than a lunch stop on Route 66.

Flagstaff – a strange name for a city – refers to a Fourth of July celebration in 1876, when members of an exploration party stripped the branches from a tall ponderosa pine tree and displayed the American flag atop. The flag could be seen from a great distance and remained as a campground beacon for wagon trains headed to California.

Much later, a city grew up in the 7,000-foot elevation of the high desert foothills of the 12,643-foot San Francisco Peaks. Thomas F. McMillan was the first permanent resident, raising sheep after his arrival in 1876. Timber, sheep and cattle industry contributed to growth in the area until the Atlantic and Pacific Railway Company merged with the Southern Pacific line, reaching Flagstaff in 1882.

The impressive Tudor style railroad station that opened in 1926 now serves as a visitor center, where you pick up a walking tour map of the historic renovated late 1800 –early 1900 buildings in the surrounding old town district. Students from the Northern Arizona University may be seen with their books open on coffeehouse tables or while sitting on benches in the downtown park area.

Flagstaff, best known in relationship to Route 66 song lyrics as being on the way to or from somewhere else, now encourages passers-through to stop and look around. Those history buffs who like to get their “kicks on Route 66” will no doubt want to get stickers for their rigs and T-shirts when they stop in Flagstaff.

We were amazed at how much there is to see and do in Flagstaff. We took time in the late afternoon to stroll through the Old Town district, reading historic markers and picking out a restaurant by from the menus posted on the windows and inhaling the aromas wafting out to the sidewalk. The next day we drove a mile up Mars Hill Road for a guided tour of the Lowell Observatory and a view of the city.

The observatory was founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell, whose observations about the planet Mars served as a basis for the theory of an expanding universe, and led to the discovery of the ninth planet, Pluto, in 1930. The guide told us Lowell spent most of his life at the site, and the 1923 observatory serves as his mausoleum.

The current, working observatory hosts a gigantic telescope mounted deep in a rotund amphitheater. We were allowed to look through the lens but not much is visible in daylight. Programs are offered for evening viewing.

We also visited the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Pioneer Museum – both located on N. Fort Valley Road, a short drive from the center of town. We enjoyed watching a group of school children exploring the exterior and interior exhibits at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Children, as well as adults, are fascinated with the prehistoric animal skeletons and rock formations. A highlight of the museum is the reproduction of a kiva – a meeting place and ceremonial room for Native Americans.

Across the street from the Museum of Northern Arizona we parked the RV and made a picnic lunch on the grounds of the Pioneer Museum, and then explored the grounds of a former hospital, built in 1908. Exhibits included farm machinery, medical equipment, toys and household items. Other buildings include a blacksmith shop, a cabin and a 1910 barn with a sheep wagon and a 1923 American LaFrance fire truck.

Flagstaff, nestled among pine trees and bordered by mountains, serves as a central location for day trips to Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon (Sedona), Walnut Canyon National Monument or Wupatki National Monument. Those who still love the snow season from mid-December through mid-April may enjoy the nearby Flagstaff Nordic Center or the Arizona Snowbowl with its 2,300 feet of vertical drop, and an average snowfall of 260 inches.

Today’s travelers can do as the pioneers did – stop where they see the American flag high on top of the pole, camp for the night and continue on to Nevada, California, Utah or New Mexico.