WHERE to HIKE in SYCAMORE CANYON [ P

WHERE TO HIKE IN SYCAMORE CANYON [ p . 2 8 ] JUNE 2016

THE DEADLY ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE CRASH OVER THE GRAND CANYON 60 YEARS LATER — RALPH — WALDO EMERSON SYCAMOR E CANYON A Quiet Place Shrouded in Mystery, Romance and Mother Nature

plus THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF

“The a thousand of creation forests is in one acorn.” OAK FLAT BLUE RIVER RETREAT SEDONA ART BARN ARIZONA’S CARNEGIE LIBRARIES PRAIRIE FALCONS GLEN CANYON Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

2 EDITOR’S LETTER 16 SYCAMORE CANYON 44 CHECK THIS OUT 52 SCENIC DRIVE Grand Canyon National Park Arizona’s second-biggest canyon has Between 1886 and 1919, Andrew Carnegie Ash Fork to Williams: Although Historic Williams 3 CONTRIBUTORS been described as enigmatic, inaccessible funded nearly 1,700 libraries in the United Route 66 gets most of the nostalgic affec- Sycamore Canyon 4 LETTERS and rife with legends of buried treasures, States, including four in Arizona. At the tion, an even older route — the National Sedona man-eating grizzlies, marauding Apaches, time, the buildings stood as proof that Old Trails Road — once made its way across Prescott gunmen and thieves. It’s a place shrouded the dusty frontier towns where they were Arizona. Today, Forest Road 124 is reminis- PHOENIX 5 THE JOURNAL Alpine in mystery, romance and Mother Nature. located had achieved stability, prosperity cent of that old dirt trail. People, places and things from around Although it’s one of the oldest wilderness and class. Today, however, only the library Oak Flat the state, including a look back at iconic By Annette McGivney areas in the state, and there’s so much to in Yuma is still checking out books. photographer J.H. McGibbeny, prairie Photographs by Nick Berezenko Yuma explore, very few venture in. By Kathy Montgomery falcons, Glen Canyon National Recreation Tucson Area and the history of the Sedona Art Barn. Edited by Robert Stieve Photographs by Craig Smith 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH Dogie Trail: Of the 16 established trails in 34 COYOTE, OWL AND MOUNTAIN 48 JUNE 30, 1956 the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, this is POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE In a state where the landmarks have Just days before America’s 180th birthday, one of the most accessible. It’s one of the majestic names such as Grand Canyon two passenger jets, a Douglas DC-7 oper- most beautiful, too. and Monument Valley, a place like Oak Flat ated by United and a Lockheed L-1049 By Robert Stieve might seem insignificant, but the rocky Super Constellation operated by TWA, Photographs by Mark Frank GET MORE ONLINE ribbon of land east of Phoenix is anything collided over Grand Canyon National Park. www.arizonahighways.com June 2016 but. It’s a remarkable place that’s sacred At the time, it was the deadliest commer- 56 WHERE IS THIS? to the San Carlos Apaches, picture-perfect cial aviation accident in history. This month /azhighways to rock climbers and worth billions to the marks the 60th anniversary of that disas- @azhighways federal government. They’re all staking a ter, and recently, the crash site was desig- claim. Time will tell who prevails. nated a National Historic Landmark. @arizonahighways By Kelly Vaughn By Annette McGivney Photographs by Bill Hatcher Illustrations by Mark Smith

◗ As a storm approaches, sunflowers blanket the west side of Robinson Mountain northeast of Flagstaff. Paul Gill CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/125 SEC, F/22, ISO 800, 65 MM LENS

FRONT COVER: Ancient conifers crowd Big Spring Canyon, a tributary of Sycamore Canyon. To learn more about Sycamore Canyon, turn to page 16. Laurence Parent SONY ILCE-7RM2, 1/8 SEC, F/16, ISO 200, 121 MM LENS

BACK COVER: An insect searches for nectar on geraniums at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument northeast of Flagstaff. Eirini Pajak CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 1/250 SEC, F/5, ISO 320, 100 MM LENS, STACK OF 32

2 OCTOBER 2015 PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS AVAILABLE Prints of some photographs in this issue are available for purchase. To view options, visit www.arizona highwaysprints.com. For more information, call 866-962-1191. www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s LETTER CONTRIBUTORS

At the time, the crash of the Douglas DC-7 and MARK SMITH Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation was the Mark Smith lives in the United Kingdom and

deadliest commercial aviation accident in his- JUNE 2016 VOL. 92, NO. 6 has never been to Arizona, but after illustrat- tory. “The planes had both taken a detour and ing Annette McGivney’s story on the 1956 were doing what was called ‘flight-seeing’ over 800-543-5432 plane crash in the Grand Canyon (see June 30, www.arizonahighways.com the Canyon,” says Wayne Ranney, president of 1956, page 48), he says the state is at the top the Grand Canyon Historical Society. “The Grand of his “next places to visit” list. “The Grand PUBLISHER Win Holden Canyon loomed large in the American public’s Canyon is one of those places in the world EDITOR Robert Stieve consciousness back then. And these planes had that I think everyone has at least some famil- ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, just disappeared into that vast wilderness.” DIRECTOR OF iarity with, even if that’s just through pictures SALES & MARKETING Kelly Mero I don’t know why I looked out As Annette McGivney writes in June 30, 1956, or TV documentaries,” he says. “I think the MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Vaughn the window — in that exact moment. I’d just the crash “brought to light the need for better closest thing we have in the U.K. to that scale ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Austin started reading an interesting story from our organization of the country’s airspace. Just one of landscape are the Scottish mountains EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Nikki Kimbel July 1958 issue. It was a story about Sycamore year after the disaster, President Eisenhower — they always leave me awestruck.” Smith PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida Canyon, and the writer was describing tales of signed into law the Airways Modernization Act, wasn’t familiar with the 1956 accident, and he CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney buried treasures, man-eating grizzlies, maraud- which laid the foundation for the creation of the says that while he’s often asked to “solve” a ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney ing Apaches, gunmen and thieves. The narrative had me hooked. Plus, Federal Aviation Administration and the central- story and make sure readers understand it, this assignment was more a study in subtlety. MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey I was reading from an original copy of the magazine. Everything about that ized air traffic control system in use today.” “The accident and the landscape were two very big players in this story, so picking details PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi moment — the feel of the old pages, the peace and quiet, the nature of the Two years ago, the crash site was designated a on which to focus was fairly simple,” he says. “The juxtaposition — the man-made set story — was captivating. So, I don’t know why I looked out the window. National Historic Landmark, and a memorial was WEBMASTER Victoria J. Snow against the natural, and the aggression of the incident against the huge stillness of the But I did, and when I did, there it was: Sycamore Canyon, spreading out erected at Desert View Watchtower on the South CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman Canyon — stood out for me.” Smith’s other recent work includes illustrations for Stanford for miles, 33,000 feet below the Alaska Airlines jet that was taking me from Rim. About 200 miles to the southeast, another FINANCE DIRECTOR Bob Allen University and ESPN, along with the cover images for a serialized Stephen King novel. Seattle to Sky Harbor. historic site was recently designated. It happened OPERATIONS/IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis What are the odds of that? I thought. I wanted to say something to the nurs- on March 4, 2016, when the National Park Service BILL HATCHER ing student sitting next to me: “Look at this. It’s an old magazine story about added Oak Flat Campground to the National CORPORATE OR TRADE SALES 602-712-2019 Bill Hatcher’s history with Oak Flat began in 1990, when he established several first Sycamore Canyon. Now, look out the window. It’s the same exact place. Isn’t Register of Historic Places. SPONSORSHIP SALES ascents there as a rock climber. Since then, he’s returned numerous times to photograph REPRESENTATION On Media Publications that cool?” I didn’t say anything, though. Instead, I stared out the window You may have heard of Oak Flat. It’s been a Lesley Bennett the rock climbing landscape, and he was excited to visit again to make photographs for until the canyon was out of sight. And then I finished reading the story, controversial subject for more than a decade, and 602-445-7160 Kelly Vaughn’s story on the ongoing controversy over mining in the area (see Coyote, Owl which is a first-person account of a horseback adventure into one of the most it became even more so with the December 2014 and Mountain, page 34). “I’ve followed the mining controversy, but the true implications of beautiful and least explored canyons in Arizona. It’s a well-written piece. transfer of sacred tribal land to a foreign mining LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] what might be lost forever were not clear to me until I worked on this story,” Hatcher says. 2039 W. Lewis Avenue “In the broad boundaries of these canyon walls man has played out his corporation. “At stake in the exchange,” Kelly Phoenix, AZ 85009 “I spent days reacquainting myself with Oak Flat — exploring and photographing creeks wary game of hide-and-seek,” Ed Ellinger wrote in 1958. “He has shared this Vaughn writes in Coyote, Owl and Mountain, “is and canyons, and discovering Indian rock art and 400-year-old oak trees that could

remote refuge with the wild animals of the Southwest — deer, elk, ante- Oak Flat itself — the place where coming-of-age GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey become rubble at the bottom of a 2-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep hole.” It became, he says, lope, turkey and small game; all seeking food and shelter from the predatory ceremonies for Apache girls are held, where an emotional experience: “My 25-year history with Oak Flat is short compared with those DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT mountain lion and bear. Sycamore has borne silent witness to a cross-section medicinal herbs and acorns are gathered. Where, OF TRANSPORTATION John S. Halikowski of the families I met, people who have camped and enjoyed the place for generations,

of life’s drama but is now almost deserted by man, relegated to a grazing according to Wendsler Nosie, the former chair- ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION and the Apaches, who have held ceremonies and social gatherings there for centuries.” area for cattle and wildlife.” man of the San Carlos Apaches, his people BOARD CHAIRMAN Joseph E. La Rue Hatcher photographs frequently for Arizona Highways and other publications, and this Although it’s been almost six decades since Mr. Ellinger’s story was first received the blessings of the spirit.” VICE CHAIRMAN Deanna L. Beaver year he’s hoping to bicycle the entire 800-mile length of the Arizona Trail. — NOAH AUSTIN published, it stands the test of time. That’s why we’re bringing it back. It’s Like all controversial stories, there are at least MEMBERS William F. Cuthbertson a worthy complement to the other pieces in this month’s cover story, which two sides to this one, including that of the min- Michael S. Hammond include a beautiful portfolio, an excellent map by Kevin Kibsey and a selection ing company, which projects the mine will create Jack W. Sellers of summer hikes. As you’ll see, Sycamore Canyon is a remarkable place — 3,700 jobs and generate $61.4 billion in economic Steven E. Stratton a place shrouded in mystery, romance and Mother Nature. It’s big, too. In value. Several constituents are staking a claim. Arlando S. Teller all, it winds for more than 20 miles, from its forested rim near Williams to Time will tell who prevails. Meanwhile, Oak Flat Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published monthly by the Arizona its riparian mouth in the Verde Valley. Despite its grandeur and size — even remains one of the most beautiful places in Cen- Department of Transportation. Subscription price: $24 a year in the U.S., from 33,000 feet, it’s hard to take it all in — Sycamore Canyon doesn’t get a lot tral Arizona. It’s not as renowned as the Grand $44 outside the U.S. Single copy: $4.99 U.S. Call 800-543-5432. Subscrip- of traffic. Not like the Grand Canyon, which gets about 5 million visitors a year. Canyon, and it’s not as mysterious as Sycamore tion correspondence and change of address information: Arizona High- ways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Periodical postage paid at We do a lot of stories on the Grand Canyon. It was our cover story last Canyon, but even at 33,000 feet, Oak Flat is capti- Phoenix, AZ, and at additional mailing office. CANADA POST INTERNA- month, and there’s always something new to feature. Usually, it’s photo- vating. All you have to do is look out the window. TIONAL PUBLICATIONS MAIL PRODUCT (CANADIAN DISTRIBUTION) SALES graphs and adventure. This month, it’s history: June 30 marks the 60th AGREEMENT NO. 41220511. SEND RETURNS TO QUAD/GRAPHICS, P.O. BOX 875, WINDSOR, ON N9A 6P2. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ari- anniversary of the tragic midair collision of two airliners over Grand Canyon ROBERT STIEVE, EDITOR zona Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Copyright © 2016 National Park. Follow me on Instagram: @arizonahighways by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The magazine does not accept and is not responsible for unsolicited materials.

PRODUCED IN THE USA

2 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL MARKOW PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP PIPPA WRAGG-SMITH ABOVE, RIGHT BILL HATCHER www.arizonahighways.com 3 LETTERS [email protected] THE JOURNAL this is different page of your In the interest of full disclosure, we aren’t sure how story about many saguaro photos we’ve saguaros [This published over the ON THE OPENING past 91 years. We do know, however, Is Different, April 2016], you wrote, “In that we’ve never seen anything quite the interest of full disclosure, we aren’t like this. A Portfolio sure how many saguaro photos we’ve by Jack Dykinga published over the past 91 years.” The

answer? Not enough! The limbs of a saguaro cactus, damaged by frost, frame two other saguaros at Sonoran Desert National Monument southwest Karl West, Walpole, Massachusetts of Phoenix. “I’ve come to understand that frost- damaged saguaro limbs droop to the ground because of their sheer weight,” photographer Jack Dykinga says.

26 APRIL 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 27

April 2016

hank you for the article titled Cutting was saddened to see that Arizona my earliest memory of Arizona Highways. It Down to Size [April 2016]. As a young Highways values feral horses over We were living in Kermit, Texas, and I T woman I observed the Black Forest in I the Sonoran Desert ecosystem and was in second grade — so I was about 8 Germany and thought it was gorgeous. the wildlife that depends upon it. years old. One day a neighbor knocked When I moved from Quebec to British Numerous research studies have shown on my parents’ door and asked if they Columbia, I witnessed clear-cutting. that horses compact the soil, ultimately had a little boy. When it turned out to Where was the replanting, the fauna? leading to a reduced diversity of flora be me, I had to face the neighbor and my Then, in Colorado, I saw unkempt and an increase in fire-promoting inva- parents. She demanded that I stop going forests, slumping into decay. My sive plant species. Competition for food door to door selling copies of Arizona happy moment was when I visited the resources is also a concern. The plants Highways. When my parents asked for a Kaibab National Forest and saw actual that horses eat are no longer available for reason, she answered that I was getting management — pretty, lovely, happy deer, rabbits and other native wildlife the magazines from the trash (including woodlands. My heart soars when I see species. Although I owned horses for hers) and selling them for 25 cents each, that the forests in Northern Arizona many years, I kept them confined to a frequently to her husband. Apparently, are being cleaned, culled and properly small acreage and preserved the native he enjoyed the pictures so much he burned, all the while providing sustain- plants and animals on the rest of my didn’t mind paying a quarter just to able employment and recycling. ranch. This is a choice between having get to see them again after his wife Barb Foley, Cottonwood, Arizona feral domestic animals roam free or hav- would throw them out. I had a pretty In a Fog ing native wildlife and ecosystems. I good thing going, because there were Pillow-like clouds gather in the Grand was so happy to see an article about urge you to research the literature before several Arizona transplants who took Canyon, as viewed from the South horses in your latest issue [Wild, April making your decision. the magazine, and lots of people who Rim’s Yavapai Point. The phenom- enon, known as an inversion, occurs I 2016], but when I saw it was about the Lisa Fitzner, Maricopa Audobon Society, Phoenix didn’t mind my small fee for redeliver- when cold air in the Canyon is covered Salt River horses, my happiness grew ing them. But I had to cease and desist, by a layer of warm air, causing mois- tenfold. My friends and I ride our horses fter reading Arizona Highways for at least until we moved on to the next ture in the cold air to condense and in that area all the time, and we love more than 60 years, I finally decided pipeline town. Later in life I became a form fog. To learn more about Grand to see the wild horses — yes, we call A it was time to write a letter. I was semi-professional photographer and a Canyon National Park, call 928-638- them “wild,” too. The article reminded born in Phoenix in 1944 and raised as a published author, and in both of those 7888 or visit www.nps.gov/grca. me of the sadness I felt when finding pipeline kid. I started school in Flagstaff, endeavors, I included Arizona in one CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/80 SEC, F/16, out about the removal of all the horses, then attended Scottsdale, Glendale way or another. So, Arizona Highways has ISO 100, 28 MM LENS and I’ve seen the litter that writer Kelly and Kingman, along with a dozen or always been important to me. I haven’t Vaughn pointed out. There is another so places in New Mexico and Texas. been able to live there for over 65 years, culprit causing more damage than the Although I have been to 59 countries, I but it’s always “home.” horses and the humans combined — always claim Arizona and New Mexico Jack L. Cunningham Jr., Southlake, Texas mistletoe. It’s killing the trees — where are the greatest places in the world. will the birds go without the trees? Let There are no prettier skies or more rug- contact us If you have thoughts or com- the Forest Service and the BLM help ged mountains. And your magazine has ments about anything in Arizona Highways, we’d the birds by saving our dying trees, and continued to relate to us, despite all of love to hear from you. We can be reached at editor@ arizonahighways.com, or by mail at 2039 W. Lewis leave the horses there. the modernization and changes that us Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009. For more information, Linda McQueary, Gilbert, Arizona old folks love to hate. My best story is visit www.arizonahighways.com.

4 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZANNE MATHIA national parks centennial J

EDITOR’S NOTE: In August, the National Park Service will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Leading up to that milestone, we’re spotlighting some of Arizona’s wonderful national parks.

In 1951, 12 years before Lake Powell was created, Tad Nichols photographed boaters camping in Glen Canyon. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

KAYLA FROST

GLEN CANYON NATIONAL as are many activities visitors Recreation Area encompasses can do on their own, such as 1.25 million acres from Lees boating, fishing, kayaking, Ferry in Northern Arizona swimming, hiking, camping to the western border of and scenic drives. One of the Canyonlands National Park few maintained hiking trails in Utah. The landscape’s in the recreation area leads to most popular feature is the one of Arizona’s most stunning 186-mile-long Lake Powell, viewpoints: Horseshoe Bend, which was formed in 1963 a dramatic curve in the Colo- when Glen Canyon Dam was rado River. completed on the Colorado River. Colorful geologic forma- YEAR DESIGNATED: 1972 tions — including slot canyons, AREA: 1.25 million acres buttes, hoodoos and natural WILDERNESS ACREAGE: bridges — are plentiful in Glen None; however, 588,855 Canyon, which is known for its acres have been proposed spectacular scenery and rec- as the Glen Canyon Wilder- reational activities. ness and are managed as a wilderness area. Visitors could spend weeks ANNUAL VISITATION: in Glen Canyon and not run 2,495,093 (2015) out of things to do. Guided AVERAGE ELEVATION: boat tours and ranger-led The weathered buttes of Glen 3,704 feet Canyon surround the calm water of hikes and talks are available, Lake Powell’s Padre Bay. PAGE www.nps.gov/glca

6 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM DANIEL PHOTOGRAPH: NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY CLINE LIBRARY www.arizonahighways.com 7 J history photography J

Artists work outside the original Sedona Arts Center in the 1960s. The Art Barn remains the facility’s centerpiece. Sedona Arts Center members learned the property would be Although the 88-year-old Art Barn is the most historic structure at the sold at the end of its lease, so they exer- Sedona Arts Center, the property itself has a long and interesting history, cised an option to buy the place, raising one that dates back to the early 1900s. $10,000 for the down payment. The center paid off the $35,000 mortgage in 1969 KATHY MONTGOMERY and has been debt-free ever since. The stone house came down in 1970 eorge and Helen Jordan weren’t the two-story wooden barn, hauling to make way for an addition to the barn, the first owners of the Sedona timbers from a mill near Mormon Lake. which housed a community theater for Arts Center property. But long- George and Helen retired in 1958, the a time. Then, in 1994, a $1 million dona- The overhanging wall of Three Turkey Canyon G time residents remember the same year Egypt-born sculptor Nassan tion funded a new exhibition gallery Q&A: Adriel Heisey shelters Three Turkey Ruins on the Navajo Nation. spread as Jordan Farms, with today’s Gobran formed Canyon Kiva, an orga- with a gift shop, a classroom and studio

Art Barn serving as the operation’s fruit- nization to solicit support for a cultural space right on State Route 89A. PHOTO EDITOR JEFF KIDA packing center, and apple and peach center. In 1961, the Jordans moved into George Jordan, a photographer whose orchards spreading out behind it. a new house and Canyon Kiva, reorga- work appeared in Arizona Highways, and JK: You’re an accomplished pilot called Archaeology Southwest, the land around the canyon is flat, Frank and Nancy Owenby home- nized as the Sedona Arts Center, took Helen, an artist, supported the center PHOTO and aerial photographer. How and during a previous project, so I could slow the airplane down WORKSHOP steaded the property, building an irriga- over the property. More than 250 people for the rest of their lives. George died in did you get started? we’d become familiar with the to minimum speed and maneuver tion ditch and a house made of hand-cut attended the “barnwarming,” which fea- 1964, Helen in 1993. Gobran, the center’s AH: My chosen career was as a Lindberghs’ work. We realized that in close — assuming there wasn’t native stone in 1910. Water from nearby tured an art exhibition, demonstrations founder, died in 1992, but his sculpture pilot — I figured I could make a there was this relatively large body wind or turbulence. Oak Creek ran through the ditch and and a concert featuring Arizona State Peace serenely watches over Poet’s Cor- better living than as a photogra- of work that had been mostly for- right into the house. The Jordans moved University’s orchestra. ner gatherings, held in the sculpture pher. After flight school, I put in a gotten about. The wheels began JK: What kind of equipment did into the home in 1928, and George built Later that year, the center’s board garden on First Fridays. lot of hours on the Eastern Sea- to turn, and we started thinking you use for these shots? board before moving to the South- about photographing these sites AH: I started with a Nikon D3 and Autumn west, where I began doing charter again in modern times. later upgraded to a D800, then SEDONA Sedona Arts Center, 15 Art Barn Road, 928-282-3809, www.sedonaartscenter.org in the San flights on the Navajo Nation. After a D810. I used a 24-70 mm zoom Francisco three or four years there, I began JK: The photo above is of Three lens and tried to replicate the way Peaks THIS MONTH to exit the state Capitol made wheelbarrow. Sedona’s Red Rock Coun- to get serious about aerial photog- Turkey Ruins just south of Can- the Lindberghs’ photos looked, October 7-9, Flagstaff IN HISTORY on June 17, 1933, and seek ■ On June 20, 2002, a 50 YEARS AGO try was the theme of our raphy in regard to the gear I used yon de Chelly. Was this site a though we weren’t able to deter- cooler air inside nearby forest fire started by a IN ARIZONA HIGHWAYS June 1966 issue, which and the plane I was flying. challenge to photograph from mine what camera model they Photograph the colorful aspens and vibrant the air? had used. But because Charles ■ Officials confiscate hotel parlors. part-time firefighter seek- featured profiles of several ponderosa forests sur- Sylvester Mowry’s Pata- ■ Arizona’s first ice plant ing work merges with of the area’s landmarks, JK: In your new book, Oblique AH: It was quite challenging in Lindbergh was an avid photogra- rounding the iconic peaks gonia silver mine on June begins production in Phoe- another blaze to create including Oak Creek Can- Views: Aerial Photography and some ways, but straightforward in pher, he likely used his personal northwest of Flagstaff Southwest Archaeology, you others. This is a favorite location gear during those flights. at this workshop, led 13, 1862, and Mowry is nix on June 18, 1879. The the Rodeo-Chediski Fire. yon, the Chapel of the Holy retrace the 1929 flights that of mine — beautiful, isolated and by photographer and arrested on charges of factory is equipped with The fire eventually burns Cross and the Verde Valley Charles and Anne Lindbergh almost pristine. Three Turkey Can- longtime Arizona resident Joel Wolfson. Information: sympathizing with the a 5-horsepower engine more than 450,000 acres, School. The issue provided made over the Southwest. How yon is fairly narrow and has steep EDITOR’S NOTE: Oblique Views is avail- 888-790-7042 or www. Confederacy. capable of churning out making it Arizona’s largest a detailed picture of clas- able from the University of New Mexico did this idea get its start? walls, so I had a very brief window ahpw.org ■ Arizona’s sweltering 1,000 pounds of ice per recorded wildfire until it’s sic and lesser-known stops AH: I’d been working with a group to make a successful photo. But Press and online booksellers. summer heat prompts day, and the owner deliv- surpassed by the 2011 to make when exploring legislative committees ers the ice using a home- Wallow Fire. the Sedona area. To learn more about photography, visit www.arizonahighways.com/photography.

8 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPH: SEDONA HERITAGE MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP ADRIEL HEISEY ABOVE, RIGHT DEAN HUEBER www.arizonahighways.com 9 J iconic photographers

J.H. McGibbeny

KAYLA FROST

oseph Howard McGibbeny rode a train beny was introduced to the Navajo and Hopi to Arizona for the first time in 1912, and people. Captivated, he learned as much about from that spring day, he never wanted their cultures as possible, built friendships Jto leave. “This enchanting land had and attended ceremonies such as the Navajo woven a spell from which I had no slightest Enemy Way ceremony and the Hopi Snake wish to escape,” he recalled in a 1953 Arizona Dance. Photography was McGibbeny’s way to Highways article. So McGibbeny stayed for as record not only what he learned about these long as he could. After serving in World War I, tribes, but also what he found beautiful about he enrolled in agricultural engineering courses them. Many of his photographs were published at the University of Arizona. in Arizona Highways in the 1940s and ’50s. He In Flagstaff during summer school, McGib- died in 1970.

ABOVE: J.H. McGibbeny was fascinated with kachinas and other aspects of Hopi culture. “My early impressions of a gentle, peaceful people, intensely religious, keenly intelligent and graciously hospitable, have been confirmed a hundred times,” he wrote in Arizona Highways in 1959. RIGHT: McGibbeny’s shot of a Hopi woman appeared in Children of the Sun, a story and portfolio in our July 1947 issue.

10 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPHS: ABOVE ARIZONA HIGHWAYS ARCHIVES RIGHT J.H. McGIBBENY www.arizonahighways.com 11 J dining nature J

Prairie Falcons Prairie falcons (Falco mexicanus) resemble juvenile peregrine falcons, but if peregrines — known for their 200 mph dives — are a Lamborghini, prairie falcons are a reli- able Honda Civic. Like peregrines, they once were imperiled by the use of DDT in the mid-20th century, but because these falcons eat more small mammals and Pine Country Restaurant fewer birds than per- topped with sweetened strawberries and egrines do, they ingested Comfort food reigns supreme at this homey Williams restaurant, whipped cream. less of the pesticide and best known for its piled-high pies and classic breakfasts. The lunch menu is heavy on comfort thus weren’t as severely foods: pot roast sandwich, patty melt, impacted. Today, prairie KATHY MONTGOMERY open-faced roast beef sandwich with falcons are widespread mashed potatoes and gravy. But you’ll and can be spotted in open country in the west- IS THERE A BAD TIME FOR PIE? We think not. pineapple coconut or raspberry cream? also find a few interesting twists on ern United States and At Williams’ Pine Country Restau- Often described as “mile high,” these diner classics, such as the Texas Red parts of Mexico. This one rant, open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven pies are paeans to excess. A slice of Burger, served open-faced on cornbread was photographed at the days a week, you can have your pie with banana chocolate peanut butter could feed and topped with house-made chili and Arizona-Sonora Desert breakfast, lunch and dinner. For that a family of four, with leftovers. But what- cheddar cheese; and the Rowdy Reuben Museum in Tucson. matter, you can have your pie for break- ever you choose, order it with a large cup Burger, a ground-beef patty topped with — Noah Austin fast, lunch and dinner. And you’ll be of Pine Country’s excellent coffee. corned beef, coleslaw, Swiss cheese and tempted to do just that. If you like your coffee fancy, the West- Thousand Island dressing and served on The aptly named restaurant is just the ern-themed coffee bar serves whimsically grilled rye. kind of place you’d expect to find in a named beverages such as the Doc Hol- Dinner classics include prime rib, mountain town along Historic Route 66. liday Steamer (steamed milk and sweet fried chicken and pork chops, as well as It’s pine-paneled and comfortable, with syrup), the John Wayne Teardrop (lay- T-bone steak and spaghetti with meat- green-checkered tablecloths, a coffee bar ered syrup, half-and-half and espresso) balls. The shepherd’s pie takes a vegetar- and a large gift shop. But it could just as and the Clint Eastwood Espresso (coffee ian twist, with a veggie burger instead of easily be called Pie Country. with muscle). ground beef, house-made mashed pota- The pie case stands front and center, Breakfast is popular at Pine Country, toes and cheddar cheese. There’s also a stocked with confections selected from with classics such as country-fried steak selection of salads, diet-friendly meals a menu of 35 mouthwatering varieties and eggs, served with country gravy; and even sugar-free pies, if you’re feeling and made fresh daily. Of course, you’ll applewood-smoked ham and eggs; and virtuous. But what’s the fun in that? This find the usual suspects. But why settle house-made biscuits and gravy. On the is a place to indulge. for a slice of apple when you can feast sweeter side are cinnamon rolls, French If you haven’t been to Pine Country, your taste buds on blueberry apple peach, toast and “sweetcakes” — pancakes it’s pie time you do.

WILLIAMS Pine Country Restaurant, 107 N. Grand Canyon Boulevard, 928-635-9718, www.pinecountryrestaurant.com

12 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN BURCHAM PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK MESSICK www.arizonahighways.com 13 212236A01

J lodging

digging out three stocked fishing ponds. Blue River Wilderness Retreat The earlier structures all burned Located in the rugged backcountry of the Arizona-New Mexico border, in fires, and the Hoffmans bought the Blue River Wilderness Retreat features an old cabin, three vintage aluminum property from the family of a man who trailers and one of the area’s best bets for getting off the grid. was building a hunting cabin when he died. They completed the dwelling, KATHY MONTGOMERY filled in all but one spring-fed pond (which no longer is stocked) and once LATE-AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT ment of animals. They sent their kids again made it a special place to visit. suffuses the cottonwoods and knee- to the old two-room school in Alpine, Blue River Wilderness Retreat began high grasses along Frieborn Creek at 13 miles north. When they built a larger as an artists getaway. Janie weaves tap- the entrance to Blue River Wilderness home, they opened their cabin to guests. estries from natural-fiber yarn, which Retreat. Wearing a straw hat, Janie Eventually, they added three vintage she dyes using hollyhocks, bronze fennel Hoffman pauses from her work in a aluminum trailers at the edge of an and goldenrods from her garden, and large vegetable garden to greet arriv- expansive lawn planted with bluegrass saw the retreat as an opportunity to ing guests. Near the barn, her husband, and fruit trees. meet other artists. Don, strips bark from a beam with a Over the years, the property has seen But word spread, and during sum- drawknife. many uses, and people have come back mer months, guests now include artists, If it seems a picture of a simpler time, to share old pictures and stories with families and individuals who enjoy that’s not an accident. The Hoffmans the Hoffmans. The grandson of a woman walking, hiking, birding and fishing. bought this land near the Blue River who lived on the property with her Pricing is calculated by the week, and nearly 40 years ago with the idea of husband in the 1940s brought copies of many guests who return year after year homesteading their dozen acres on the his grandmother’s diaries. Her husband stay for a month. Arizona-New Mexico border. built their cabin on the site of a former “It’s been a wonderful venture for us,” Occupying a small, unfinished cabin, sawmill. In the 1960s, the Arrowhead Janie says. “It’s provided a social life, and they raised two children and an assort- Lodge occupied the property, its owners we’ve met so many remarkable people.”

NEAR ALPINE Blue River Wilderness Retreat, 928-339-4426, www.blueriverwildernessretreat.com

14 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL MARKOW NOTE TO PUB: DO NOT PRINT INFO BELOW, FOR ID ONLY. NO ALTERING OF AD COUNCIL PSAs. Wildfire Prevention - Magazine - 4/C - WFPA03-M-01264-C “Your Name Here” 7 x 10 120 line screen digital files at Schawk: (212) 689-8585 Ref#: 212236 SYC AMOR E CANYON Arizona’s second-biggest canyon has been described as enigmatic, inaccessible and rife with legends of buried treasures, man- eating grizzlies, marauding Apaches, gunmen and thieves. It’s a place shrouded in mystery, romance and Mother Nature. Although it’s one of the oldest wilderness areas in the state, and there’s so much to explore, very few venture in.

EDITED BY ROBERT STIEVE

Sycamore Canyon — which, at its widest, is 7 miles from rim to rim — is especially impressive from the air. Ted Grussing

16 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 17 A Portfolio

Before there were wilderness areas, there were primitive areas, which, in the words of Aldo Leopold, were defined as “a con- tinuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state ... big enough to absorb a two weeks’ pack trip.” In 1935, Sycamore Canyon was given that protection and designated a primitive area, the state’s first. In 1972, it was designated a wilderness area, and in 1984, it was expanded by 9,000 acres. Today, the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness protects 55,937 acres in and around the canyon, from its forested rim near Williams to its riparian mouth in the Verde Valley. In all, it winds for more than 20 miles along Sycamore Creek, and at its widest point, it extends 7 miles from rim to rim. In addition to its namesake trees, the wilderness is home to cottonwoods, willows, hackber- ries, piñon pines, junipers, manzanitas, Gambel oaks, ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. And there’s wildlife, too, including black bears, badgers, mountain lions, bobcats, mule deer, ringtails, javelinas, ravens, golden eagles and more. As you’ll see, there’s a lot to look at in this scenic canyon.

Ponderosa pines and volcanic rocks surround a placid pool in Isham Spring Canyon, a Sycamore Canyon tributary near the headwaters of Sycamore Creek. Joel Hazelton

18 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 19 Jagged red cliffs contrast with the greenery of Sycamore Canyon, which is fed by the meandering Sycamore Creek. Aleksandra Kolosowsky

20 JUNE 2016 MAP BY KEVIN KIBSEY Sycamore Creek feeds a lush riparian area amid the canyon’s steep walls. Guy Schmickle

22 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 23 Mature trees on the rim of Sycamore Canyon frame a view into the gorge, which remains one of Arizona’s least-explored landscapes. Aleksandra Kolosowsky

24 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 25 The calm water of Sycamore Creek reflects the green hues of surrounding vegetation. Derek von Briesen

26 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 27 this one of the best riparian crosses a small meadow 3 miles in all, are nothing but hikes in Arizona. before entering the forest. wilderness. It’s a beautiful Moving clockwise, you’ll canyon, one that grows from LENGTH: 7.4 miles round-trip quickly come to Dow Spring a small ditch to a big wow! It DIFFICULTY: Easy and an old sawmill site. The gets bigger and better all the ELEVATION: 3,775 to 3,671 feet remains of the mill serve as a way to Vista Point, which is TRAILHEAD GPS: N 34˚51.837', W 112˚04.143' reminder that you’re in timber the halfway mark of the trail. DIRECTIONS: From Cottonwood, go country. Just beyond the mill, From there, the trail heads northwest on Main Street (State you’ll get some terrific views back into the woods, past the Route 260) and follow the signs toward the turnoff for Tuzigoot of the San Francisco Peaks normally dry Sycamore Falls, National Monument. Turn right onto to the northeast. Then, after and makes a 500-foot ascent Tuzigoot Road, continue across the about 45 minutes, you’ll see of KA Hill, which sits at an Verde River bridge and turn left onto Forest Road 131 (Sycamore Canyon the first of many small pools. elevation of 7,287 feet. From Road). From there, it’s 11 miles to the Reminiscent of something you the top, which includes views trailhead. might come across in Maine of Garland Prairie, the trail VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: A high- clearance vehicle is required. or Minnesota, the pools are winds for another 20 minutes DOGS ALLOWED: Yes (on a leash) crowded with lily pads and back to the trailhead. HORSES ALLOWED: Yes cattails and surrounded by USGS MAPS: Sycamore Basin, lush green grass. After about LENGTH: 11-mile loop Impressive alligator Clarkdale an hour, the trail intersects an DIFFICULTY: Easy junipers are on INFORMATION: Red Rock Ranger Dis- ELEVATION: 6,721 to 7,287 feet display along the trict, 928-282-4119 or www.fs.usda. old logging road. It’s a little Kelsey-Dorsey Loop. gov/coconino confusing, but you’ll want TRAILHEAD GPS: N 35˚09.623', W 112˚00.034' Aleksandra Kolosowsky to stay right and look for a DIRECTIONS: From Flagstaff, go west giant cairn. Eventually, the on Interstate 40 for approximately HORSES ALLOWED: Yes, but the terrain SYCAMORE trail goes left and reaches the 25 miles to Garland Prairie Road is unsuitable for horses. start heading uphill. Initially, (Exit 167). Turn left onto Garland rim of Sycamore Canyon and USGS MAPS: Bill Williams Mountain, the incline is moderate, but it RIM TRAIL Prairie Road (Forest Road 141) and Brandie Tremper Garland Prairie, Sycamore Point Kaibab National Forest the border of the Sycamore continue 12 miles to Forest Road 56. steepens as the trail climbs navigates one Turn right onto FR 56 and continue INFORMATION: Williams Ranger of several creek Canyon Wilderness. Techni- through a ravine to the upper 1.5 miles to the trailhead parking District, 928-635-5600 or www. crossings on the lthough it isn’t identified cally, the trail never enters the area on the left. fs.usda.gov/kaibab rim of Sycamore Canyon. The Parsons Trail. as such, this trail is a loop. wilderness, but the views for VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None rest of trail is a quick trip to the Dawn Kish A It begins as a dirt path that the next hour or so, about DOGS ALLOWED: Yes (on a leash) east, past an intersection with KELSEY-DORSEY the Hog Hill Trail, and on to the LOOP Dorsey Trailhead. You’ll leave Some Hikes Coconino National Forest the wilderness area at the come to the first of several trailhead and use forest roads PARSONS creek crossings. All the cross- here are several trails on to complete the loop. TRAIL ings are marked with cairns, but T the north end of Sycamore Coconino National Forest some can be hard to find. After Canyon. This loop combines Kelsey Spring is a highlight LENGTH: 7.3-mile loop of the hike. Larry Lindahl a couple more creek crossings two of them. It kicks off deep DIFFICULTY: Moderate his hike begins with a and about 15 minutes of hiking, in the woods at the end of ELEVATION: 6,631 to 6,120 feet T steep drop from the rim the largest pool of the hike will several dirt roads, where it you love panoramas, your pay- TRAILHEAD GPS: N 35˚04.465', of Sycamore Canyon to the come into view. To get there, immediately crosses into the off is about two minutes away. W 111˚55.795' canyon floor. After that, things you’ll have to detour off the wilderness and begins a steep That’s when you’ll get your first DIRECTIONS: From the intersection of Milton Road and Historic Route 66 remain mostly level all the trail about 100 feet. Compared descent, past some impres- good glimpse of Sycamore in Flagstaff, go west on Route 66 for way to Parsons Spring, about with every other water hole sive alligator junipers, to a set Canyon. It’s downhill after that 2 miles to Forest Road 231 (Woody Mountain Road). Turn left onto along the way, this one is Lake to Babes Hole Spring, another 4 miles away. The first thing of switchbacks. You’ll see dis- FR 231 and continue 13.9 miles to you’ll notice along the bottom Superior. It’s gorgeous. What tant mountains to the south lush exclamation point in an Forest Road 538. Turn right onto of the canyon is the makeup makes it even more impres- and a thick forest all around as otherwise arid forest. About FR 538 and continue 5.4 miles to Forest Road 538G. Veer right onto of the trail. It’s smooth and sive is the wall of rock that you make your way downhill an hour in, you’ll cross a field FR 538G and continue 1.5 miles to sandy and easy on the feet. surrounds it. Beyond this point, to Kelsey Spring. To this point, of boulders and slip out of the an intersection with Forest Road You’ll also notice the water. the trail climbs away from the the canyon hasn’t made an woods. To the right is the trail’s 527A. Stay left on FR 538G and continue 0.3 miles to the trailhead. You’ll hear it initially; then, after creek and skirts a canyon wall appearance, but it’s getting best view of the canyon. From VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: A high-clear- about 10 minutes, you’ll come for about 20 minutes. Then, closer. Continuing the loop, there, the trail moves into a ance vehicle is recommended. to the first of many small it’s back and forth across the the trail crosses a side canyon, thicket of manzanitas, tall DOGS ALLOWED: Yes (on a leash) The Sycamore Rim Trail HORSES ALLOWED: Yes pools. The first pool even creek until you come to Par- offers a view of Big Spring one of many in the area. If you grasses and other chaparral has a mini-waterfall. The trail sons Spring, which turns an Canyon, a Sycamore love trees — hardwoods and vegetation, and then back into USGS MAP: Sycamore Point INFORMATION: Flagstaff Ranger continues like this for about a otherwise dry streambed into Canyon tributary. softwoods — this might be the woods. Before long, you’ll Laurence Parent District, 928-526-0866 or www. half-hour, at which point you’ll a perennial creek and makes your favorite part of the trail. If intersect the Dorsey Trail and fs.usda.gov/coconino

28 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 29 From Our Archives Originally published in July 1958

Deep in the Heart of Sycamore Canyon BY ED ELLINGER

here are only a few places on the Arizona map marked “Wilderness Area.” Sycamore Canyon, for good reason, is one of them. Sycamore, far off the beaten path, is relatively unknown compared to Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Tand Sabino. There are no roads there, no motels, no place to park your trailer or plug in your electric razor. Sycamore Canyon lies thirty miles south of Williams, Ari- zona, slashed deep into the heart of the tall pine Mogollon Rim country. Sheer rock walls tower 2,000 feet above the canyon floor, eroded down through the soft sandstone by the receding waters of the Ice Age plus untold centuries of violent torrential floods. There is a lookout point high on a bluff overlooking the north boundary of the canyon. It may be reached by driving Hundreds of years ago, south from Williams on twenty miles of paved road to the indigenous people made their home in turn-off for Whitehorse Lake, then an additional ten miles on this Sycamore Canyon dirt and gravel through heavily-wooded pine. From this height cliff dwelling. It was a one may look down into Sycamore as it winds, twists and tough life, but it’s hard to beat the view. turns into the purple grey distance. Guy Schmickle Sycamore meanders south from the foot of the rim to a length of twenty miles. It fans out in spots to a width of six miles, fed by many lesser canyons emptying into Sycamore during the spring thaws and summer rains, but a docile dry beauty, but perhaps its greatest magnetism was the legends we ory of a prospector torn to shreds by a grizzly bear. Basin from east and west. Heading south, the flora of the can- bed of bleached river boulders the remainder of the year. The continually heard about its past; a past shrouded in romance Sycamore was noted as a hideout for gunmen and thieves — yon changes from Ponderosa pine to cedar, juniper and scrub creek bed is skirted by tall sycamores from which the canyon and mystery; a past deeply immersed in Arizona history. We the perfect outlaw rendezvous for horse rustlers and men on oak. Sycamore Creek lies along the canyon floor, a roaring giant is named. The final four miles of Sycamore Creek is fed from often heard about buried treasure and the “Lost Padre Mine,” the dodge from the relentless long fingers of justice. springs pouring from the depths of the canyon walls. This clear established by the Spanish Founders, then quickly abandoned. In the broad boundaries of these canyon walls man has stream flows year ’round, emptying into the Verde River north There was the legend of how Casner Mountain was named for played out his wary game of hide-and-seek. He has shared this EDITOR’S NOTE: Over the years, we’ve published many stories about Syca- of Clarkdale. old Mose Casner who made a fortune in cattle and horses; then remote refuge with the wild animals of the Southwest — deer, more Canyon — the second-largest canyon in Arizona. This story, which To many of us who live in Sedona, at the entrance to Oak hid his gold in brimming Dutch ovens which he buried, some- elk, antelope, turkey and small game; all seeking food and originally ran in our July 1958 issue, was one of the earliest. We’re reprinting Creek Canyon, the name Sycamore Canyon has always been place, in the Canyon. There were stories about the marauding shelter from the predatory mountain lion and bear. Sycamore it here exactly as it ran 58 years ago. As you’ll see, life was simpler back then, an enigma. What did Sycamore have that other canyons didn’t Apaches; how they ambushed and massacred General Crook’s has borne silent witness to a cross-section of life’s drama but but the mystery of the canyon and its idyllic nature remain the same. have? We knew it was inaccessible and possessed a fabulous men at Battle Ridge, near Deadman’s Pocket, named in mem- is now almost deserted by man, relegated to a grazing area for

30 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 31 cattle and wildlife. Sycamore had fired our imaginations until A second trip was made into the camp site that day to haul curious and extend an open-handed hospitality to their many The forms and shapes were reminiscent of Monument Valley, it finally prodded us into action. Dutch ovens, cooking pans and sleeping bags for the entire out- friends. Years ago, two rare vintage Chevies were acquired. on a somewhat smaller scale, but considerably more intimate A group of us were sitting around the fire one evening at fit. The camping gear was carefully stowed under a big cedar, The more fortunate one is used for transportation. Its counter and sheltered. Lois and Nick Duncan’s, talking about the legends of our then covered by a water-proof tarp brought along for the pur- part stands graciously on jacks, ready to shed spare parts One day we rode north from our base camp past Cow Flat neighboring canyon. Nick finally spoke up and said, “It’s about pose. The final chore was to patch-up a nearby corral to hold whenever needed. into the Lookout Ridge area, then along a narrow trail along time we all stopped talking about Sycamore and go see for the horses at night. Jerry lays claim to a background of particular interest. He the edge of the creek and finally along the creek bottom, up ourselves. Let’s get Zeke Taylor to take us in. He has enough The following day everything was ready for our departure. can recall his English great-grandmother — known to the fam- into a tight box canyon where the Perkins bulls were pastured horses and mules and I’ll bet he’d be glad to do it.” All hands appeared on schedule at the Packard Ranch which is ily as “Grandma Grot.” This special grandmother was directly for the winter. Temporary camp was pitched on the dry sun- Right then and there eight of us agreed to make the trip. It reached by driving north from Clarkdale over fifteen miles of related to the Baldwin brothers who were first cousins of no warmed sand of the creek bed. One side was bordered by solid was in the month of May, which meant there should be enough dirt road. The necessary shopping for provisions was accom- less a personage than Queen Victoria, who undoubtedly never rock, cut deep and jagged. Swallows had built their clay nests water to take care of the horses. plished in Cottonwood that morning; enough to furnish a heard of Sycamore Canyon. But all this background hasn’t in crags under the ledges of the rock. It was fun to watch them The next day I drove to Clarkdale to talk over the trip with mouth-watering diet from thick frozen T-bone steaks to the turned Jerry’s head the slightest bit and he’s just one of the swirl in and out of their precariously perched dwellings. Up Zeke and see if he would be interested. Luckily for us he was, more lowly hamburger. Old prospectors and pre-historic Indi- boys. creek aways, were several deep holes filled with enough pre- so we agreed on a schedule and preparations were quickly ans might well have sneered. Dick and Jerry helped us saddle-up after Zeke loaded the cious water to dangle our toes and water the horses. Quantities underway for our long-awaited pilgrimage. Then came the task of cautiously loading the mules with our mules; then bid us “good-bye and good luck” as our little group of driftwood were lying about and it wasn’t long before the Zeke was born in the started our climb up out of the campfire was blazing. That night its quiet crackle lulled us to Verde Valley and had made canyon along the Packard Trail to sleep as we bedded-down close together on the sand, relaxed many trips into Sycamore. Our trip into the plateau above. Our first day’s in the snug warmth of our blankets. His parents had operated objective was camp headquarters A tiny rock house is located a short distance from the water a livery stable in Flagstaff Sycamore was over in located on a broad mesa over- holes. It is used by the Perkins family on periodic overnight before the turn of the cen- the short space of four looking Sycamore. The trail was visits when they ride into the Canyon to check on their live- tury. When the snow started rough and narrow for the first few stock. Appropriately it is named “Taylor Cabin,” in memory of to fly on the San Francisco days, but somehow it miles as we proceeded in single Zeke’s folks who spent so many winters in Sycamore seeking Peaks, they drove their was a segment of our file. Then it opened up into broad shelter and comfort for their horses. The interior of the cabin horses down the narrow trail rambling country, giving us our is cool and functional. It utilizes the Canyon wall for its own from the Mogollon Rim into lives apart from the first glimpse of the terrain on rear wall. Even the chimney doesn’t stand erect, as you might Sycamore. They spent the either side of the canyon — broad, expect, but reclines gently against the wall of the canyon on three winters of 1896-99 in rest. We lived in an peaceful and brilliantly green which it rests. a snug Indian cave and kept encircling panorama under foot from the spring rains. Another interesting day was spent exploring Indian ruins, close watch on their horses. A chronicle of our camping almost hidden from view under the edge of the Canyon wall. They subsequently built a of beauty changing activities would perhaps not The easiest access was to come down from above, holding on small log cabin and spent with each turn in the distinguish our trip from any to shrubs and rocks. The ruins were doubtless from the Pueblo many more winters in the other. Of course we will always III period, placed at 1200 A.D. That was the beginning of the warm protected pockets of trail, revealing new remember the smell of burning multi-room masonary [sic] pueblos indicated by the construc- the Canyon where there was Taylor Cabin, which cedar, cowboy coffee and those tion of the walls made from the soft sandstone hauled up from once was a working colorful statuesque ample feed and water. cowboy camp in wonderful slabs of thick country- near the canyon floor. The Indians had set heavy logs across Obviously Zeke was the Sycamore Canyon, forms of red sandstone cured bacon that tasted so good the top of the walls, using them as a base for the thatched roof man to pack us in. He had is now listed on the with the flap-jacks and maple covered by a solid foot of clay. Several of us found arrowheads National Register carved by centuries enough trail horses and of Historic Places. syrup. We will remember the and bits of broken pottery, charred black by Indian fires; piles a couple of sturdy mules Larry Lindahl of wind and rain. close ties of warm friendship as of corncobs and even pieces broken from mutates [sic] — used named Suzie and Gadget. well as the many humorous inci- for grinding the corn. Zeke agreed there would dents and the satisfying feeling Best of all we could look out from our towering vantage likely be sufficient water to take care of the stock. The tim- resplendent larder of precious groceries. Loading a couple of of bedding down on the ground under clear Arizona skies. But point and survey a vast area of magnificence and beauty. For ing seemed perfect. The next day we loaded his jeep with ten mules is a delicate job, even for an old hand like Zeke. First he yet, in spite of everything there was also a subtle difference here, stretching into the distance, was Sycamore Canyon, bales of hay and hauled it from Clarkdale thirty miles to a tightly secured the pack-saddles, then fastened canvas bags which stemmed from an air of profound stillness and expec- a “Wilderness Area,” clearly entitled to the name. Here was point just north of Perkinsville; then headed east and drove full of provisions on alternate sides of this most beguiling and tancy. A compelling sensation as if Apache warriors, in full calm serenity, rare and sweet. Here was a glimpse into a way into the Canyon. The jeep blazed its own trail, up and down stubborn of all hybrids. These almost-human animals know regalia, lurked behind every rock and cranny. We wouldn’t of life known to those who lived many years ago, both Indian gullies, through terrain which nothing but a four-wheeled exactly, to a pound, when they have all the weight they want have been surprised to have seen a heavily-armed possee [sic] and white. Their struggle for survival was just as great as it is drive vehicle could negotiate. Finally we reached Sycamore to carry. Pile on a little too much and they drop to their knees of determined law-abiding citizens ride hell-for-leather into today — perhaps more so. Living in Sycamore in those days Tank. It was brimming with water which made it a perfect and patiently wait until the load is lightened. Mules belong to the canyon, hot on the trail of horse rustlers returning from may have had its drawbacks, but to us this “Wilderness Area” spot for our base camp. The alfalfa was quickly unloaded and a union all their own. a raid on innocent homesteaders. One could almost hear the was a complete world all its own into which we could escape if tied up in the trees out of reach of game and cattle. We made it Our meeting place, the Packard Ranch, is leased from Phelps clear staccato volleys of gunfire reverberating against the high even for a brief moment. It was an experience we will not soon back to Clarkdale late that night. Next day we saddled up two Dodge by Nick Perkins who for many years has had a permit surrounding walls. forget. Our plans call for an annual trip into Sycamore. There stout horses at the Packard Ranch, which marks the southern to “run” cattle in Sycamore. Sometime back, Nick turned over Our trip into Sycamore was over in the short space of four is lots more to see and many more places to explore. In fact entrance to Sycamore. Suzie and Gadget were loaded with four the supervision of the ranch to two extraordinary bachelors days, but somehow it was a segment of our lives apart from the one could spend a month in the confines of this Canyon and milk cans filled with fresh water for our drinking and cooking. known as Dick and Jerry. This unusual pair love nature and rest. We lived in an encircling panorama of beauty changing find something new and exciting every day. We found out why We headed back to Sycamore Tank, but this time, straight up solitude. They are getting their fill of both. They take care of with each turn in the trail, revealing new colorful statuesque Sycamore was different. We have a return trip to look forward the Canyon instead of the round-about Perkinsville route. the ranch house, mend fences if absolutely necessary, greet the forms of red sandstone carved by centuries of wind and rain. to and it won’t come too soon for any of us.

32 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 33 COYOTE, OWL AND MOUNTAIN The Battle for Oak Flat

In a state where the landmarks have majestic names such as Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, a place like Oak Flat might seem insignificant, but the rocky ribbon of land east of Phoenix is anything but. It’s a remarkable place that’s sacred to the San Carlos Apaches, picture-perfect to rock climbers and worth billions to the federal government. They’re all staking a claim. Time will tell who prevails.

By Kelly Vaughn Photographs by Bill Hatcher

This view into Devil’s Canyon is from the eastern edge of Oak Flat. The San Carlos Apache people believe the canyon, which is lined with cottonwood, sycamore and willow trees, is sacred.

34 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 35 EDITOR’S NOTE: Chances are, you’ve already read about Oak Flat. It’s a controversial story that’s been in the news for more than a decade. Like every story, there are at least two sides to this one. Although it’s not our job to tell you which side to support — we’ll leave that to the editorial boards of The Arizona Republic and other newspapers — it is our job to promote travel in Arizona. In fact, that’s our mission, which was mandated by the state Legislature in the early 1920s. To accomplish that mission, we do stories about the things that inspire readers to hit the road. Things like scenic landscapes, historic and cultural landmarks, and outdoor recreation. Oak Flat features all of the above. It’s a place that goes to the heart of our mission, and we’ve been featuring it for decades. One of the earliest stories was about the sacred history of the Apaches at Apache Leap — we published that piece in October 1940. Seventy- six years later, we’re writing about the sacred history and culture of the Apaches again. Why? Because they’re at the center of what’s happening at Oak Flat. As you’ll see, it’s a complicated story with many layers. Although we’ve done our best to address all of them, we have only so many pages. For more information, please visit www.arizonahighways.com.

WHEN THE WORLD WAS NEW Part of one creation story of the Apache people goes like this: The old world was covered by water — a flood so great it left only the top of one white-ringed mountain uncovered. Nothing survived, with the exception of a rooster that floated to the top of the mountain. Life Giver, the legend says, brought great rains to the Earth to clean it. After, Child-of-the-Water and White-Painted Woman made children from the mud. The Earth was new, and so were the people. They received the blessings of the spirit. Another legend — the story of how daylight became daylight — is specific to the San Carlos Apaches: It was dark everywhere because Owl wanted it so. Bear agreed. And so it was. But the people couldn’t see. “Why should it always be night?” they asked. “We shall never be able to see anything. We will make a dance against those who are stingy of darkness.” So they built a fire on an open plain and danced. Coyote said, “Let daylight come quickly.” “Let there not be daylight,” Owl sang. Coyote danced around, singing his song. Owl grew sleepy and went to sleep. Bear, too, went to sleep. The people who objected to daylight went to sleep. Then Coyote won the daylight. The people who lived on the Earth said, “Thanks, my cousin.” Owl said he would live under the rocks in the deep canyons and flew into one. Bear said he would go to a large and distant mountain and live in a hollow Douglas spruce where it is dark. Coyote won the daylight, and now we have it. The people were happy.

IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE, the San Carlos Apaches are the Ndeh Nation. The tribe’s motto: “One People, One Nation.” And in early February 2015, the people began a two-day, 44-mile journey from the tribal seat at San Carlos to Oak Flat Campground, near Superior, in protest of what former San Carlos Chairman Wendsler Nosie calls “the greatest sin of the world” — the December 2014 transfer of sacred tribal land to a foreign mining corporation. At stake in the exchange is Oak Flat itself — the place where coming-of-age ceremonies for Apache girls are held, where medicinal herbs and acorns are gath- Naelyn Pike, whose name means “Apache Woman,” ered. Where, according to Nosie, his people received kneels by a flowing creek the blessings of the spirit. at Oak Flat. Pike has been I first visited Oak Flat years ago, drawn by the shad- a key figure in the Apache Stronghold movement. ows of boulders — eroded faces of time and wind and sunlight. I pulled over, touched cool rock and watched

36 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 37 the faces turn to spirits, noticed the pull of ore from earth ing fatal injury. But the leap into space nearby. I drove to the campground, all shady and tree-kissed was too great, and all those who sought and surrounded by boulders, and walked around. The world that avenue of escape, were crushed vibrated. Distant machinery, maybe. Or the mountains them- and broken on the rocks below. … The selves, shaking and settling. decisive result of this fight broke forever It is, as the legend goes, a place of light and dark. Of color the power of the Pinal Apaches in that and contrast. region.” “The mountain … is where God spoke to the world and That is, until the San Carlos Apaches blessed it with significant meaning through holy spirits,” Nosie stood in force against the land exchange. says. “Our belief is that the Apache religion is just like any And for the people, it’s more than just a other religion. We believe it’s for everybody and every living protest. thing that God created in this world.” “It’s returning home,” Nosie says. That’s why, to protect the place Nosie likens to Mount Sinai, “We’re finding the place we originated the Ndeh became part of Apache Stronghold, a tribal commu- from and where all these holy gifts were nity association, and the Occupy Oak Flat movement — they given. When is it going to end? In the camp, educate visitors, march on Washington, D.C. And their white perspective, they have the rules voices were so loud, the National Park Service added Oak and regulations, and we don’t know Flat Campground to the National Register of Historic Places. when they’re going to enforce what they Although the move is symbolic and won’t affect the land trans- believe is right in terms of keeping the fer, it does recognize the historical significance of the area. first people out. But for us, it’s home, and Lawmakers also acquiesced on one other item — they released we intend to stay there forever and ever.” Apache Leap from the agreement. At Apache Leap in 1870, a band of warriors jumped from a rocky outcropping, risking death by collision with the boulders below, rather than being overtaken by advancing soldiers led AN ACT THAT ROCKED THE WORLD by General George Stoneman. The soldiers, part of the Arizona Section 3003 of the Carl Levin and Military District, had raided an Apache village near Superior. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National According to an article in the October 1940 issue of Arizona Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Highways: “A few miles east of Picket Post Butte at the upper for Fiscal Year 2015 appears on page end of the rolling desert valley of Queen Creek and close to the 442 of the 698-page document. Titled present-day mining camp of Superior rises another pile of rock “Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and called the Big Picacho. An impressive mass of rock whose steep Conservation,” its first clause lists the walls have been gashed and eroded by time and the elements, section’s purpose: “to authorize, direct, it dominates the landscape. … When about two-thirds of the facilitate, and expedite the exchange of band had been killed or maimed by the hail of bullets fired land between Resolution Copper and at them, the remainder retreated in the only direction pos- the United States.” sible: toward the westerly edge of the mountain which, on that In 10 pages, the government of the side, broke off abruptly into sheer cliffs, hundreds of feet high. United States of America transfers a Without a moment’s hesitation, the fleeing Apaches threw 2,400-acre parcel of Oak Flat to Resolu- themselves over the towering cliffs in the faint hope of escap- tion Copper, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, a multinational mining convey 5,300 acres of conservation lands — lands considered pushed for its protection. corporation headquartered in London. highly valuable for their biodiversity, recreational opportuni- President Richard Nixon’s administration renewed the ban The company’s plan, according to its web- ties and cultural significance — back to the United States. The in 1971, and it lasted for decades. But in the early 2000s, lobby- site, is to pull ore from the deep veins of cop- biggest of those parcels is a 3,050-acre, 7-mile run of the San ists began pushing for land-exchange legislation in both houses per that run below Oak Flat’s surface as part Pedro River where leopard frogs, turtles, and migratory and of Congress. Since, several bills have been introduced in either of an extension of its existing mining opera- native songbirds thrive. the House or the Senate that would have transferred Oak Flat tions in the region. “The project,” the site For the government and for the company, the exchange was to Resolution Copper. None gained much traction — that is, reads, “will generate sustainable benefits for balanced. But for the San Carlos Apaches, an array of environ- until the entry in the NDAA. Arizona, creating 3,700 jobs and $61.4 billion mental organizations and the rock climbers who consider Oak in economic value over the life of the mine.” Flat one of the best recreational areas in Central Arizona, the OPPONENTS OF THE EXCHANGE were quick to target Ari- In exchange, Resolution Copper will legislation was a political maneuver fueled by financial prom- zona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake as the men behind ise and disregard for history, culture and the planet. the move. A May 29, 2015, op-ed in The New York Times noted Indeed, Oak Flat’s history — the one outside of its centuries- that “Rio Tinto affiliates have been McCain campaign contrib- LEFT: A test drill rig runs along a segment of Oak Flat. There, Resolution Copper old significance to the Apaches — is somewhat charming. utors, and that Mr. Flake, before he made it to Congress, was a plans to mine an area that will turn into a In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration paid lobbyist for Rio Tinto Rössing Uranium (a huge uranium 2-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep crater. closed Oak Flat to mining under Public Land Order 1229. The mine in Namibia). Mr. McCain and others assert that the min- ABOVE: Resolution Copper’s Magma No. 9 ing project will be a boost to the local economy, though it’s and No. 10 mines sit on private land that story told locally is that Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, pic- borders the Tonto National Forest near nicked under one of the area’s namesake oak trees, and Mamie, unclear how many of the 1,400 promised jobs would be local; a Superior. the story goes, was so moved by the beauty of the area that she Superior-area miners’ group, in fact, opposes the swap on the

38 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 39 basis that it won’t help the local people or economy. Rio Tinto, nesses will spring up in support of the new operation. incidentally, has been called out in the past for environmental “All along, I’ve said this is just a spark plug,” she reiterates. devastation.” “It’s up to the local people to build on that and diversify. … There Despite three months of requests to his office, Senator has to be small businesses that come in for the long term.” McCain wouldn’t comment for this story. His press represen- As for the San Carlos Apaches’ claim that Oak Flat is sacred tative, however, did provide links to two items that state the land? senator’s official position on the issue. One, a post made to his “I get that,” the congresswoman says. “I grew up with the Facebook page on August 27, 2015, states that the new mining Apaches, and I really understand that and have been very sen- efforts will create more than $61 billion in economic activity sitive.” Apache Leap, she notes, has been removed from the over the next 60 years, the equivalent, the post reads, “of Ari- exchange and is now protected by the Forest Service. “That zona hosting two Super Bowls will be permanent protection every year for more than half for their sacred site,” she says. a century.” The same post also “Desecration of one of these sites But it isn’t enough, accord- rejects the commonly asserted ing to Arizona Representative argument that the exchange needs to carry the kind of offense that Raúl Grijalva. will affect tribal land or sacred I meet him in his Tucson sites. “There is no ‘Executive desecration to any other religious site office on a sunny November Order’ protecting Oak Flat,” — be it Christian, Muslim, Jewish — Monday. Somewhere, smoke the post adds. curls toward the sky and While Senator McCain was would carry.” smells like campfire — a little silent on the issue, Arizona — ARIZONA REPRESENTATIVE RAÚL GRIJALVA bit of wild tucked inside the Representative Ann Kirk- city. As Representative Gri- patrick, who’s trying to take jalva and I talk, he takes notes Senator McCain’s seat in this year’s election and who also sup- on a legal pad, sketching nonsensical shapes and patterns, ports the exchange, did agree to an interview. reflections of the light pushing its way through the window, “I grew up in a small timber town in the White Mountains, casting shadows into the corners of the room. His drawings and I’ve seen Arizona go through too many boom-and-bust are whimsy, but his policy is clear. cycles,” she says. “So my vision and my work are dedicated to In the first session of the 114th Congress, the congressman creating a strong, diversified, stable economy. The Copper Cor- introduced a bill that would repeal Section 3003 of the NDAA. ridor is part of that. It’s a century’s legacy of copper mining in It quickly became known as the Save Oak Flat Act and has that area. Generations of Arizona families have worked these since garnered bipartisan support, including co-sponsorship mines, and they’ve been through some hard times. This is a from Republican Representatives Tom Cole, Markwayne Mul- spark plug for the local economy.” lin and Walter B. Jones. What’s more, presidential candidate ore is pulled from an area. It can’t be backfilled. The earth While Representative Kirkpatrick acknowledges that not and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a companion OF MEMORY, FEAR AND GRAVITY above the void collapses. A crater forms. And anything sacred all of the jobs would be local, she says she believes small busi- bill in the Senate. In his autobiography, Colonel W.F. Cody — better known to or historic or beautiful is pulled into it. “What strikes me as particularly important you and me as Buffalo Bill — wrote, “The West of the old times, Then there’s the issue of water. With an average annual rain- is that there’s a lot of lip service paid to sover- with its strong characters, its stern battles and its tremendous fall of just 20 inches, the Superior area, according to the U.S. eignty and self-determination,” Representative stretches of loneliness, can never be blotted from my mind. Drought Monitor, is in the midst of a “moderate drought.” Res- Grijalva says. “That’s bipartisan lip service, so Nor can it, I hope, be blotted from the memory of the American olution Copper estimates that its panel caving technique will we have kind of a patronizing attitude about people, to whom it has become a priceless possession.” require 17,000 to 20,000 acre-feet of water each year, a projec- how we deal with [Native Americans]. … We The autobiography was published in 1920 — half a century tion that, so far, has prompted the company to begin purchas- need to recognize as a nation that this site after the Pinal Apaches jumped from Apache Leap, but long ing Central Arizona Project water from two irrigation districts. carries not only spiritual significance to the before Rio Tinto and other large mining companies took over One acre-foot of water is equivalent to 325,851 gallons. Native people, but also a very important legacy the small copper claims of Western settlers. Prescient, perhaps, for this country.” the quote is a reflection of what’s happening at Oak Flat today. THE MINING EQUIPMENT is quiet the day a handful of He adds: “Desecration of one of these sites Rock climbers and environmentalists fight to protect long climbers drive me out to Magma Mine Road and walk me needs to carry the kind of offense that des- stretches of loneliness, while the Apaches, politicians and com- into Euro Dog Valley, a segment of Oak Flat known for its rock ecration to any other religious site — be it pany executives engage in a battle of philosophy and economics. walls. It is late September, warm. The way it is when the season Christian, Muslim, Jewish — would carry. The As it works to expand its operations, Resolution Copper isn’t ready to change, but the people beg for it. Two mutts and next step is to recognize how these sites have plans to use a mining system known as panel caving. “The pro- a Portuguese water dog lead the way, scrambling up the trail helped define who we are as the West.” cess begins with an initial round of explosives at the bottom of and past thick clusters of agaves as though they’ve gone this the ore body to break up the rock,” the company explains on way before. As the climbers drop their gear, I look up to meet its website. “Then rock is funneled downward and removed. Titanic Wall, the subject of this Sunday morning’s adventure.

LEFT: The Access Fund’s Curt Shannon has The void created in the removal process allows gravity to con- The wall features routes rated between 5.7 and 5.11, mean- climbed at Oak Flat for years. He considers tinue forcing the ore body downward.” ingful among the people who speak that language — the rock the area special for climbers because of its But the problem, according to EarthWorks, a national non- climbers and boulder hoppers who flock to Oak Flat because of close proximity to Phoenix. OPPOSITE PAGE: A climber descends by profit that works to provide communities with sustainable its ease of access from Phoenix. rappelling into a small canyon at Oak Flat. alternatives to mining, is the void that remains when all the For me, Titanic is appropriately named. For the athletes who

40 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 41 solving in its rawest form. And when you’re that close to the Earth itself, tied — quite literally — to the great rocks that rose from long-ago tectonic shifts, from the heating and cooling and passing of time, you begin to understand why places like Oak Flat are important, why it means something to protect them for future generations of climbers. And while neither Shannon nor Rep- resentative Grijalva is overwhelmingly optimistic about the current legislation, they share a hope that by the time the mine completes the National Environ- mental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, there will be enough support on both sides of the congressional aisle to protect the land once and for all. “We took a big hit when the land exchange bill was put into the [NDAA],” Shannon says. “Looking at the positive side, we’ll try to keep [the Save Oak Flat legislation] snowballing and gaining momentum, even though the bills might not pass in this Congress because of the current makeup of Congress. … The goal is to think a little bit more long term and to try to get it to pass before the land at Oak Flat is actually transferred to the mining company. We have several years to get that done, because of the brought me here, it is an everyday, easy jaunt up slick-rock. cies — the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the NEPA process.” Ropes and harnesses. The dull, cool smell of chalk. I trade Interior, the administration, congressmen and their staffs. In the meantime, the Access Fund my Merrell boots for a pair of purple climbing shoes my sister They’ve all been involved, in one way or another, in taking will continue to educate the public gave me in exchange for something else — an old purse, maybe, positions on the legislation, so we do try to influence them.” about the environmental impact of the or cowboy boots. Then I watch. mine and what losing Oak Flat would The climbers are up the wall in what feels like seconds, the SEVERAL SUPERFICIAL MUSCLES comprise the anterior mean to the climbing community. arachnid extension of their legs so easy, the curl of their fingers forearm, but the one that runs from the elbow to the base of “It’s an absolutely beautiful place, and into the creases of rock as natural as playing on piano keys. After the index finger is known as the flexor carpi radialis. It pulls it’s within an hour’s drive of Phoenix, an hour of watching, petting the dogs and swallowing my anxi- blood from the radial artery and works to flex the hand. As which I think is one of the things that ety, I borrow a harness and have Curt Shannon tie me to a rope. I maneuver slowly and uncertainly up the wall, using a route really makes it special,” Shannon says. Shannon, a policy analyst for the Boulder, Colorado-based I watched another climber master just minutes earlier, those “To say that the area could be replaced, Access Fund, has climbed at Oak Flat for years. It’s just one rea- muscles in both arms tense and freeze and relax again. My which is what the mine says, is a little son he and his organization — which works to conserve climb- body shakes. Fear and gravity and fatigue, that extended flex- bit crazy. Sure, there are other beautiful ing environments across the nation — have been vocal in their ion of the flexor carpi radialis muscles a new thing to me. places where people can climb — they opposition to the exchange. The thing about climbing — the thing I hadn’t considered exist already — but they’re not nearly “The Access Fund has been involved in opposing the land before — is that, in addition to being a way to explore Ari- as convenient to a lot of people. That will make them less used. rocks were that day at Titanic Wall, pink-brown and textured. exchange in its various forms since 2005, when the very first zona from a new perspective, it’s a way to empty your brain of There are people who would drive an hour to go out to Oak And climbers are still traveling to Oak Flat as they await the land exchange bills were introduced in Congress,” he says. clutter, to focus. Up. Survival. Down. Survival. It is problem- Flat for an afternoon, then drive back, but those same people NEPA report and the results of their efforts to repeal Section “They were made aware of the issue by the local climbing groups.” wouldn’t drive two or three hours, then drive back.” 3003 — at press time, more than 300 people had RSVP’d to the Much of what the Access Fund undertakes is public educa- Queen Creek Boulder Comp, a climbing competition scheduled tion. The other part? Direct lobbying on Capitol Hill. ABOVE: A running-deer petroglyph is etched into the rock AFTER SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING my first route up to take place at Oak Flat the first weekend in April. under an overhang at Oak Flat. “We try to point out all of the flaws and all of the reasons Titanic Wall, I try another. This time, though, I give up, unable to But for the Apaches and the people who care about Oak Flat, OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE: An ancient oak tree at Oak why having this mine is, on balance, not a good idea,” Shannon Flat produces the acorns that have been ceremonially will my muscles to flex my hands anymore. I awkwardly scraped the wound left by the NDAA is still wide open. says. “Why the environmental damage, the loss of recreation, harvested by the San Carlos Apaches for generations. my legs against the rock during that first, slow climb, and blood “We’re trying to undo a wrong,” Representative Grijalva says. the pollution would far outweigh the benefits of the mine. … OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW: A pool of water in Devil’s Canyon runs like a snake from my shin into my shoe. “And that’s much harder than stopping a wrong.” reflects a stormy sky. Opponents of the land exchange I’ve probably been back to Washington, D.C., 15 or 20 times fear that this and other canyons will be dewatered as Months later, the scars from that wound and the deep scrapes over the past 12 years, specifically talking to the various agen- groundwater is tapped for the proposed mining project. on the insides of my knees have turned the same color as the For more information about Oak Flat, visit www.arizonahighways.com.

42 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 43 Phoenix’s Carnegie library has been around since 1908. It now functions as a multipurpose center.

N 1901, the Arizona Daily Star announced the triumphal opening of a building of great consequence — the culmination of decades of work on the part of Tucson’s leading citizens. Check This Out “The occasion should call out a large assemblage of people,” the paper predicted, “as the event will be one which will mark an important epoch in the growth of Tucson from a small hamlet to what promises to be a city Between 1886 and 1919, Andrew Carnegie funded nearly 1,700 libraries in the United States, of large importance … a milestone in the history of the development and growth of the intelligence of the citizens of Tucson and the material progress of the city.” including four in Arizona. At the time, the buildings stood as proof that the dusty frontier towns It wasn’t the university, the railroad or the new City Hall. Rather, the event marked the opening of the city’s Carnegie library, the first freestanding public library to open in Tucson and likely in all of Territorial Arizona. Today, public libraries are common even in small communities, so it’s hard to imagine the achievement they where they were located had achieved stability, prosperity and class. Today, however, only the represented in Arizona’s early days. Back then, libraries stood as symbols of sophistication, proof that dusty frontier towns had achieved stability, prosperity and class. Over the next two decades, three other Arizona cit- library in Yuma is still checking out books. By Kathy Montgomery Photographs by Craig Smith ies would celebrate this milestone with the help of businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

44 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 45 HE PUBLIC LIBRARY is an American innovation. Clergy- Prescott women had tried to organize a lending library almost By the time Tucson applied for its grant, Carnegie had Tman Thomas Bray established the first widespread free since the establishment of the Territorial capital there, but they imposed other conditions. He offered Tucson $25,000, but he lending libraries in the American colonies in the late 1600s. Yet had failed to gain a foothold through the economic ups and downs. required that the city provide a location and guarantee $2,000 a it wasn’t until 1833 that residents of Peterborough, New Hamp- In 1895, a group of prominent women founded the Women’s year to maintain the library. The council donated land on Mil- shire, founded the first tax-supported free library in the world. Club, though they soon changed the name to the Monday Club, itary Plaza, the former site of Fort Lowell. It set up a library In those days, most patrons paid dues to subscription libraries lest people think they were suffragettes. Members included Julia fund and hired renowned architect Henry Trost. In 1900, while and reading rooms. Goldwater and the wife of former Governor Frederick Tritle. Prescott was struggling to recover from the fire, Tucson broke Between 1886 and 1919, Carnegie funded nearly 1,700 libraries The Monday Club organized a library board of directors in ground on its library, which opened the following year. in the United States, almost half the libraries in the country at the 1897, advertised for book donations and opened a subscription About that time, Phoenix also was eyeing a grant. The city was time. He required that they be free and open to everyone. And his library. Two years later, Goldwater wrote to Carnegie asking for bursting at the seams thanks to the National Reclamation Act requirement that communities fund their maintenance prompted $8,000 to $10,000 to build a free library. Carnegie agreed to fund of 1902, which made the Salt River Project one of its first under- The Carnegie library in Yuma opened in 1921 but has been extensively the passage of state laws allowing cities to levy taxes to support “the last half of $8,000” as a kind of matching grant. takings. That was in large part the work of a couple of wealthy, remodeled since then. them. Like many reformers, Carnegie saw free public libraries Monday Club members hosted teas and dances, sometimes well-connected speculators — Benjamin A. Fowler and Dwight as a way for workers to rise from poverty. Many saw libraries as charging book donations for admission. Their husbands can- B. Heard — who came to Arizona for their health and used their A zinc-lined closet permitted fumigation of returned books. In essential to democracy. Some even saw them as key to rehabili- vassed Whiskey Row for donations. By 1900, the club had raised considerable influence to make Phoenix a major city. an era of segregation, it likely was the only integrated public tating criminals, which may explain why Yuma Territorial Prison the needed money. Then the fire of July 14 devastated the town, Ironically, both Fowler and the male president of the Phoe- building in the city. officials established one of the first “public” libraries in nix Library Association failed to interest Carnegie in their cause. Yuma also prospered from the Reclamation Act, and the future the Territory there in 1876. A fire delayed progress on Then the Woman’s Club of Phoenix, led by Dorothy McClintock, looked bright when the Yuma City Club deputized the husband A minimum population was required to win a Carn- Prescott’s Carnegie library, formed a library committee, took up the matter and began a of one of its members to apply for a Carnegie grant. A 1913 letter egie grant, so only a handful of Arizona cities qualified. which opened in 1903. lengthy correspondence with Carnegie’s secretary. In 1902, Car to Carnegie boasted that Yuma was “assured of one of the great- Prescott, Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma all built Carnegie negie promised $15,000. The women believed the city’s mush- est futures that will not be found in any part of the country.” libraries. The towns were county seats and centers of rooming population entitled it to a grant as large as Tucson’s, but Until a library could be built, City Club members set up a free commerce. Three were Territorial capitals. Yet even these their appeals went nowhere. reading room in the former home of Colorado River steamboat cities struggled to meet Carnegie’s requirements. With the grant stalled, Colonel James McClintock, Fowler and pilot Isaac Polhamus, furnishing it with donations and soliciting Wildly fluctuating populations, economic booms and Heard swung into action. They collected post office, school cen- subscriptions from area businesses. busts, and devastating fires and floods plagued Arizona sus, assessed valuation and any other statistics they could think The reading room’s annual maintenance requirement proved a during Carnegie’s library-building years. Overcoming of to prove a larger population, and they called on their friends sticking point with the City Council, however. Then, the flood of these obstacles proved no small task. The names associ- for help. The census director and the director of the U.S. Geologi- 1916 devastated the town, destroying 150 buildings and leaving ated with the successful applications — including Gold- cal Survey, who also served as secretary of the Carnegie Institu- a third of Yuma’s citizens homeless. The Polhamus library was water, Heard and McClintock — belonged to some of tion, wrote letters of support, predicting the land rush inspired spared and, for a time, served as flood-relief headquarters. Arizona’s most influential citizens, and their names are by the Salt River Project. Fowler traveled to New York three Amid a fever of rebuilding, the City Club petitioned the City familiar to Arizonans even today. times to press the issue with Carnegie’s representatives. Council to apply for a $10,000 Carnegie grant. This time the In January 1904, Carnegie relented. Despite protests that the council agreed to Carnegie’s terms, including $600 toward the HE LIBRARY MOVEMENT grew with the rise of site was farthest from those who needed it most, the city chose required $1,000 annual maintenance. The City Club commit- T women’s groups, which founded about 75 percent Neahr’s Park on Washington Street. The library opened to great ted to raising the rest. The last of Arizona’s Carnegie libraries of the public libraries in the country, though that num- fanfare on February 14, 1908, with a design similar to Tucson’s opened on city-donated land in Sunset Park in February 1921. ber was likely higher in the West. About 1870, bookseller library, with stacks arranged like spokes on a wheel and men’s Yuma’s 1917 grant was among Carnegie’s last. After 1919, he Jacob Mansfeld opened a circulating library at his Tucson book- destroying the commercial district and all the library’s books. and women’s reading rooms on either side of an ornate skylight. redirected his focus to library education. store. But it was a women’s group that pushed for a free munici Two years later, the Monday Club had recovered sufficiently With time, the cities all outgrew their Carnegie libraries. pal library. Likewise, women’s groups were behind all four of to open a temporary free library in the Bank of Arizona building. All but Yuma built new libraries and repurposed their Carne- Arizona’s Carnegie libraries, as well as the subscription reading But the fire and the search for a suitable site delayed library con- gie buildings. The Prescott library became an office building. rooms that preceded them. struction, angering Carnegie’s unsympathetic secretary. Though refreshed, its exterior remains essentially unchanged. These women argued for libraries as an alternative to saloons When restrictions concerning the club’s preferred site on the The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records now for the largely male, often itinerant population. Yet many had square proved too burdensome, the group bought a lot on Gurley manages Phoenix’s Carnegie library as a multipurpose center. more personal motives. These mostly well-educated women and Marina streets. Construction took just six months, and the Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. wanted libraries for themselves. Many had moved from East- Carnegie library opened in November 1903. It featured a colored- The Tucson Children’s Museum moved into that city’s Car ern cities to isolated frontier towns with muddy streets teeming glass window memorializing Marie F. Gage, one of the principal negie library. Only Yuma’s Carnegie building still operates as with cowboys, Indians, miners and fortune seekers. A 1902 mag- fundraisers, who didn’t live to see the library completed. a library. It also houses the Arizona Historical Society archives azine writer said that before the railroad came to town, Tucson Tucson filed its Carnegie application shortly after Prescott, in for the area. Called the Heritage Branch, it’s been expanded and was “almost as unknown and as remote from civilization as the 1899. The women who had organized the Tucson Library Asso- remodeled beyond recognition. interior of Africa.” Libraries offered a bridge to the world. ciation had petitioned the City Council in 1883 to accept the con- “One of the basement areas is part of the original,” says Laurie Territorial Secretary Richard C. McCormick carried Arizona’s tents of its subscription library and furnish a location for a free Boone, special-collections librarian. “I like to think it’s the part first public library collection to Fort Whipple in 1863 with the first public library. where the Arizona Historical Society is now.” Territorial government. Maintained by the secretary of state, the The council voted unanimously to dedicate the upper story of books were available to anyone, though only Territorial officials its planned City Hall for the purpose, but it failed to fund it. That EDITOR’S NOTE: We are grateful to the Sharlot Hall Museum Library and could check them out. The collection moved with the Territorial delayed the opening of Tucson’s first municipal library until 1886, Archives; the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; and Laurie government from Prescott to Tucson and back again. When Phoenix when the library board had raised enough money for bookcases Boone, special-collections librarian for the Yuma County Library District, for became the capital in 1889, much of the collection was scattered. and furniture. Tucson’s Carnegie library was the first to open in Arizona, in 1901. their help researching this story.

46 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 47 JUNE 30, 1956 Just days before America’s 180th birthday, two passenger jets, a Douglas DC-7 operated by United and a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation operated by TWA, collided over Grand Canyon National Park. At the time, it was the deadliest commercial aviation accident in history. This month marks the 60th anniversary of that disaster, and recently, the crash site was designated a National Historic Landmark. By Annette McGivney IllustrationS by Mark Smith

S RAY COOK HEADED HOME ON SATURDAY EVENING, June 30, 1956, after playing baseball with a friend, he thought the only thing he had to worry about was explain- ing to his father how he’d gotten a large knot on his head. He had attempted to hit a basketball with a baseball bat, e Cook family received no news about the United flight that night, and the bat had rebounded against his forehead. His father they did get word that the wreckage of a second missing plane had been Awas due home from a business trip that day, and Cook mulled what he discovered at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was Trans World Air- would say to him. But as Cook, then 12, arrived at his house in suburban lines Flight 2, carrying 70 passengers Detroit, he found it crowded with people, and members of the media had begun to convene on his front lawn. “They told me Dad’s plane was missing,” he recalls nearly 60 years later. “And they told me not to touch the phone, because there was an open line to United Airlines representatives who were keeping us informed of any news.” United Flight 718 had left Los Angeles for Chicago, with a final des- tination of Newark, New Jersey, at 9:04 that morning, carrying Cook’s father — Leon David Cook Jr., a chemical engineer — and 57 other passengers and crew. While the Cook family received no news about the United flight that night, they did get word that the wreckage of a second missing plane had been discovered at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was Trans World Airlines Flight 2, carrying 70 passengers

48 JUNE 2016 and crew, and it had also taken off from Los Angeles that day, While Grand Canyon National Park immediately attended brought in to reach ledges atop sheer story to mine.” at 9:01 a.m., en route to Kansas City, Missouri. to the physical cleanup of the accident and the federal gov- cliffs where parts of the United plane Park staff also realized at the 2006 “When I went to bed, I kind of knew Dad had perished,” ernment promptly took steps to prevent another such col- were scattered. In all, 76 helicopter event that there was more the park Cook says, as his voice quavers. “But I had a dream that night, lision, only in the past decade has the park reached out to flights were conducted to and from could be doing to protect the crash and I would have it for many years. Dad would appear on the victims’ families to bring healing and closure. It’s what Ranney the crash sites in what remains one sites, better educate the public about rim of the Grand Canyon, dirty and unshaven, after hiking out describes as “the emotional cleanup that is long overdue.” of the most dangerous and exten- the significance of the tragedy and because the rescuers didn’t find him. He would exclaim: ‘I’m “We didn’t talk about our feelings back then,” Cook says. “I sive disaster recovery operations in facilitate closure for family members here! I’m alive!’ ” remember, not long after Dad died, I was playing in a baseball National Park Service history. who were still grieving, even after The same day, in New Jersey, Ray Lasby’s family was making game and standing out in left field. I felt this terrible wrench- Meanwhile, Cook’s mother, Doro- five decades. “We asked, ‘What preparations to greet him after he had been away on a week- ing in my gut over knowing I would never see Dad again. It thy, was falling apart. “Two men can we do to give the accident sites long business trip in California. He, too, was an engineer, and hurt so bad. But I kept playing. Life just went on.” from United came to the house and proper recognition, and also to honor the family had just purchased its first house. “I was only 4,” Five decades later, while attending a memorial event at the told my mother that my father’s the victims’ families?’ ” says Ian Kathy Lasby Natale recalls in an oral history recorded in 2014. park, Cook finally allowed himself to cry. He was at the com- body could not be identified and Hough, a Park Service archaeologist. “We were so excited he was coming home. I remember dress- mon grave of the United victims in the Grand Canyon cemetery any remains would be buried in a From those goals came a proposal ing up, putting on a new dress and a hat. We were so excited. (the TWA victims were buried in Flagstaff) and was telling Ran- grave at Grand Canyon cemetery,” to nominate the site as a National We were on our way to the airport, and Mom had the radio ney about his father. “I had never been emotional over the crash,” Cook recalls. “And my mother just Historic Landmark. Hough and on, and all of a sudden she got quiet and she started to cry. She Cook says. “But for the first time in 50 years, it got to me.” utterly collapsed. It was horrific to others spent eight years complet- said to my brother, who was 9, ‘Did you hear the flight? Did see somebody that devastated. She ing the application process, and the you hear what they said?’ and he said, ‘No, I didn’t hear it,’ and N THE DECADE AFTER World War II ended, the number cursed my father for leaving her proposal was approved in 2014. The she started to cry. She cried the rest of the way to the airport.” of commercial airline passengers in the United States sky- with three children to raise by herself.” landmark, which Hough describes as a “mass grave,” encom- When the Lasbys arrived at the gate for United 718, “there Irocketed. In 1956, more Americans were traveling by plane Cook’s mother asked him to go to boarding school to ease passes a remote area on both sides of the Colorado River and was no one at the gate,” Natale says. “A couple of men came out than by train, and each of the four major airlines (American, her parenting load, and he reluctantly agreed. Nothing was the includes both plane impact sites and the surrounding debris and walked over to [Mom] and started talking to her, and she Eastern, United and TWA) was bigger than the entire industry same after that. “At age 12, I didn’t just lose my father; I lost my fields. The artifacts in the landmark are protected under fed- started crying.” Another woman came over to Natale and her had been a decade before. But the federal aviation system was whole family,” he says. An out-of-court settlement with United eral laws and park regulations, and to prevent pillaging and brother and escorted them out of the room. “I don’t remember ill-equipped to monitor the rapid increase in air traffic. While brought some money to the family but didn’t come close to preserve the site, the boundaries are not disclosed to the gen- much else about that day,” Natale says. “It was just a blur.” radio controllers at airports guided pilots during takeoff and replacing the lost salary of the family breadwinner. After the eral public. The next day, the wreckage from the United plane also was landing, the airspace over much of the U.S. was unmonitored, accident, Cook’s mother started drinking heavily and would Along with the designation, an interpretive display and located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. In the weeks that and pilots simply navigated by sight to avoid other aircraft. continue drinking until her death in 1971, when she was intoxi- a monument were installed near the Canyon’s Desert View followed, a federal investigation found that the two planes had On June 30, 1956, the United and TWA flights veered cated and drove over an embankment. Cook’s brother, also an Watchtower. The display, on the lip of the South Rim, encour- collided at 21,000 feet in unregulated airspace, presumably as slightly north from their established flight plans — a com- alcoholic, committed suicide in 1978. Cook joined the Marines ages visitors to reflect on the accident and look out over the the pilots were giving their passengers a spectacular bird’s-eye mon practice in unregulated airspace. As the two planes at age 18 and served in Vietnam. He, too, struggled with alco- airspace where the collision occurred. A map points to the view of one of the world’s natural wonders. All 128 passengers approached the Grand Canyon, the TWA pilot, Jack Gandy, hol, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, until he stopped impact sites near Chuar Butte and Temple Butte, and photos of and crew died, and despite a monumental recovery effort, the increased his plane’s altitude by 1,000 feet to avoid storm tur- drinking at age 45. personal items retrieved, including a key and lock, remind visi- remains of most of those on board could not be identified. bulence. This put the TWA plane at the same altitude as the Ray Lasby’s family fared somewhat better, but the tragedy tors of the lives affected by the disaster. “The planes had both taken a detour and were doing what United aircraft, and, probably due to clouds in the area, the weighed on them, too. After the accident, Lasby’s widow took On June 30, 2014, the 58th anniversary of the accident, the was called ‘flight-seeing’ over the Canyon,” says Wayne Ran- pilots did not see each other until it was too late. The planes her two children from the family’s dream home in New Jersey Park Service held a reception to celebrate the landmark designa- ney, president of the Grand Canyon Historical Society. “The collided and broke apart as they fell to the ground. While to live in Colorado, near her parents. “Mom was seven months tion and allow victims’ families to meet each other, share stories Grand Canyon loomed large in the American public’s con- debris was scattered over some 1,000 acres in Grand Canyon pregnant with my sister” at the time of the crash, Natale and lay a wreath at the common grave. About 50 children of the sciousness back then. And these planes had just disappeared National Park, the plane impact sites were both just below the recalls. “I think that’s what made her survive. … That baby victims and their extended family members attended. into that vast wilderness.” confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers, in one of was what pulled her together.” A newly single mother of three, “A lot of these people had avoided coming to the Grand Can- At that time, the midair collision of the United plane, a the most inaccessible areas of the park. she supported the family with a flight-insurance payout and a yon their entire lives,” Ranney says. “But even if they didn’t Douglas DC-7, and the TWA craft, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Over a period of weeks, in temperatures that reached modest out-of-court settlement from United. When the money realize it before, when they got to the event, they discovered Constellation, was the deadliest commercial aviation accident 120 degrees in the Canyon’s inner gorge, Grand Canyon rang- ran out, she went back to work in her mid-50s and continued they had been longing for closure. And after 58 years, many of in history. According to Ranney, it brought to light the need ers and U.S. Air Force members embarked on a massive recov- to work until she was 72. them finally got it.” for better organization of the country’s airspace. Just one year ery effort to retrieve human remains, possessions and plane “[Dad] was the only one for her,” Natale says. “Taking care of Cook met Natale and the son of Gandy, the TWA pilot. The after the disaster, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into wreckage that would help investigators deduce how the disas- us, she was strong, but there were countless, countless nights latter “apologized to me for his father’s decision to go to that law the Airways Modernization Act, which laid the foundation ter happened. Grand Canyon Village became a media circus when we would hear her sobbing from her loneliness and her higher altitude,” Cook says, choking back tears. for the creation of the Federal Aviation Administration and the as journalists from across the country waited to report news heartbreak.” As for the recurring dream of Cook’s father hiking out of centralized air traffic control system in use today. or gruesome details about the unfolding tragedy. “We found the Grand Canyon, it rarely happens anymore. “I have put that For the families of the crash victims, though, little was done a baby’s body lying across the arm of a woman,” one recovery UNE 2006 WAS the 50th anniversary of the collision, and behind me now,” Cook says. “But that dream helped me get to address the pain and financial hardship they would experi- worker told the Arizona Daily Sun in a July 4, 1956, article. “We Cook, who now lives in Phoenix, and his wife, Christa, through all those years growing up when I was a mess. It was ence for decades. “I think there is an absence of awareness about found a toy boat that wasn’t even scratched. Costume jewelry Jdecided to go to the cemetery at Grand Canyon National like I was able to talk to my dad, and that gave me comfort. It the impact that a disaster, especially a national disaster like this and articles of clothing were strewn about. … None of the bod- Park. They stumbled upon a Grand Canyon Association pre- helped me to believe there is more to this world than we know.” one, can have on the families of the victims,” Cook says. “There ies were thrown very far from the wreckage.” sentation at Shrine of the Ages, next door to the cemetery, that is the initial shock and a big hoopla in the press, and then the In a bizarre twist, 148 airmail letters from the TWA cargo was commemorating the tragedy. For the first time in his life, EDITOR’S NOTE: This month, Grand Canyon National Park is commemorat- event drops out of the spotlight. Long after the public has forgot- hold were recovered undamaged and returned to the U.S. Postal Cook talked to park staff, as well as the children of other vic- ing the 60th anniversary of the crash, but details had not been finalized ten about it, the families continue to be impacted over time — Service so they could be delivered. Climbers from the Colo- tims, about how the accident had impacted his family. “It was at press time. For more information, call the park at 928-638-7888 or visit over generations, even. That is the real tragedy.” rado Mountain Club and a Swiss mountain rescue group were cathartic,” he says. “I learned that other people had a similar www.nps.gov/grca.

50 JUNE 2016 www.arizonahighways.com 51 scenic DRIVE

ASH FORK TO WILLIAMS Although Historic Route 66 gets most of The graded red-dirt road winds north guide published and then east through juniper scrubland in the early 1920s the nostalgic affection, an even older route — the National Old Trails Road and in between hillsides stacked with by the Albu- large, salmon-colored sandstone slabs. querque Auto — once made its way across Arizona. Today, Forest Road 124 is reminiscent Several commercial quarries along FR 124 Trades Asso- of that old dirt trail. BY ANNETTE McGIVNEY / PHOTOGRAPHS BY NICK BEREZENKO supply Ash Fork’s thriving flagstone ciation describes business. After several miles, you’ll top Williams this out on a 6,000-foot plateau called Para- way: “Here, the dise Ridge, where undulating grassland healthseeker or sprawls in every direction and a spec- the sportsman tacular view of Bill Williams Mountain finds his goal. and the San Francisco Peaks fills the The hills abound horizon. On the right, look for the perfect with deer and picnic spot: a pullout and two sandstone wild turkey, [and] benches, strategically placed to enjoy the numerous small view, under a large juniper. lakes are stocked As FR 124 descends off the ridge, rail- with bass. Lion, road tracks parallel the road on the left, bear and wolves, and the ruins of an old mining town at while a menace to Cucamonga Junction are on the right. the stock indus- Eventually, the junipers, prickly pears try, offer thrills and sandstone bluffs give way to broad for the big game high-country meadows that are filled hunter.” with wildflowers in late summer. On Eventually, your right is a marsh, called Mud Ketch you’re back on pavement, and as you SCENIC Tank, where deer can often be spotted. drive past the manicured greens of Wil- DRIVES of Arizona’s ADDITIONAL READING: Best Back FR 124 (also signed CR 124) becomes a liams’ Elephant Rocks Golf Course, it’s 40 Roads For more adventure, pick up a copy of our book Scenic Drives, bumpy washboard on the climb out of highly unlikely you’ll see a wolf or a bear. which features 40 of the the marsh and into the pine forest just But you can enjoy the satisfaction of hav- state’s most beautiful back roads. To order, visit www. outside of Williams. ing experienced a vintage 1920 American shoparizonahighways.com/ Edited by Robert Stieve A National Old Trails Road travel road trip. and Kelly Vaughn Kramer books.

TOUR GUIDE Note: Mileages are approximate.

LENGTH: 45-mile loop DIRECTIONS: From Williams, go west on Interstate 40 for efore there was the smooth, straight unpaved and often-rugged road was more managed by the Ash Fork Historical Soci- 15 miles to the I-40 business route in Ash Fork (Exit 146). Turn right onto the I-40 business route and continue 0.4 blacktop of Interstate 40 to ferry of a wilderness expedition. ety and includes various exhibits on fron- miles to First Street. Turn right onto First Street and con- B auto travelers across Northern Although the modern drive on I-40 tier life, as well as plenty of early 20th tinue 0.1 miles to Double A Ranch Road. Turn right onto Arizona, there was Route 66. And before between Ash Fork and Williams is century road-trip memorabilia. From Double A Ranch Road and continue 5.7 miles to a “Y” intersection. Bear right to stay on Double A Ranch Route 66, there was a little-known route little more than a blur of pine trees and Ash Fork, head north on Double A Ranch Road (County Road 124), which becomes Forest Road called the National Old Trails Road. This speeding big rigs, taking Forest Road 124 Road — you’ll pass Settlers Cemetery on 124 and later turns into Country Club Road, and continue 23.8 miles back to I-40 near Williams. coast-to-coast highway was established — located a few miles north of the inter- the right. Then turn right onto County VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: A high-clearance vehicle is in 1912 to encourage auto touring, and it state — is reminiscent of the National Road 124, which becomes FR 124. Soon, recommended. stretched for some 3,000 miles, from the Old Trails Road, circa 1920. The winding the pavement ends and the real experi- WARNING: Back-road travel can be hazardous, so be East Coast to California. The expanse journey is full of bumps, scenic panora- ence begins. aware of weather and road conditions. Carry plenty of water. Don’t travel alone, and let someone know where across the West generally followed the mas and the thrill of traveling a dusty you are going and when you plant to return. route of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa road with no other cars in sight. INFORMATION: Williams Ranger District, 928-635-5600 Fe Railway, which allowed auto travelers Before embarking on your own retro ABOVE: Forest Road 124 offers views of the distant or www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab; Ash Fork Route 66 Museum, to enjoy the comfortable Harvey House road trip, get in the mood with a visit to Bill Williams Mountain as it winds from Ash Fork to 928-637-0204 or www.ashforkrt66museum.com Williams. Travelers in Arizona can visit www.az511.gov or dial hotels in depot towns along the way. the Ash Fork Route 66 Museum, located OPPOSITE PAGE: Stalks of mullein congregate on the 511 to get information on road closures, construction, But in between, navigating the mostly on Historic Route 66. The museum is banks of Cataract Lake near the drive’s conclusion. delays, weather and more.

52 JUNE 2016 MAP BY KEVIN KIBSEY www.arizonahighways.com 53 HIKE of the month

an old corral. As the trail continues its DOGIE TRAIL Of the 16 established trails in the Sycamore Canyon descent, the ground cover gets thicker. Don’t be surprised if you startle deer Wilderness, this is one of the most accessible. It’s one of the most or kick up some grouse. The birds are a common sight in this wilderness, which BY ROBERT STIEVE / PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK FRANK beautiful, too. provides safe haven from hunters. Just beyond the tank, if you look to the southwest, you’ll notice a narrow passage t’s not important for planning purposes, out there alone. So, pack a thinking cap, wilderness and begin a gradual descent. in the canyon. At its widest point, Syca- but the name of this trail is pronounced hike early and take plenty of water. Piñon pines and junipers dominate the more Canyon stretches 7 miles from rim I “do–´ge”– (rhymes with hoagie). It’s a The trailhead is located at the end of landscape early on, along with several to rim. The passage to the left, however, word that defines a motherless calf in a a scenic road — lots of red rock and blue small washes on either side. is measured in meters, and the rocks are range herd. A lot of trails in Arizona get sky. Although a high-clearance vehicle is The first ponderosa shows up about measured in millions of years. Overall, their names from ranchers or cowboys. In required, there aren’t any white-knuckle 20 minutes later. Shortly thereafter, the the canyon’s steep sides provide a cross- this case, the name comes from a demo- drop-offs or deadly curves. The drive is a trail passes under (yes, under) a barbed- section look at about 290 million years Sycamore Basin Trail. It’s a worthy exten- graphic of cows. You probably won’t see bonus. And the hike is even better. wire fence. To the right you’ll see Syca- of sandstone and limestone deposits, sion. The panorama rolls across the ADDITIONAL READING: any dogies on the trail, but you might It begins with a quick climb to a high more Pass Tank, more rusty fences and capped by a volcanic layer of basalt. northern skyline, and a look to the east For more hikes, pick up a copy of see badgers, bobcats and mule deer. You ridge that offers expansive views in all Because this trail is well marked and shows the magnificent depth of the can- Arizona Highways Hiking Guide, which features 52 of the state’s might see hikers, too. Of the 16 estab- four directions, with virtually no signs of easy to follow, it allows your eyes to yon. Have a hoagie and enjoy the views. best trails — one for each lished trails in the Sycamore Canyon human existence. “Welcome to Sycamore BELOW AND OPPOSITE PAGE: A spot near the wander and study the rock formations Chances are, you’ll have them all to your- weekend of the year, sorted by high point of the Dogie Trail offers spectacular seasons. To order a copy, visit Wilderness, this is one of the most acces- Canyon,” Mother Nature whispers. After views of the sandstone formations of the Syca- that have formed over time. One of them self. No off-road vehicles, no range herds, www.shoparizonahighways. sible. Still, there’s a good chance you’ll be passing through a gate, you’ll enter the more Canyon Wilderness. is a large mesa to the north. It’s visible no little dogies. com/books. from the outset, and after an hour of hiking, you’ll wind around it and see that it features a long vertical “window.” From that point, the trail gets steeper and dips into and out of a deep wash. It’s a change of pace from the rolling terrain on the upper end. Continuing along the eastern slope, you’ll wind through a spectacular primitive campsite — it’s the only tricky spot, in terms of route-finding, but look for the cairns and you’ll be fine. From there, the ponderosas get taller and the washes get deeper. Be mindful of flash floods, especially this time of year, when monsoons can be deadly. Otherwise, look outward at the increasingly beautiful views. Then, after almost two hours of hiking, you’ll come to a ridge that marks the final descent. The rest of the route winds through tall grasses and thorny brambles before arriving at Sycamore Creek, which is normally dry. The only perennial water is at the southern end of the canyon, TRAIL GUIDE where Parsons Spring feeds a 4-mile LENGTH: 10.8 miles round-trip DOGS ALLOWED: Yes DIFFICULTY: Strenuous stretch (see page 28). At this crossing, the HORSES ALLOWED: Yes ELEVATION: 4,851 to 4,158 feet creek is lined with the canyon’s signature USGS MAPS: Sycamore Basin, Loy Butte TRAILHEAD GPS: N 34˚55.359', W 111˚59.701' trees. And the bed is mostly rocks, rang- INFORMATION: Red Rock Ranger District, 928-203-2900 ing in size from cue balls to bowling balls DIRECTIONS: From the roundabout intersection of state or www.fs.usda.gov/coconino routes 179 and 89A in Sedona, go southwest on SR 89A for to bigger than a bread truck. LEAVE-NO-TRACE PRINCIPLES: 9.7 miles to Forest Road 525 (Red Canyon Road). Turn right • Plan ahead and be out all of your trash. Although the creek makes an obvious onto FR 525 and continue 2.7 miles to Forest Road 525C prepared. • Leave what you find. (Sycamore Pass Road). Turn left onto FR 525C and turnaround point, the Dogie Trail contin- • Travel and camp on • Respect wildlife. continue 8.4 miles to the trailhead. durable surfaces. • Minimize campfire ues up the opposite bank for another VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: A high-clearance vehicle is • Dispose of waste impact. 10 minutes to an intersection with the required. properly and pack • Be considerate of others.

54 JUNE 2016 MAP BY KEVIN KIBSEY www.arizonahighways.com 55 WHERE IS THIS? Your Wildest D r e a m ... Just when you thought we’d never publish a wildlife guide, this happens.

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56 JUNE 2016 PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP JEFF KIDA ABOVE, LEFT TOM STORY