Chloride, Arizona is a little ghost town about twenty miles north of Kingman
and four miles east of Highway 93.  If you get that far, drive straight through
the little village on Tennessee Avenue.  At the far edge you will come to a sign
that says "Murals."  Follow the arrows up the rough little road and you will
be rewarded with a pile of painted boulders unlike anything you have seen
before.
The rocks were painted more
than forty years ago by Roy
Purcell.  In 2006 he came
back and freshened the colors.
Some of the images are abstract,
while others are hauntingly
realistic.
Climbing
about in the
heap of
stone, you
may be
surprised by
the strange
paintings
that you find.
A
jumble
of
colors
and
rocks.
Arcane
symbols.
A mixture of
imagination and
culture.
The
serpent is
a
recurring
theme.  
This one
appears to
eat the
light.
Flowers,
painted
and real,
decorate
the
suggestion
of a mine.
A
labyrinth
on the
belly of a
goddess.
Bizarre
creatures.
Miners'
shacks
crushed
beneath
the
talons.
Reminiscent
of Van Gogh.
Sun, moon,
Big Dipper,
Orion and a
sloth with
many toes
and a heart
in its belly.
A view of most of the painted promontory.  You have to climb
into the pile to really see all of the murals.
It's hard to tell where the reality stops and the
fantasy begins.
Digital pictures on a computer monitor can only hint
at the majesty of the murals of Roy Purcell.  Come
to Chloride, if ever you get the chance, and see this
marvel for yourself.
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