Mescal, AZ

Mescal is a Cochise County CDP spread between the Southern Pacific rail corridor and Interstate 10, with the San Pedro Valley to the west and the Dragoon Mountains on the horizon. The original settlement grew around a Southern Pacific station at about 4,085 feet, and its post office operated from 1913 to 1931. The present community sits south of the tracks near Mescal Road and the I-10 interchange, where older ranch roads meet subdivisions and roadside businesses. The railroad and highway give Mescal its basic map: a historic stop with a newer residential area gathered around the interstate.

Two current stops make the place easier to place. The Mescal Movie Set preserves a western-film setting with tours and production space, keeping the community's name tied to the screen. Benson Area Transit includes Mescal/J6 in its service area and offers a twice-weekly connection to Benson. That ride and the movie set point to the two ways Mescal reaches beyond its scattered roads: one follows the old transportation corridor into town, and the other turns the desert setting into a working film site.