At the corner of Tegner St. and Wickenburg Way in Wickenburg there is a 200-year-old mesquite tree that once served as the town jail. At its early days, in the mid-19th century, Wickenburg was a rough Wild West town. Its colorful population consisted of gold-obsessed miners, angry Native Americans, Wild West gunslingers, and all sorts of outlaws. According to local lore, Wickenburg did not have a jail for its lawbreakers until 1890, and the criminals were just chained to The Jail Tree until they could be transported to a real jail in Phoenix. To enforce this legend, artist Seward Johnson made a life-sized sculpture of a sad cowboy, wearing typical convict stripes, sitting dejectedly on the ground with one ankle chained to the tree. If you would like to learn more about the city’s past and the Jail Tree, visit the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce in the Old Train Depot.

45 N Tegner St, Next to the Circle K Store, Wickenburg, AZ 85390-1454

Plan Your Trip

Get Ready to Go!

Need some more help?


Read our Reservations & Travel Planning Tips guide.