TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In the remote deserts of the American West, few things survive from one generation to the next like stories and superstitions.
But one Southern Arizona man is determined to make some things that have faded from our collective memory come back to life.
The Union Pacific trains pass through once booming cattle towns and water stops, barreling toward that distant horizon without a second to spare.
But seemingly frozen in time, just off the tracks, you'll find Phil Gessert.
"You sit out here and listen to the birds... the train comes in now and then. This is the life."
Well, Phil and his wife Anita are not frozen, but their way of life?
"Well, it's all antique... [Oh wow, this is cool]..."
Let's just say time itself may have passed them by.
"These walls are two foot thick adobe all the way through and have held up for 130 years," Phil shows me in the inner hallway of the frontier era building.
As a film industry veteran making his career on the coast, Phil had had it with Hollywood with it's facades and fakery.
He wanted the real thing.
"Everybody wants to see what was it like to live in the Old West," Phil said.
So, like a method actor committed to the part, Phil dove into the role of a lifetime purchasing a hotel in the town of Cochise; population 22.
That number that represents a bust in blackjack wasn't so much a gamble for Phil who knew he had a winning hand.
"This was, of course, the laundry. They could heat up the water so they would have hot water to do the wash in," Phil showed me in one of the buildings on property.
Big names like Earp, Slaughter, and Big Nose Kate graced these rooms after construction in the late 19th century, cementing its legacy as a must-see stop for any Western enthusiast.
And they welcome the world here with just a glimpse of what life was really like.
"[From] China, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden [they] have all come here. They're on their American tour and they want to see the Old West."
Phil is proud of this place to rest with relics of the past.
"This is original...the original old water closet top."
When they aren't feeding the weary traveler and weekend warrior in the bed and breakfast, Phil is reliving the high stakes world of the frontier where every lowlife and lawman mingled over a game that seems to have been all but forgotten.
"Pharo was the game of the Old West."
Pharoah like the Egyptian emperors of antiquity?
"The everyday thing was [to] come in the saloon, have a drink, play a game of pharo. Every saloon had a pharo table and a pharo dealer. And it took three people to play the game of pharo."
Far from a mere pharo (typically spelled 'faro') fan, Phil is the "Pharo King"; a count of the cards; a lord of the lost cause of actually hoping to beat the house.
"You should be able to make some money so try your luck," Phil said.
It's a labor of love and a legacy lasting more than three decades as Phil may very well be the foremost pharo expert in the world and he's taught everyone from the novice card player to even experts and movie stars.
"You have your hand on your knife," Phil told me.
"Keep your hand on your knife and you're ready to go" I countered.
"That's right," Phil said, "It's a four! So you are a winner."
"It's easy, it's really fast, [and] you don't have to be super intelligent to play it," Phil said and he's right.
A game with great odds for the player but payouts that eventually made it impossible for casinos to stay profitable.
And it was easy to rig the box so cheating was more of the rule than the exception. For all intents and purposes, pharo fizzled from society's view but at one time, it was even more popular than poker, craps, roulette, hazard and Chuck-a-luck.
"Chuck-a-luck was the original," Phil said.
That's right, Chuck-a-luck.
We tried our hand and like many a gambler left chips on the table.
"You just won yourself $50," Phil said.
But the real jackpot, the treasure for the "Pharo King of Cochise" is the land, this space, and these rooms that hold far more than the dusty remains of a bygone era.
It's a chance to reopen a world view that modern society simply can't comprehend.
"It was still the Wild West."
On the side of the tracks, waving from the porch of the past.
Check out all that the Cochise Hotel and surrounding area have to offer.
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Dan Spindle co-anchors Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9 and is an award-winning storyteller whose work has earned him honors from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmys, the Associated Press and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists for both anchoring and reporting. Dan is passionate about history and loves to explore the Grand Canyon State. Share your story ideas with Dan by emailing dan.spindle@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or X.
