The South Side

“Hey baby, take a walk on the wild side

Hey sugar, take a walk on the wild side….”             

               Lyrics from Walk on the Wild Side Song by Lou Reed

You all know the song! And whenever I think of areas south of the tracks or Citizens cemetery, that tune gets stuck in my head. It’s also historically accurate for early Flagstaff. The good citizens herded the gambling, drinking, and carousing faction into the south side and corralled them within a two-block radius. The wild side, of course, could not be fully contained and leaked into the town proper–but that’s another blog.

I started researching the expression “south of the tracks” because, in so much of America, it actually does refer to the wild side of town. The first thing I discovered was that I had confused the wording. The “wrong side of the tracks” was the whispered condemnation of a person or place considered not respectable. However, I was right in that it's an American idiom, and it began about the time the railroad cut a path across the country. The tracks divided many small towns into “good” neighborhoods and “bad,” sometimes arbitrarily. The noise and danger made living close to the tracks undesirable, although factories and warehouses would often compete for the location. As the decades passed, steam and coal were replaced by electrical power, and new methods of shipping took some of the load off the depots. However, it took longer for the entrenched character of the neighborhoods to change. Flagstaff’s southside underwent a renovation some twenty-five years ago and has continued to transform itself into a modern, pleasant walking mall dotted with breweries and cafes.

At dusk, the vibe undergoes an eerie change, and it’s easy to imagine the more… sordid? exciting? Activities that once filled the narrow streets. I’ve written before about the ladies of the evening and touched upon the gambling, drinking, and brawling that took place. Most of it was contained to what is now South San Francisco and South Beaver Streets. If you stroll down the sidewalks of either, you’ll notice some old stone shopfronts that once housed Flagstaff brothels; at least one has its former license framed and on display. Other buildings have been renovated through the years, and owners will tell you that the spirits who once enjoyed earthly pleasures inside their walls still return for a visit.

Join us on our Cemetery, Freaky Pub Crawl, and Adults only tours to hear more about the wild side of Flagstaff!

Boo.