The infamous Alphonso Capone.
As the story goes; prohibition (1920) in the United States gave rise to bars, clubs, hotels and casinos along Mexico border towns. Capitalizing on this cross border growth, Johnny Stone (an alleged Mafiosi member and associate of Al Capone’s) who owned the Hotel Cornelia in Ajo teamed up with John Richardson, an early Rocky Point settler who together in 1928 saw the potential in Rocky Point as a resort destination and built a hotel and dug a fresh water well. Maybe even more important Johnny Stone built an airport and brought direct flights in from Phoenix and Tucson on the already established Scenic Airlines (1927). Johnny Stone, also built a casino in Old Port called the Marine Club possibly with the help of Al Capone and the palce where Al Capone used to stay when he was fleeing from justice in the U.S.
Al Capone became interested while hiding out in the Marine Club and later partnered up with another Arizona hotel & bar owner Thomas Childs in Rocky Point and they built a hotel of their own. Through the influence of Al Capone who introduced many of his friends to the area to enjoy drinking, gambling, world class fishing and the pleasant weather, more and more people were discovering this new destination. When John Stone had a falling out with the local government he left town burning the Stone Hotel and blowing up the Marine Club and boat docks and the only well with drinking water for miles around. Shortly after the destruction of the well and when prohibition ended (1933) so did Rocky Point, almost, until in 1936 General Lázaro Cárdenas, the new president of the Republic stepped out of his vehicle and saw a sad spectacle of men and women living in caves, tents or out in the open tears came to his eyes and the new president began to plan the future of Rocky Point. |
