Arizona's rugged Chiricahua Mountains have a special place in frontier history. They were the haven of many well-known personalities, from Cochise to Johnny Ringo, as well as the home of prospectors, cattlemen, and hardscrabble farmers eking out a tough living in an unforgiving landscape.Alden Hayes now shares his love for this area he called home for fifty years. From his vantage point near the tiny twin communities of Portal and Paradise, he brings the famous and the not-so-famous together in a rich account of the region: handed-down stories about the early days of Anglo settlement, the area's Spanish and Mexican regimes, and its history from the mid nineteenth century to the beginning of World War II.Portal to Paradise is a rich account of frontier Arizona, a celebration of rural life brimming with tales of people whose stories were shaped by the landscape. The Chiricahuas are still a rugged area that remains off the beaten track, but Hayes opens up a portal to this paradise for readers everywhere.