A. A. Allen

The following is a story beautifully written by Lanelle Butler Galindo (lanelle.galindo@hotmail.com)

Transcribed by Wilola Follette.

I pull up the website from time to time and it is wonderful to see the familiar names from a time long gone. I have a friend that moved to Sierra Vista and she went to Miracle Valley out of curiosity. She called it "Hippie Hollow" and said there was nothing special to see... except Allen's tomb... and the big Church dome. She said she didn't know if that was special or not. I laughed, because I am sure there is nothing special to see anymore (there never was a whole lot.) You would have to have experienced it to appreciate what it was like. I just liked the people I grew up with. Sometimes it seemed like being "different" was the norm. The little town in Alaska on the old series "Northern Exposure" used to remind me a little of Miracle Valley (minus the moose and the snow.) The peculiarly eclectic group of people that lived there were the reason my brother moved back and those same people stood with us and cried when he died. Now most of them are in the cemetery too or have scattered to the four corners of the earth.

There have always been a lot of misconceptions regarding Miracle Valley, but I have nothing but the fondest childhood memories of it. People have thought it was some sort of commune and AA Allen was a religious nut/cult leader. It was really just a sleepy little town with people from all walks of life. The majority of the population consisted of average, hard working, ultra conservatives. Most were employed by AA Allen Revivals, but there were also a number of military families and a substantial amount of the elderly retired. We had our share of hippies and flower children, we had one official town drunk and two atheists. The community was racially diverse, as well. In the heat of the civil rights movement of the 60's, the children of Miracle Valley grew up completely integrated and unaware of the racial conflict that was swirling all around the rest of the country. (The claim of racial persecution by the religious sect that caused so much conflict in Miracle Valley in the early 80's was even more bizarre, given the community's history.)

That atmosphere of acceptance however, attracted the "strange," as well. Some of the most eccentric people, to ever walk the planet, resided in Miracle Valley. Like any Rock Star, AA Allen had his own little band of misfit "groupies" and the Miracle Valley Cemetery houses many an interesting character. In spite of obvious mental issues, (in some cases,) no one was treated differently. I did not realize what an anomaly our little community was until I was grown.

When AA Allen passed away, the proclamation that he died an alcoholic brought everything to a close and for the most part, everyone that was part of his ministry distanced themselves and went their separate ways. People were shocked and disappointed and struggled to overcome the stigma. The actual cause of death was listed as heart failure and acute cirrhosis of the liver. The stories of an alcohol strewn hotel room were greatly exaggerated and factually untrue. At autopsy there was only a negligible trace of alcohol in his bloodstream, but none whatsoever in his stomach. The explanation of course, is that cirrhosis of the liver does not always equal alcoholism.

Before his death, AA Allen had begun to complain that he felt run down. (He thought he had a touch of anemia.) Because he was a "faith healer," going to a doctor was not something he was prone to do (although he did on occasion, specifically for the arthritis in his knees.) He implemented some changes in his diet (specifically adding a little extra red meat and spinach, amongst other things) and started taking B vitamins and iron supplements, to build up his "constitution." The worse he felt, the more he did. Unfortunately, the iron intake did the opposite. Instead of feeling better, his fatigue intensified, along with loss of appetite, weight loss, and headaches. He never related his symptoms to his vitamin supplements, nor did anyone else. It is still not widely known that men should never take iron. Iron intoxication causes heart disease, acute liver failure and death. Sadly, the fact that he died of cirrhosis due to iron poisoning is not the story that has prevailed.

I brought this up because I looked up "interesting characters" in Cochise and Hereford County and there is no mention of Allen. He was undoubtedly a controversial figure, but my memories of him are of a very genuine, kind man, with a great sense of humor. He was upbeat, approachable and pleasant to be around. He always had a joke or a kind word and everyone loved him, (even our resident atheists were fond of him as a person.) However else he was judged, to me he was quite simply, a very nice man. Definitely an interesting character.

Many, many evangelists (both famous and infamous) came through Miracle Valley to preach during Camp Meetings. Jimmy Swaggert, Oral Roberts, Ronald Coyne, Robert Shambauch, Rev Osteen (Joel Osteen's father,) just to name a few. The most decidedly infamous Jim Jones was also in some of those meetings...and that tent! I still cannot go to a circus without the smell of the canvas and sawdust giving me deja vu...Then there were the Indians. They were almost the best thing of all. Every year, thousands gathered for Camp Meeting. Miracle Valley was completely overrun with Indians from every tribe imaginable. They were awesome. I have always been glad I was there.

So...

Thank you so much for maintaining the Miracle Valley cemetery website. Your efforts have allowed me to visit often, even though I am far away. I appreciate you correcting the entry for my brother Larry, more than I can say. And thank you for letting me share a memory of a unique place and time.

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