SPECIAL SECTION 14 Legends of lost treasure arizonahighways.com NOVEMBER 2004

Walk Among the Navajo Ancients CCanyonanyon dede CChellyhelly Sip the hassayampa river’s Water (and Try Not to Lie) the magician Exposing His Power and Mystery {also inside} NOVEMBER 2004 48 DESTINATION Fort Verde State Historic Park In the late 1800s, the garrison was a focal point of U.S. Army activity during the Apache Wars. 50 BACK ROAD ADVENTURE INDIANS/COVER TRAVEL Travelers won’t forget the panoramic countryside 6 42 SPECIAL SECTION or the demanding bumps and inclines in the drive Hiking Through Major Gold Strike from Muleshoe Ranch to Jackson cabin. LOST LEGENDS Canyon de Chelly’s History Along the Hassayampa! 21 56 HIKE OF THE MONTH A guided journey on foot through the spellbinding Well, of course, that’s a big whopper of a lie, and Still Searching Reynolds Creek Trail in the Sierra Anchas offers scenery of Canyon de Chelly reveals petroglyphs, tradition says you’ll be telling lots more of them a remote break from the nearby for Elusive Treasures urban clamor. Grand Canyon Canyon de Chelly pictographs and ruins that tell of the Navajo if you drink the waters from this 60-mile-long partly National Park Indian past. underground river. In this issue, we present 14 stories about the state’s National Monument favorite folklore — the “missing” or “vanished” 2 LETTERS & E-MAIL mines and golden loot that have kept fortune seekers 3 TAKING Oak Creek Ridge Ruin ARCHAEOLOGY PORTFOLIO restless and searching for decades. Canyon 14 THE OFF-RAMP Fort Verde State 38 Hassayampa Historic Park Unresolved Mystery: Oak Creek Canyon River 54 HUMOR Sierra Ancha mountains ‘The Magician’ in Radiant Color PHOENIX In 1939 archaeologists uncovered near Flagstaff burial Late October through mid-November is Mother Nature’s 55 ALONG THE WAY Muleshoe Ranch artifacts and the historically significant 800-year-old time to pull out her brilliant reds and oranges and One writer goes in search TUCSON of another and finds him Chiricahua remains of a revered Indian in one of the Southwest’s yellows in a picturesque central-Arizona gorge. Mountains most important sites. in an unexpected place POINTS OF INTEREST near Paradise in the FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE Chiricahua Mountains. {more stories online} at arizonahighways.com GENE PERRET’S WIT STOP Our author’s dog hasn’t yet learned what it means to be “man’s best friend.” ONLINE EXTRA Saloons in the Old West The wild tavern life of Arizona’s bygone days generated stories that an Eastern tinhorn has to reckon with. WEEKEND GETAWAY Phoenix Zoo The popular animal attraction is one of the nation’s largest privately owned parks, and it’s among the city’s top sites to visit. EXPERIENCE ARIZONA A listing of major events in the state is available online. {arizona highways on television} Watch for this independently produced television show inspired by Arizona Highways magazine. The weekly half-hour [this page] Resplendently ruby-hued, a bigtooth maple leaf show airs in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff in both English and takes its final curtain call among slick rocks in the West Fork Spanish. of Oak Creek in the Red Rock/Secret Mountain Wilderness north of Sedona. See portfolio, page 14. Robin Sewell, a veteran television news anchor and robert g. mcdonald reporter, hosts the show. [front cover] Massive sandstone cliffs tower over an abandoned English show times: 6:30 p.m. Saturdays on Channel 12 hogan and Fremont cottonwood trees alight with golden fall in Phoenix and on Channel 2 in Flagstaff, and at 4:30 p.m. foliage at Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeastern Sundays on Channel 9 in Tucson. Arizona. See story, page 6. [back cover] Nearly translucent autumn leaves diffuse sunlight The show airs in Spanish on Channel 33 in Phoenix, Channel between the furrowed boughs of a Fremont cottonwood at 52 in Tucson and Channel 13 in Flagstaff. Check the stations’ Canyon de Chelly. both by larry lindahl listings for times. {letters & e-mail} Arizona Oddities, Attractions and Pleasures {taking the off- ramp }

NOVEMBER 2004 VOL. 80, NO. 11

Publisher WIN HOLDEN THIS MONTH IN Stupid Answer contributors. We love his work. But putting the story Editor ROBERT J. EARLY Your answer (“Letters & E-mail,” June ‘04) to the on the Web is not demeaning his writing. The Web Senior Editor BETH DEVENY Managing Editor RANDY SUMMERLIN Rancho Linda Vista ARIZONA two people who complained about moving “Gene stories are available to the whole world. And it will Research Editor MARY PRATT Perret’s Wit Stop” column online is nonsense. You stay on the Web site for at least a year. Editorial Administrator CONNIE BOCH Artists Colony Administrative Assistant NIKKI KIMBEL say he has a “huge” following, but a lot of people ome ranches raise cattle. This one This year’s neither have nor want a computer. Fossil Springs Director of Photography PETER ENSENBERGER nurtures artists. Rancho Linda 1872 Photography Editor RICHARD MAACK S growing season Yes, I have a computer, but I don’t use it for In “Return to the Wild” (June ’04), author Myndi Vista in Oracle once welcomed proves ripe for Art Director BARBARA GLYNN DENNEY farmers, reading. I think this time you just lost it. Brogdon was correct when she wrote of Fossil Springs, Deputy Art Director BILLIE JO BISHOP greenhorns to its rustic cabins when it yielding Jim Record, Crandall, TX “Some will rejoice when Fossil Creek runs wild Art Assistant PAULY HELLER was one of the pioneering dude watermelons Map Designer KEVIN KIBSEY weighing up to That’s not the first time the poor old editor has been again, but some will feel sadness and regret for ranches in Arizona. The rocky terrain 46 pounds and Arizona Highways Books accused of losing it. And the next two letters may the loss of what man was able to accomplish ® provided the scenery for a 1924 4-pound sweet WitWorks Books potatoes add to that dubious record. here.” I am one of those who is feeling the Editor BOB ALBANO movie, The Mine With the Iron Door, . Associate Editor EVELYN HOWELL sadness and regret. Associate Editor PK PERKIN McMAHON by Tucson writer Harold Bell Wright. Missing ‘Experience Arizona’ As a mechanical engineer, I am in awe of the work The cattle Production Director CINDY MACKEY Public schools I’m missing the calendar section — you know, all that was done at Fossil Springs in the days when Production Coordinator KIM ENSENBERGER and the 1893 in Phoenix close the neat things that are happening in Arizona. What’s up? horsepower was measured in horses. The fact that Promotions Art Director RONDA JOHNSON Hollywood their doors for Webmaster VICKY SNOW the day, as the Yvonne Atkins, Fallbrook, CA after 100 years it still profitably provides pollution- crews are Circulation Director HOLLY CARNAHAN circus comes The “Experience Arizona” calendar has been moved free energy sufficient for 1,000 homes is a real long gone, to town. Fulfillment Director VALERIE J. BECKETT to our Web site at arizonahighways.com where it has tribute to the ingenuity of early Arizona pioneers. replaced by Tucson’s mayor been greatly expanded to look forward three months. I will enjoy hiking to see the beauty of the Information Technology Manager earns $80 per CINDY BORMANIS sculptors, travertine pools that form after full flow is returned to painters, month from a FOR CUSTOMER INQUIRIES One-room Museum for the Dead $725 monthly Misguided Editing the creek, but I will miss the archaeological history OR TO ORDER BY PHONE: potters, fabric city budget. What in the world were you thinking? You put Gary that is being destroyed. Some of us find beauty in Call toll-free: (800) 543-5432 artists and keletons greet visitors to La the dead, an altar with family In the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., The Tucson Ladd’s excellent article (“Grand Canyon Boaters Find the works of man as well as in works of nature. Call (602) 712-2000 writers seeking a companionable Galeria Dia de los Muertos mementos, tiny sugar skulls, toy City Council a New Sense of Identity”) on your Web site and not Ray Wells, Fountain Hills Or visit us online at: place to create their art. The artists’ in Patagonia. One drives skeletons representing characters authorizes its arizonahighways.com S clerk to buy in the magazine. Relegating the efforts of one of community was formed in 1968, and the Volkswagen bus outside, from ballerinas to Tiger Woods. bread, For Corporate or Trade Sales: giving your best contributors to the Web site makes no The scenes of restored beauty and ecological DOLORES FIELD residents now live in an officially two frame the front door. Inside, Admission is by appointment half a loaf to each “hobo” sense to me. I pay for my subscription to read diversity that your photos along Fossil Creek Call (602) 712-2045 designated historic place. miniature skeletons cavort only, but during the festivities held traveling east. articles printed in the magazine. previewed result from the years of hard work by E-MAIL “LETTERS TO THE EDITOR”: Resident artists and invited across the tables. Welcome to on a weekend close to Dia de los [email protected] Dave Donahue, Belvidere, IL many Arizona citizens who are proud members of contributors from around the world Regular Mail: a celebration of the dead, as Muertos, the Day of the Dead, the No question Gary Ladd is among our very best the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity Editor display work at the Barn Gallery, practiced in Mexico on November 1 museum opens its doors to all, 1897A disagreement or similar organizations. 2039 W. Lewis Ave. which is open on Sunday afternoons and 2 of each year. living and otherwise. Contact over mining Phoenix, AZ 85009 claims near Despite opposition, or downright hostility from from 1-5, or by appointment. The collection in the tiny one- curator Dr. John Arnold for the Prescott leads to U.S. Postal Service Governor Janet Napolitano STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION some quarters, the efforts of these volunteer Information: (520) 896-2988. room museum includes the art dates of this year’s celebration. a gunfight Title of Publication: Arizona Highways Publisher: Win Holden Director, Department of Transportation among four Publication No.: ISSN 0004-1521 Editor: Robert J. Early environmentalists benefit the public good. Victor M. Mendez that marks the annual honoring of Information: (520) 574-8744. Date of Filing: July 30, 2004 Managing Editor: Randy Summerlin; miners. Two of address below Halina Szyposzynski, Phoenix ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION BOARD them die, and Frequency of issues: Monthly Number of issues published annually: Twelve Complete mailing address Chairman Bill Jeffers, Holbrook the other two of known office of publication: Vice Chairman Dallas “Rusty” Gant, Wickenburg are wounded. 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, Missed the Mark Members Richard “Dick” Hileman, as far away as Bavaria, Germany, (Maricopa) AZ 85009-2893 Annual subscription price: $24.00 U.S. one year After hearing that Arizona Highways had covered Lake Havasu City Wrangling at Cowboy College and Ecuador. James W. Martin, Willcox Owner: State of Arizona “the Wave” on North Coyote Butte, (“Coyote Joe Lane, Phoenix tching for the hot, dirty work, Wild West. Since opening in 1989, If you’ve yearned for a A Mojave 206 S. 17th Ave. S.L. Schorr, Tucson 1906 Phoenix, AZ 85007 Buttes,” June ’04), I rushed home to retrieve the they come in droves, Arizona Cowboy College has ­temporary home on the range, ­ Indian brave Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding Delbert Householder, Thatcher surrenders in 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: None newly arrived issue. clamoring for a taste of the trained some 800 wranglers from the Scottsdale-based family The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL MAGAZINE Jerome after status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during preceding 12 I The selected photographs were excellent, as ASSOCIATION owned-and-operated weeklong eluding three months. posses for four ISSUE DATE FOR CIRCULATION DATA expected, but all seemed monotonously taken 2001, 2000, 1998, 1992, 1990 Magazine of the Year adventure vacation camp could be BELOW: WESTERN PUBLICATIONS ASSOCIATION days. He is July ’03-June ’04 June ’04 in the same late-afternoon sunlight. Few of the 2002 Best Overall Consumer Publication well worth your while. wanted for Average no. Actual no. killing seven copies each copies of numerous features of the area were shown. Sadly, 2002, 2001 Best Travel & In-transit Magazine While you won’t earn a degree, issue during single issue 2003, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1992 Indians. preceding published nearest I felt your photo essay missed the opportunity to you’ll earn your keep. After nailing EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION 12 months to filing date Best Regional & State Magazine A. Total number copies printed...... 315,620 297,025 adequately display this marvelous wonder for those SOCIETY OF AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITERS down cowboy basics—from knot Phoenix votes B. Paid circulation FOUNDATION down public 1. Outside-county, mail subscriptions...... 275,753 259,785 subscribers who may never have the good fortune tying to horse saddling and 2. In-county subscriptions...... 0 0 2000, 1997 Gold Awards gambling. 3. Sales through dealers, carriers, to visit the area. It is truly much more spectacular Best Monthly Travel Magazine ­shoeing—you’ll tend to tasks on street vendors, counter sales and Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published other non-USPS paid distribution...... 12,305 11,604 than shown in your issue. monthly by the Arizona Department of Transportat- the ranch, located just outside 4. Other classes mailed through the USPS...... 0 0 ion. Subscription price: $21 a year in the U.S., $31 in C. Total paid circulation...... 288,058 271,389 Roger Olander, Phoenix Canada,­ $34 elsewhere outside the U.S. Single copy: Scottsdale city limits near 152nd Big Nose Kate D. Free distribution by mail $3.99 U.S. Send subscription correspon­ dence­ and 1940 (Mary Catherine 1. Outside-county...... 831 835 change of address information to Arizona High­ways, Street and Dixileta Drive. Chores 2. In-county...... 0 0 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Periodical Elder), Doc 3. Other classes mailed through the USPS...... 0 0 Fantastic Photos postage paid at Phoenix, AZ and at additional mail- may include fixing fences, moving Holliday’s wife, E. Free distribution outside the mail...... 0 0 ing office. POSTMASTER­ : send address changes to dies at the F. Total free distribution...... 831 835 Love the magazine. It is far superior to any other Arizona High­ways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ water lines, herding cattle and G. Total distribution...... 288,888 272,224 85009. Copy­right © 2004 by the Ari­zona Department Pioneer’s Home H. Copies not distributed...... 26,016 24,801 state’s that I have received. The photographs are of Transpor­­ tation.­­ Reproduc­ tion­ in whole or in part castrating­ bulls. in Prescott at the I. Total...... 314,904 297,025 with­­out permission is prohibited. The magazine does J. Percent paid circulation...... 99.71% 99.69% beyond belief. Fantastic. not accept and is not responsible for un­solicited ma­te-­ Information: (480) 471-3151 or age of 90. I certify that the statements made by me are correct and complete. Win Holden, r­­ials provided for editorial consideration.­

Publisher W. Frank Crist, Landisville, PA CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ANDREW RUSH; KEN ROSS; ARIZONA COWBOY COLLEGE toll-free (888) 330-8070.

Produced in the USA 2 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 3 {taking the off- ramp }

John Wayne Go Ahead, the desert-town feel of Globe. At the entrance, three pairs of Slept Here Search Me copper-clad doors stand among n the banks of the Santa Cruz hen two roadside four marble columns, topped by River in Nogales stands a bed robbers on horseback Corinthian capitals. Inside, stained- O and breakfast full of history. Wpointed pistols at Mineral glass windows glow overhead, The newly restored Hacienda Park mercantile owner W.J. Roe refracting the desert sun. Above the Corona de Guevavi Bed & in 1883, they probably rejoiced Holy Angels Church church rises a single corner tower, Breakfast used to be the at the gentleman’s sudden overlooking the mining town. headquarters of Guevavi Ranch, surrender. Roe had just finished Graces Globe The elegant simplicity of the one of the oldest cattle ranches in purchasing goods in nearby hen French-born Father Holy Angels Church at 201-231 S. Arizona. Courtyard walls are Kingman, so his fully loaded Virgil Genevrier arrived in Broad St. has earned it a place on covered with murals by the famous wagon and expensive suit WOctober 1915 as the new the National Register of Historic Mexican artist and bullfighter, head of the Sacred Heart Parish in Places, ensuring the preservation of Salvador Corona, for whom the Globe, he immediately decided that Father Genevrier’s gift to his Question hacienda was named. his congregation of miners and congregation. of the The room John Wayne their families deserved a new place To learn more about this Month frequently stayed in (pictured) of worship. The historic Holy Arizona building and more than 45 because of his friendship with Angels Church is what they got. others, pick up a new travel guide What illness Shine on former owner Ralph Wingfield, Built in the Romanesque by Ann Patterson and Mark Vinson, Q brought bears the name The Duke, while revival style from tufa stone Landmark Buildings: Arizona’s people to Arizona Brewery the room called Out of Africa drive. Nearby are three golf historical connection and local quarried at the nearby San Carlos Architectural Heritage, published by in droves during Gulch combines decor from American courses, horseback riding, boating diversions make this B&B a Apache Indian Reservation, Holy Arizona Highways Books. To order, the late 19th or many years, Indian and African cultures. on Patagonia Lake and shopping popular place to stay when visiting Angels Church blends centuries call toll-free (800) 543-5432 or visit ?century? Fthe Bisbee Although the small inn’s setting in Nogales’ street markets and southern Arizona. of Roman Catholic tradition with arizonahighways.com. newspaper, the may feel secluded, visitors find curio shops. Information: (520) 287-6503; Health- Brewery Gulch various activities within a 15-minute The peaceful surroundings, www.haciendacorona.com. Aseeking Gazette, bragged The Farm at South Mountain consumptives, about a notorious those suffering stretch of bars and Grows Organics and Feeds You, Too from tuberculosis, LIFE IN ARIZONA 1890s bordellos with the he Farm at South moved to the state slogan, “The sun Accused Killer Finds a ‘Hideout’ in the Law Mountain in south for its disease-free shines on Brewery TPhoenix is a pecan climate, clean dry Gulch 330 days a harles Bradley were one marked him as a prosperous man. orchard and working farm air and curative year, but there is CBradley, and the same. Many With nary a protest, he told that supplies organic waters. They lived moonshine every deputy sheriff of people traveled the villains to search him. One vegetables to many of the in tent cities that night.” Tombstone in West to start over, robber eagerly dismounted and area’s leading restaurants. The sprang up to 1894, had it all — but could began pawing through Roe’s Farm Kitchen serves breakfast accommodate respectable job, “Charley,” the numerous pockets, eventually and lunch on the patio or at them. Later these faithful friends and town jailer, really finding $4.75. Satisfied with picnic tables in the pecan sanitariums grew the community’s be a murderer?­ their respectable haul, equivalent groves — fresh-baked muffins, into the medical trust. But he also And how should to about $85 today, the robbers scones, pecan pie, homemade centers of today. had a secret that the community fled toward Kingman. soups, salads and grilled could cost him respond to this Perhaps the scoundrels organic turkey sandwiches. everything. news? lacked experience in searching There’s also the Quiessence More than 900 In the end, they prosperous gentlemen’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, a miles away, decided although suits. Maybe they just needed fine-dining room, featuring Arkansas lawmen he was McAnally to get back to town quickly. rural tranquility. Charles Bradley (left) with other government officials sought James at the Tombstone courthouse. before coming to But either way, in their haste, Tarry awhile and you’ll McAnally for killing the Arizona the robbers overlooked find there’s lots more cooking at jars of honey and preserves, and a man the year before. Imagine suspect McAnally had shown Territory, Bradley was now a Roe’s inner vest pocket where this mirocosmic frontier desert collectibles of every style and CONTRIBUTORS their surprise when they cowardice by fleeing, his alter new man. He was allowed to a fat wallet nestled. farming community — special variety. NOAH ALESHIRE PETER ALESHIRE spotted him wearing a badge ego, Deputy Bradley, returned to post $1,000 bail in Arkansas, Roe’s cool demeanor and classes in everything from organic The Farm at South Mountain is VERA MARIE in a photograph­ of an Arizona Arkansas to face justice after ending the case there. Two quick thinking, combined gardening to candle-making, kids located at 6106 S. 32nd St. in BADERTSCHER ­courthouse. Bradley and learning of his imminent arrest. weeks later, Charles Bradley with the robbers’ bungling, projects, cooking, floral arranging Phoenix, just south of Southern RON BUTLER ALLISON KIEL McAnally were the same man. Residents of Tombstone could returned to Tombstone and his safeguarded his $1,200 stash, and more. Avenue on the west side of the street. LISA NATHAM However, while shooting hardly believe that McAnally and duties as a lawman. worth a cool $22,000 in today’s The Garden Territory gift shop is Information: (602) 276-6360, CHERYL A. SWEET KATHLEEN WALKER CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: BERNADETTE HEATH; LINDA LONGMIRE; BRAD REED; LONGMIRE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: LINDA LONGMIRE; MRACEK; ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY/TUCSON dollars. filled with antiques, tag sale relics, www.thefarmatsouthmountain.com.

4 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 5 STORIES IN STONE TREKKING IN CANYON DE CHELLY TEXT BY KATHLEEN BRYANT PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY LINDAHL MIKE REAGAN

t canyon de chelly, the Southwest’s history is written on reddish-tan sandstone walls. Once the home of the ancestral Puebloan people and their ancestors before them, Canyon de Chelly today is the heart of Navajo Country, DinéA Bikéyah. Here, the old ways live on in summer sheep camps and orchard-shaded hogans. And it’s where we’ve come to hike through a scenic and historic land. The name “de Chelly” first appeared in 18th-century Spanish reports, an attempt to transcribe the Navajo word for a rocky canyon, tségi. But this is not just one canyon. It is a union of two main canyons—de Chelly and del Muerto—and a dozen tributaries that drain the west- ern slope of the Defiance Plateau, a sprawling monocline edged by the 9,400-foot Chuska Mountains along the Arizona-New Mexico border. The plateau began forming 240 million years ago when Permian seas laid down mud later covered by hundreds of feet of windblown sand. Still later, Mesozoic streams depos-

­ited gravel and sediment, forming hard [preceding panel, pages 6 rimrock. For eons, the plateau shifted and 7] A granary ruin, and rose, creating vertical fractures and abandoned long ago by joints. Water carved out fissures, ravines, the ancient inhabitants of Canyon de Chelly on the even entire canyons. Navajo Indian Reservation, survives largely intact, our journey, a four-day trek from the protected from intruders and the ravages of the heart of Canyon de Chelly to its mouth, elements in a cave far begins at Bat Canyon. Photographer Larry above the canyon floor. Lindahl and I hope to learn more about [right] The bright autumn the area’s rock art and extensive trail sys- foliage of water-loving cottonwood trees marks the tem. Our guide, James Yazzie, leads hikes, path of Chinle Wash through four-wheel-drive tours and horse trips Canyon de Chelly. with his brothers and nephews—a fam- ily tradition that goes back 20 years. We set out the day after an autumn

8 NOVEMBER 2004 approaches the canyon, he introduces himself to show respect. “Everything is alive, even the canyon is alive,” he explains. His name for it, in Navajo, means “home.” Yazzie grew up at his grandfather’s place in Black Rock, a tributary between del Muerto and de Chelly, and spent summers exploring. He has learned to blend old and new, the traditions taught to him by his grandfather and the lessons he learned after leaving for boarding school. The next morning, he takes us to the Window, a natural stone arch rising high above the canyon floor. A small American flag flutters from the pocket of his backpack as Yazzie leads the way up a steep talus slope bristling with prickly pear. The Window overlooks a landscape quilt, stitched by the wavy line of creekside cottonwoods, patched [above] Navajo guide James Yazzie and author Kathleen with orchards and fallow cornfields. Bryant make their way across striated sandstone and The orchards standing here today replaced the 5,000 trees wind-scoured slick rock above the canyon floor. [opposite page] The White House Ruins command an alcove cut down before the harvest of 1864 by Col. Kit Carson’s troops, above a colorful stand of cottonwood trees heralding the a tactic used to starve out Navajo families sheltering here at coming change of seasons. One of the largest ancient the time of the infamous and deadly Long Walk to New Mex- dwellings in Canyon de Chelly, and the only one accessible without a Navajo guide, the ruins were home to a vibrant ico. For months, the army marched groups of Navajo people Puebloan community more than 700 years ago. east to Bosque Redondo. More than 8,000 survived the 400- mile journey, only to face four long years of captivity in the confines of a tiny reservation marked by bad water, diseases storm. Dampness scents the air as we descend through pock- and enemy raids. The peaceful view below, like looking through ets of pine and fir to a secret valley of grasses and massive cot- a window in time, underlines the safety and sustenance the tonwood trees. The mouth of 4-mile-long Bat Canyon opens Navajos were forced to leave behind. to the sight of 800-foot Spider Rock, guarding the intersection Farther downcanyon, near Lightning Rock, I am enchanted with de Chelly and Monument canyons. by a planetarium or star ceiling in a rocky alcove, one of a doz- On a shoulder of Spider Rock, a chest-high masonry wall en in Canyon de Chelly. The cross-shaped stars were made stands like a castle turret. Here, sentries once watched Bat Trail with paint-dipped yucca leaves attached to arrows or poles, for slavers, as Spanish colonists turned tribe against tribe to then shot or stamped onto the alcove’s ceiling. Some say only capture labor for their ranches and farms to the east. Rumors the Navajos’ ceremonial singers practiced star lore. Others of a vast Navajo fortress circulated through the centuries. Dur- say travelers created planetariums to symbolize the smoke ing an 1849 expedition into Canyon de Chelly, Lt. James H. hole of a hogan, or to “nail” the alcove’s ceiling to prevent it Simpson wrote, “Not yet having seen the famous fort, we began from collapse. to believe that in all probability, it would turn out to be a fable.” A nearby tributary hides an alcove painted in a riot of color The fabled fort was the land itself. During trouble, people — green, brown, white, yellow and red handprints, geomet- fled to the rocky stronghold from a hundred miles away. rics and bold humanlike figures. One of the anthropomorphs, Invaders might find a hauntingly empty canyon, or suffer a made with a vivid green that might be crushed malachite, mea- storm of stones, arrows and insults hurled from above. Dozens sures 4 feet tall. Another little green man is dotted with red, of trails led to outcroppings and alcoves, perfect hiding places. and nearby a red zigzag slashes across the torso of a female fig- Today, at least a hundred stock trails and footpaths are still in ure in white. use, and each tells a story. These dazzling images date from the Basket Maker era, 200 We camp in an orchard belonging to one of Yazzie’s aunts. b.c. to a.d. 400, when seminomadic people first adopted agri- Sheer cliffs rise a thousand feet above the orchard, pasture and culture, to the Developmental Pueblo period, when they began field, creating a cove of earth and stone. Cool air settles into the constructing masonry dwellings. At the base of the alcove stands canyon after sunset, and Yazzie builds a small fire. Above us, a sheep corral, from which the panel gets its Navajo name, three sheep scramble up a sandstone buttress to a shallow cave, Tséyaa Dibé Bighan. The corral and nearby home are empty. their nighttime haven. A full moon rises, the walls turn silver, The owners, who have granted Yazzie’s request to show us this and silence descends, broken only by the occasional clatter of site, have herded their stock up to the rim for the winter. hooves or the sounds of our voices. We meet few people as we hike the track along the can­yon’s Fireside conversation turns to the Yazzie family’s long rela- meandering stream. Our closest brush with civilization is at tionship with the canyon. He explains that whenever he White House Ruins, the only canyon site that can be visited

10 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com once used to evade Ute raiders, perhaps the same 1850s battle commemorated in the Ute Raid Panel farther up Canyon del Muerto. Also upcanyon is the Spanish Panel, said to depict the 1805 Antonio de Narbona expedition that ended at Mas- sacre Cave, where hundreds of bullet holes and scattered bones mark the slaughter of the more than 100 Navajo men, women and children who had taken refuge there. Our last day begins under a gray ceil- ing of clouds that obscures the sun and sends the temperature plummeting. We hike quickly, stopping at numerous rock- art sites: Bad Canyon, where archaeolo- gists documented 166 handprints and 39 footprints; near Sleeping Duck, where flute players dance with bean sprouts incised in stone; Navajo Panel, an exqui­ sitely rendered hunting scene of figures on horseback; and vast Newspaper Rock, a 75-foot cliff face wallpapered with petroglyphs. [left] Three sheep graze The wind turns fierce, picking up sand in gritty swirls and star- near a traditional Navajo tling a group of half-wild ponies. I close my mouth against the hogan sheltered by a grove of cottonwood trees below grit, the better to hear what these walls and trails say about Puebloan the steep walls of the farmers and their entreaties for rain. About Navajo horsemen chas- canyon. ing game or raiders. About Spanish, Mexican or American explor- [above] Steps carved into ers and soldiers trying to claim an old landscape for a new flag. sandstone cliffs helped the Puebloans negotiate We reach the visitors center as the first raindrops fall. Books the rigorous climb in and crowd the shelves, the official version of Southwest history. I pick out of the canyon. Today, a one up and turn the page but find it hard to concentrate. My inward hand-rail provides an extra measure of safety. vision remains miles away, focused on volumes of stone and the centuries of history written there.

Kathleen Bryant of Sedona is especially grateful to the Navajo people for sharing the beauty and serenity of Canyon de Chelly. Larry Lindahl has traveled to Canyon de Chelly many times with his wife, Kathleen Bryant, yet camping within the sandstone stronghold made this visit the most memorable.

Location: On the Navajo Indian Reservation, 355 miles northeast of Phoenix; 111 miles northeast of Holbrook; 3 miles east of Chinle. Getting There: From Interstate 40, take U.S. Route 191 north to Chinle. without a guide, via a 1.5-mile trail that leads from rim to floor. petroglyphs and pictographs, including a beautiful tableta or head- identifies it as a golden eagle and teaches me the Navajo word, . ’atsá Weather: With elevations between 5,000 and 7,000 feet, temperature extremes The dozen or so visitors today would be easily outnumbered by the dress in a stepped cloud design, similar to those worn in pueblo cer- From the junction, we head up Canyon del Muerto. The sandy range from more than 100 degrees in the summer to below zero degrees in winter. people who once called the site home. Archaeologists have count- emonies today. Perhaps it was painted during the early 1700s, the canyon floor is jeweled with bits of pottery and flaked stone, washed Hours: The visitors center is open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October to April, and 8 ed 80 rooms in the upper and lower pueblos. Residents raised time of the Spanish reconquest, when Hopi and Jemez refugees from ruins upcanyon. En route, Larry stops to photograph a palm- a.m. to 6 p.m. May to September. The Navajo Nation observes daylight-saving time. families, made pottery and cloth and stored corn harvested from sought shelter here. sized potsherd, decorated in intricate black-on-white. Our desti- Fees: Monument admission is free. Activity fees vary. Attractions: Self-guided routes on the south and north rims, each about 35 their floodplain fields. We camp that night below Dog Rock, also known as Junction nation is a hidden 60-foot panel of pictographs, with handprints in miles, are passable by passenger cars and feature overlooks for viewing White A mile downcanyon, two ravens chase their shadows above cross- Rock for its location at the confluence of de Chelly and del Muerto red, white, yellow, even blue, and several small, finely detailed fig- House, Spider Rock, Antelope House, Mummy Cave and other sites. Concessionaires bedded sandstone dunes weathered into lines and whorls. Their canyons. Junction Ruin, a cliff dwelling of 15 rooms, is visible ures, conjoined like Siamese twins with reversed colors and designs. offer vehicle and horseback tours. To drive into the canyon in your own vehicle flight draws my attention to a series of handholds and footholds through the Yazzie family’s orchard. A large walnut tree was planted Along Bare Trail we pass smooth chutes in the sandstone that (high-clearance four-wheel drive) requires a permit (free) and authorized guide ($15 per hour). Hiking within the canyon also requires a permit and authorized carved into the cliffs. We ascend partway, using a steel cable across here generations ago for the family’s rug weavers, who used the Yazzie says are children’s slides. I sometimes can’t tell when he’s guide, with the exception of White House Trail. Ranger-led hikes and programs one particularly steep stretch. Yazzie says this route, the Yei Bichei shells to make a rich brown dye. pulling my leg, but he assures me that children sit on flat stones, zip are offered May through September. Trail, is traveled often by canyon residents. He points out two other The next morning, Yazzie leads us in a circle around Junction down the rock chute and leap off before reaching the cliff edge. Travel Advisory: The monument is open year-round, though the inner canyon trails across the canyon, used to evade the cavalry during the time Rock, pointing out worn metates and petroglyphs so old they have The drop to the sandstone bench below is 30 feet or more. All too may be impassable in winter or during flooding. Visitors must respect the of the Long Walk. repatinated almost to invisibility. We stop to enjoy the upcanyon easily, I can imagine the wild ride and the sound of the stone “sled” privacy and property of the more than 50 families who live inside the canyon. It is unlawful to disturb, deface or destroy any natural or archaeological feature. Below, a lively colt gallops across a pasture that belongs to another view from Yazzie’s favorite perch. Overhead, a large bird soars, wings smashing to bits. Additional Information: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, (928) 674-5500, of Yazzie’s aunts. The cliff bordering the pasture is layered with outstretched. A pair of ravens give chase, dwarfed by its size. Yazzie Across this narrow stretch of canyon, pole ladders mark a route www.nps.gov/cach/.

12 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 13 a portfolio

OAK CREEK Shows Its Fall Finery

text and photographs By Robert G. Mc Donald I lived my childhood in central Arizona’s Verde Valley, near Oak Creek. At that time, fly-fishing attracted me to the creek. Spring and summer were my seasons of choice to be there in pursuit of trophy trout. In those days, each tree looked the

same as the next. Now, 50 years later, armed with a 4x5 view camera instead of a fly rod, the trees are my main attraction. Autumn is now my favorite time to visit Oak Creek Can­yon and the West Fork of Oak Creek. The canyon looks its best from late October through mid-November, when the bigtooth maple trees display a showy array of colored leaves — creamy pastels to vibrant scarlets and oranges. Thousands of canyon trekkers come to witness the annual seasonal change. I come in search of eye- catching photographs. I’ve made many trips to Oak Creek through the years, but my reasons for coming here have changed. Now I’m here to catch images of one of nature’s spectacles. . . and the trout are safe.

[opposite page] A young sycamore tree imposes its lively autumn gold on a creekside symphony of red in Oak Creek Canyon.

14 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com a portfolio

[left] Enduring gray rocks and slow-growing lichens contrast with the short-lived splash of a bigtooth maple tree in full autumn display, presenting a vivid tableau of transitory color. [following panel, pages 18 and 19] Bright hues of yellow, burnt orange, scarlet and green tint bigtooth maple trees along a rocky wash near Cave Springs in Oak Creek Canyon.

m ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 17

finale

Tales of LOST TREASURE

THE STATE REMAINS a GOLD MINE of MISPLACED LOOT

Tales of lost treasure, like the lure of gold, brought countless fortune seekers to Arizona during the last 150 years or so. Even today, such stories of lost gold mines, newly discovered treasure maps, buried riches and hidden loot from robberies continue to excite our imaginations.

Many of the stories carry a grain High­ways carried a monthly series ones — the stories pub­lished here of truth, but the details have been called “Legends of the Lost,” which — but some do have a vague fa­ distorted in the repeated retelling. told many of these treasure tales. miliarity. Then again, many of Others are more hope than fact. But the series was halted when these stories have similar char­ And still others are downright­ lies, we simply couldn’t find any more acteristics. After all, there are only told by con men and swindlers stories to report. so many ways to lose a gold mine desirous of quick gain. Since then, we have been on an In any event, enjoy these stories. Who can tell for sure which ones intensive search to find ad­ditiona­l And, if some day you stumble are fact-based and which aren’t? legends of missing or misplaced­ across a lost treasure, let us know From 1992 to 1999, Arizona loot. We think we have found new and we’ll add it to the lore.

illustrations by stefano vitale

[above] A bright-green moss-covered boulder challenges fallen bigtooth maple leaves for colorful pre-eminence in this scene along a tributary canyon in Oak Creek.

20 DECEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 21 streamed to the top of the hole at timed after the initial onslaught of water. large pieces of turquoise covered the bot- intervals, which gave him an idea. Some- After hearing all the stories about the tom of the water hole. Citing the belief of one could be lowered into the cavern, and Turquoise Shrine, Nez became curious the local Navajos, Nez reiterated­ that the then, after a short time, be lifted out before about the cavern himself. He studied it for ancient Puebloans must have tossed their the geyser’s water spouted. But his plan had a time, and realized that the water level most sacred possessions into the cavern LEGEND NAVAJO TURQUOISE GEYSER a flaw, and it cost him his life. of the shrine changed, depending on the as an offering to the gods. of the Thinking they had timed it just right, amount of rainfall received earlier that Both Nez and Richardson agreed the by Kerry Christensen Redshirt’s­ men lowered him into the heart year. So, in the 1930s, Nez daringly had location of the Turquoise Shrine should of the roiling rock, and he began to forage two men lower him into the cave, know- remain a secret to protect the Navajo leg- for turquoise. As he searched, he dis­cov-­ ing that the area had a recent shortage of end, as well as lives. When the two men n the Navajo Indian Reservation in more than an hour until they reached the Richardson he was the only Indian who ered several bodies of victims of the water- rainfall. When he reached the bottom, his searched the rock together, they refrained northeastern Arizona, a deep cave top where the opening of the Turquoise had ever entered the Turquoise Shrine and ­spout. Immediately, he called for his men feet slipped out from under him. He heard from entering the uncharted depths. They O formed by a geyser served as an altar Shrine, between 8 and 10 feet wide, lay lived. Richardson listened to his friend to raise him out of the unpredictable cav- a rush of water, and the two men tried to did not have the proper equipment for for the ancient Puebloans to sacrifice to in wait. Richardson said he heard a “sub- relay his knowledge of the shrine, as well ern, but the water had already begun to lift him from the hole. exploring, even if they wanted to give up their gods their most prized possessions terranean roar” coming from the depths as the Navajo history surrounding it. un­leash its energy. He had timed the spray Water enveloped Nez, but the two men their lives in exchange. — turquoise nuggets, also known as the of the angered crag. The sound grew to a According to Nez, as Richardson recalled of the geyser incorrectly,­ and succumbed continued to pull him to safety. They got him Although the secret entrance to the Tur-­ Southwest’s­ “blue diamonds.” threatening grumble, and then faded into it, two white men, Ben and Bill Williams, to its punishing force. The natural faucet out before the waters of the shrine could quoise Shrine eventually collapsed, the The hidden cliff dwelling is called the a numbing quietude. found the shrine in 1885. At that time, the surged up through the ground, and only squeeze the life from his lungs, and Nez soon allure of treasure locked high within the Turquoise Shrine. Looking down into the heart of the geyser reportedly sprayed 12 feet high. But the frayed end of Redshirt’s ­rope re­mained recovered from his near drowning. He said walls of Navajoland persists. The ancient Indians believed the geyser’s shrine, Nez identified a dish-shaped basin now the water lay calm. spray dealt out punishment to those who made by water. Once again, a powerful The Williamses witnessed the water opposed the wishes of the gods, and so they growl escaped from the center of the shrine. bursting­ from the rocks. After they watched collected their most valuable pieces of A strong spray of boiling water spouted to the display, they reported gathering a flour turquoise and tossed them into the geyser, almost the top of the cavern, blocking the sackful of turquoise left behind by the re­ hoping to appease the gods. men’s vision. But it soon receded, allowing ceding water. Although some people knew about the the two to gaze into the depths of its waters. Navajo tribal members had heard ru­- bejeweled cavern, and some even knew The geyser protected the turquoise en- mors about the shrine, but they did not dis- its location, they did not get very far into ­cased in the darkness of the shrine. Its ­cover the exact location until after 1900. GOLDEN CHIMNEY ARAVAIPAS the cave because of the geyser. forceful spray cost the lives of several men According to Navajo legend, ancient cliff of the The Turquoise Shrine, according to who ventured into the shrine. Nez told dwellers deposited offerings of turquoise by Leo W. Banks legend, lies hidden and lost among the and sacred objects in the hole. As a result,­ eroded canyon walls near the Arizona- the cave built up quite a collection of “blue Utah border. diamonds.” f the legend holds, a spiral-shaped hole to Indians throughout southern Arizona. the two rode into the mountains north of The Navajos have passed the legend of The legend says a Navajo man named on a hilltop near Winkelman hides a In his new life, the disgraced former sol- Camp Grant. They stopped at a ledge in­ the shrine down through the generations. Hoshteen searched for the correct location I treasure worth dying for. Call it the dier was no longer called McLean. On the dented with a cuplike depression, 8 feet Thomas Penfield, in A Guide to Treasure in of the shrine; however, the reasons for his Squaw Man’s Gold, Lost Yuma Ledge or the trading routes, he was simply “Yuma.” across. In the account of writer Victor Arizona, said only three Navajos and two doing so remain unclear. When he found Golden Chimney of the Aravaipas. The tale “He was scarcely known by any other ­Stoyanow, Eskiminzin looked away, absolv- Anglos knew the exact location of the tur- it, he scaled the monolith and discovered has traveled under each of those names, ac- name,” reported the Arizona Weekly Enter- ing himself of complicity in a deal that quoise treasure, and they kept the loca- an abundance of turquoise at the top of companied by an even wider assortment prise newspaper for April 11, 1891, “and exposed his people to endless trouble, while tion secret. For years, the Navajos had con- the rock structure. Then, looking down of “facts.” had adopted the breech cloth and moccasins Yuma dropped to his knees and scraped at cealed the shine’s entrance to divert fortune into the cave from the monolith’s peak, By any calling, it cannot be tossed aside as a savage costume, and fed upon pachita.” the depression with his hunting knife. hunters from trespassing on their sacred he saw the turquoise lying in the under- as nonsense. Too much tantalizing circum- Census records for 1860 list Yuma as liv- “He suddenly came upon the top of the ground. But the truth eventually seeped ground shrine. He then sent two Navajos stance stands in the way. And the disinte- ing near the Overland Mail Station on its chimney—rose quartz with enough free to the surface when the cavern’s opening down into the rock to gather armfuls of grating bones of one Thomas F. McLean in route between Tucson and the Pima Indian gold so that the point of his knife couldn’t collapsed and revealed several pieces of turquoise, but the geyser caught up with a shallow rock grave west of the Baboquiv- villages. He had close ties as well with the fit between the chunks,” Stoyanow wrote turquoise. the unlucky souls. ari Mountains testify to his belief that he’d Aravaipa Apaches, who sometimes settled in Desert magazine in 1968. Toney Richardson wrote of the shrine One of the men traveled farther into found a golden bonanza. their debts with gold nuggets or free gold Another version, given prominence in in the February 1948 issue of Desert Mag- the cavern, but like his companion, never McLean was born in Smithland, Mis- from quartz. This drew Yuma’s passionate newspapers of the late 19th century, ­doesn’t azine. He said Todachene Nez, a Navajo made it back to the surface. He got stuck, souri, in about 1830. As a young man he interest. mention Eskiminzin. It says that when friend, took him to the Turquoise Shrine, and then started screaming, for the sounds gained appointment to the U.S. Military Here the story splinters. One version Yuma arrived at his favorite trading loca but first surprised the writer by revealing of rushing water warned of impending Academy at West Point, but was court- says he came to know the Aravaipa leader tion, near the confluence of the San Pedro a location that Richardson had passed sev- doom. The water quickly blasted to the top martialed­ in 1848 for numerous violations Eskiminzin. Yuma approached the chief and Gila rivers, Apaches came in large num- eral times. Nez led Richardson to the lip of the monolith. After the water retreat­ ed­ of academy regulations and drifted to the with a deal: Show me the source of your bers to trade. He would often go with sev- of a canyon on horseback, and then into into the cavern once again, Hoshteen ­spied West. Bitterness at his military experience gold, and in return I’ll hand over all my eral of them for a mysterious trip, always the canyon. They followed a trail to the the broken bodies of his two companions. led McLean to renounce his ties to the goods. Eskiminzin agreed, but Yuma was returning loaded down with free gold. bottom of a cliff. Despite the dangers presented in seek- white race. Over time he moved closer to allowed only one visit to the treasure site. The story of how Yuma met his end is The great monolithic rock housing the ing out the Turquoise Shrine, a man named the In­dians he’d met around Yuma, and Everything he could carry away on that also dependent on the teller. Stoyanow Turquoise­ Shrine rose at least 125 feet above Redshirt explored the area for signs of more even­tually married one. His life consisted trip was his. But he could never reveal contends that after his encounter with the floor of the canyon. turquoise a few years after Hoshteen’s at of traveling the desert with his wife in what he saw without bringing severe con- Eskiminzin,­ Yuma returned to Tucson and Nez and Richardson approached the tempt, ac­cording to Richardson. After a a wagon stocked with calico, beads, am­ sequences to himself and the chief. joined with a man named Crittenden. They intimidating cliff. They scaled the rock for close study, he concluded that the geyser munition and staple goods that he sold On the pretext of going on a deer hunt, returned to the site of the gold, and in the

22 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 23 dead of night used axes to dig up 30 pounds San Pedro, along with his Colt revolver, all the gold was on a large hill north of Camp burros out across the desert, following the of quartz. They packed it into their sad­dles its bullets spent. He was never again seen Grant, less than 100 feet to the left of a trail same trail they had used earlier. and hauled it to Tucson, where they received and no body was recovered. leading into the mountains. That night they camped at a small spring astonishing news: The quartz assayed at But here again, memory, fact and fantasy “He once attempted to visit the place, but on the south fork of the canyon. A few yards more than $50,000 in gold per ton. combine to cook a contradictory and frus- was taken ill with acute kidney trouble and from where they lay, a stream of water bub- Either by boast or accident, word of trating stew. suffered months of illness,” the Citizen re­- bled from the west bank, ran several hun- Yuma’s find spread. The Arizona Daily Cit- Noted Tucson pioneer Charles Poston ported. “He has since intended several dred feet and then was lost in the sand. The izen reported on February 24, 1887, that knew McLean and stated publicly that he times to visit the place, but some obstacle men slept fretfully that night, eager for the several of Tucson’s finest citizens inspect­ed died in 1861. Could Crittenden, believing has as often intervened. He believes he can rising sun that would light the way to the the gold and vouched for “the marvelous great fortune awaited him, really have find it by judicious search . . . and in a riches they would soon discover in the wild richness” of the ore. “There was enough stayed in concealment for all those years? few weeks he will make another effort to brush of the canyon. for all, and great fortunes were anticipated And the Citizen reported that Yuma’s reach the wonderful spot where gold can Within a few days, Brown and Davis by those who were to participate in the partner­ on his second trip to the site be hewn out with an axe.” found an 18-inch quartz vein on the west side new El Dorado,” the Citizen reported. wasn’t­­ Crittenden at all, but an Indian Brown never retrieved the gold. Some of the canyon. The vein began in a patch of But, according to this version of the agent named John D. Walker, and that 100 years later, the writer Stoyanow, manzanita brush in a rocky, rough-cut wash. tale, Yuma feared the consequences of his Yuma was actually killed by O’odham gripped with the fever, mounted his own The site looked as though it had recently broken promise and decided, along with Indians afraid he was an informant for search and was also unsuccessful. But his been worked; small piles of ore lay scattered Crittenden,­ to hide out until the furor died. the Apaches, their long-time enemy. effort brought him to a different place, near the bush and under nearby paloverde A short time later, while traveling with his The Citizen’s coverage also noted the pat- Crozier Peak in the Tortilla Mountains. trees along with various shards of pottery, wife on the desert near what is now Ajo, he tern of misfortune and death that befell In his mind, this was the certain spot of indicating that in times past, Indian women and his wife were set upon by vengeful those to whom the story of the gold was the gold. may have mined the ore. Apaches and clubbed to death. passed. It began with Walker, who was “The northern slope of Crozier Peak is Brown and Davis returned to their camp According to ­Stoyanow, Crittenden physically unable to return to Yuma’s ledge. one of the most awful pieces of terrain in and constructed a crude apparatus for pul- Indians rode full tilt through the canyon, to Indian country to retrieve his precious emerged from his self-imposed exile in He died in 1873, after revealing its location the world,” he wrote. “The whole complex verizing ore, called an arrastra. After min- firing at the surprised men. Davis fell, treasure. 1870 and set out alone to plunder the gold- to John Sweeney, a blacksmith unable to is a crazy quilt. You get the feeling, stand- ing and milling nearly 25 sacks of the sprawled on the ground, a bullet having Years later, after the Indians had been ­en chimney. When Crittenden stopped at hold either his booze or a secret. ing on Crozier, that one false step will put quartz, the partners estimated they had gone through his head and killing him in- pacified somewhat and relocated to reser- Camp Grant to inform the command­er of Shortly before his death in Florence, you through a trapdoor of loose gravel and $70,000 or more in gold in their posses- stantly. Brown lunged for cover, grabbed vations, Brown decided it was time to re- his plans, he was advised against proceed- Sweeney whispered the location to Tucso- plummet you down a 10,000-foot elevator sion. The men stored the gold in a deep his rifle and began firing. He killed three ­turn to the scene where he’d struck it rich. ­ing, but did so anyway. Ten days later his nan Charles O. Brown, who, for whatever shaft to the gates of hell—or maybe the hole under­ a large, prominent rock that of the Indians and wounded a fourth He made it to Phoenix, but as he gathered horse was found tethered to a tree near the reason, made no secret of what he knew — golden chimney.” stood near their equipment on the east before the attackers abandoned the fight supplies and an outfit for his trek, he be- bank of the creek. Shortly after conceal- and disappeared into the rocky canyon. ­came sick. ing their gold, the prospectors headed out Brown managed to escape. A piece of On his deathbed in the hospital, Brown of the canyon, prepared to return to their rich ore he carried in his pocket was all told the story of the strike he and Davis had hometown­ of San Francisco to obtain he had to show for the weeks he’d toiled made. Brown said the gold they’d collected ­better-quality machinery. They kept a few in the relentless sun. Later Brown had it had been buried in a shallow hole between a smaller sacks of gold to take with them. assayed in San Francisco and found it con­- large boulder and a stratum of white volca- BURIED TREASURE BRONCO CANYON As the men made their way out of the tained $84,000 per ton in gold. Brown was nic ash. Brown suspected the gold still was in canyon, according to Mitchell, Indians— scarred from his experience and kept his hidden there, waiting for someone luck- by Caramie Schnell thought to be Apaches—attacked. The secret, waiting until it was safe to return ier than he to find it.

story circulating in 1871 frontier the store when the Indian shuffled in. His The Indian started his trek across the Phoenix tells of two prospectors who pockets overflowed with pieces of ore mat- desert with the men following from a dis- A followed an Indian into Bronco Can­- ted together with coarse wires and nug creet distance, curiosity mixed with a child- yon in Gila County in search of the man’s gets of gold. The man used the quartz to like hopefulness fueling their pursuit. After gold. Supposedly they found it, mined it, barter for supplies. The prospectors were traveling 10 miles through the desert, the EASTERN ARIZONA’S BLACK BURRO MINE but then buried their treasure before leav- amazed. They’d never encountered rocks Indian passed along Coon Creek Butte, and ing the site to get better equipment. as rich as those that lay only a few feet soon after dropped into Bronco Canyon. by Allison Oleksa They never returned. Both died, one from them on the shop counter. The mountains loomed larger, some violently, believing their gold lay safely The proprietor said the man was a black and ominous, as they continued on hidden. Yavapai who frequented the small store, their journey. The vastness of the canyon hen the prospector who found gold the San Francisco River and Eagle Creek in the side of the trail. One traveler noticed a The story begins with the Indian who always paying with the rich ore. He thought encompassed them; on their right, a hill- near the Arizona-New Mexico bor- eastern Arizona that, in times past, there pack tied to the saddle. The trio, thinking traveled periodically from Bronco Can-­ the Indian lived northeast of the fort in side towered steeply, topping out into a Wder disappeared, he left the secret of was a trail named for a prospector well the owner must be near, started hollering. yon to the store at Fort McDowell to trade Bronco Canyon. Brown and Davis had rolling mesa. Precipitous arroyos led into the mine’s location with his best friend and known in the area—the Old Mansfield After hearing no answer, they waited, hop- chunks of gold ore in exchange for food been pros­pecting the hot hills and arroyos the mountain, and it was into one of these traveling companion, his black burro. Trail. On this route, the legend of the Black ing that no harm had befallen the owner. and other supplies. of eastern Arizona without success. With a arroyos that the Indian disappeared. Old-time prospectors needed a mule or Burro Mine unfolded. Several hours passed, but the worried men The bartering continued for some time quick glance at each other, the two quickly After losing the trail, the two men de­- burro to survive in the desert. The animal In 1826, three unidentified prospectors found no sign of anyone. before­ the two prospectors, remembered left the store to follow the Indian. cided to return to the fort and purchase sup­- carried the provisions in the search for traveled along the hot, dusty trail, hoping to Finally, they inspected the pack and saw only as Brown and Davis (or maybe Davies, According to John D. Mitchell, author of plies sufficient to last them several weeks riches and carried the ore if the prospector make a rich strike. Somewhere around the two new rawhide sacks lashed to the saddle. depending on what version of the story the book Lost Mines and Buried Treasures so they could explore in and around the got lucky. In fact, so many prospectors and area of today’s Clifton in Greenlee County, Each sack contained a full load of rich gold you follow), happened to be lounging in Along the Old Frontier, this is what ensued: canyon. They headed their supply-laden their animals traversed the area between they discovered a black burro grazing along ore samples. Not only curious about the

24 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 25 source but fearful of being accused of steal- behind a thicket. After eluding the attack- burro? The question remains unanswered. after the massacre sparked the desire for led a small group of Apache warriors in camp, but they never reached Mexico. ing a man’s burro, the men made camp to ers, the man returned to the site where Some people surmise that it might have revenge in the heart of Geronimo. southeastern Arizona, waging war against As the soldiers hiked out of the canyon,­ wait for the owner to return and claim his the Apaches left his fallen comrades. He been the prospector Mansfield himself, who According to legend, through this expe­ ­r- those who dared to restrict his group to a the Indians made their move, ambush­ ing­ property. found the ground littered with the rich was rumored to have a rich mine. He also ience Geronimo received the power to reservation, raiding towns and murdering the small mining party. Two men survived That night, the men heard strange gold ore the Apaches cast away as use- supposedly died at the hands of the Apaches, become a medicine man and shaman while those who stood in their way. the attack by waiting in hiding for the rustling sounds. Fearing Apaches, they ­less rocks. Probably fearful of the Indians though no one ever recovered his body. seeking solitude in the wilderness. According to Thomas Penfield’s version Apaches to leave the area, and then went remained silent. The next morning, they returning, he pressed on, leaving the nug No dates verify the apparent deaths of Sitting still and weeping with his head of the legendary gold mine in the book back to their camp. They stored the remain-­ once again searched the area for some gets behind. Mansfield and the two prospectors, ­although­ bowed, he heard a voice call his name, Dig Here!, Geronimo and the Apache peo- ing gold bars in the mining tunnel, then trace of the burro’s missing owner but The survivor made it to a Mexican village. the December 1901 issue of Munsey’s Mag- “Goyahkla,” four times — a magical num- ple discovered a rich gold vein in the side sealed the entrance. found nothing. The men added the burro There he told his story, but no one seemed azine mentions the mysterious burro laden ber to Apaches. Then it said: “No gun can wall of the Sycamore Canyon that is After nightfall, the two soldiers beat it and its nuggets to their party. interested in the lost gold mine tale. The with gold ore. ever kill you. I will take the bullets from located at the mouth of the Verde River, out of the canyon, heading to Tubac. There Their luck soon turned bad. For as the man lacked proof, so the settlers had only Could the Black Burro Mine and the the guns of the Mexicans, so they will northwest of Clarkdale. they told their story to local prospec­ tors­ travelers neared the end of the Old Mans- his word. When no one organized a search Mans­field Mine be the same? Or were two have nothing but powder and I will guide who went back to search for the mine them­- field Trail near Eagle Creek, Apaches am- for the source of the gold, the man drifted mines hidden beneath the sage­brush and your arrows.” selves. They found the remains­ of a stone ­bushed them. Only one man survived on never to be heard from again. cacti along the old trail? Only the black Although Geronimo and Juh (Geronimo’s building, but were unable­ to locate the by ducking under a small ledge hidden Who was the unfortunate owner of the burro knew for certain. brother-in-law) and young Nedni (chief-to- High atop buried gold bars or the gold mine. be) had led raids from the Sierra Madre In 1853, a prospector named Clifford of Mexico into southeastern Arizona and the canyon wall, Haines discovered a Spanish mining camp southwestern New Mexico against both high in Sycamore Canyon while hiding Mexicans and Anglos, their fury found angered Apaches from a band of Apaches. He quickly made full force after the Janos massacre. The a map of the area and left the canyon, devastation of that day spurred a lifetime rolled boulders according to Penfield in A Guide to Trea- of hatred in Geronimo for both Mexican sure in Arizona. Although he tried to get and white people. people to return with him to the mine, no GERONIMO’S STORY HIDDEN GOLD Geronimo rallied Apaches from tribes down onto the one wished to brave the attacks of hostile of throughout Arizona, creating a worthy Indians. by Kerry Christensen army of unified resistance, thwarting the Spanish camp. . . . John T. Squires became the next own- military authorities of both the United ­er of the map, and he successfully led a States and Mexico. They made eerie noises group of miners into Sycamore Canyon. rapped in the politics of the devas­ Around 1852, under the leadership of After working the mine one summer, a tating Indian Wars during the 1860s, Geronimo, Mangas Coloradas, Juh and throughout the night, group of Apaches attacked them, allow- TGeronimo tried to bribe an Army offi­- Cochise (leader of the Chiricahuas), a ing only a few men to escape unscathed. cer in an attempt to gain his freedom from band of Apache warriors joined to ex­act The Indians then destroyed all traces prison at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The legend­ revenge on the residents of Arizpe, a Mex-­ gnawing on the minds of the mine site to dissuade future poten- ary Apache war leader told the officer he ican town in northern Sonora, Mexico, tial treasure seekers from prospecting on would reveal the location of a rich gold where troops were already stationed for of the Spanish. their tribal land. Although some men from mine on Apache land in exchange for his its defense. Because of Geronimo’s great Squires’ original search party returned to release. loss, the Apache leaders believed that look for the mine later, it had by then vir- According to Raymond W. Voss in A he should head their retributive attack tually disappeared. Reference Guide to Lost Mines and Hid- against Arizpe. Spanish soldiers on their way to New After years of warring with the white men ­den Treasures of Arizona, Old and New, First the warriors ambushed troops Mexico soon seized their treasure, claim- and Mexicans, Geronimo surrendered for the exact location of the gold mine — who’d come out to meet them from the ing it as their own. The soldiers contin- the last time to Brig. Gen. ­Nelson A. Miles if it really exists—remains unknown. town. Seeking dead Mexicans to avenge ued to New Mexico, but left behind a few in September 1886 in Skeleton Canyon on Some believe the gold mine is on the their own dead, the Apaches slaughtered men to guard the rich gold deposits and to the western side of the Peloncillo Moun­ Verde River, possibly near Fort McDow- the eight men in full view of the town. construct a smelter—a furnace to extri- tains near the Mexico border. ell, while others insist it’s in the Super­ The next day, the whole Mexican force cate gold from its ore. Geronimo later used his knowledge of stition Mountains or one of Arizona’s — two companies of cavalry and two High atop the canyon wall, angered the canyon gold mine and the promise of several­ Sycamore Canyons. of infantry — came out to attack. After Apaches rolled boulders down onto the vast wealth and good fortune to bribe the Geronimo was born in approximately battling two hours, the Apache warriors, Spanish camp. They carried out ambushes guard at Fort Sill in exchange for his free- 1829 near the Arizona-New Mexico bor- fighting with bows and arrows and spears when the opportunity arose. They made dom, according to John D. Mitchell in der. His mother named him Goyahkla, in close quarters, defeated the Arizpe force. eerie noises throughout the night, gnaw- Lost Mines of the Great Southwest. He “one who yawns.” It was here, according to tradition, that ing on the minds of the Spanish. wanted to return to his homeland in Ari- His skill as an Apache warrior came to Goyahkla received the name Geronimo. But the soldiers refused to leave. They zona one last time before his death, but light around 1851 after Mexican soldiers According to Geronimo’s legend, Mex-­ continued to tunnel into the canyon wall an officer at Fort Sill discovered the pro- killed his mother, wife and three children, ican soldiers fighting for their lives were to extract the rich ore, which they sent to posed bribe, and the conspiring soldier along with other Apaches, in a massacre probably pleading for St. Jerome to protect the smelter for processing. When enough was court-martialed. outside Janos, Mexico. During the attack, them when they screamed, ­“Geronimo! gold bars rested on the cave floor, the Although a number of people thought the young males of the tribe were trading Geronimo!” as the fierce Apache leader soldiers decided to transport the rich trea- ­Geronimo might have created the tale to goods in Janos near the southeastern border attacked. Geronimo is the Spanish word sure to Mexico on mules. They planned to escape the clutches of the Army, many of Arizona and returned to a ravaged home. for Jerome. recruit­ men in Mexico to help them uproot­ others believed Geronimo’s lost gold mine The emotional devastation he suffered From the 1850s to the 1880s, Geronimo­ the Apaches who continued to harass their existed.

26 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 27 he jumped onto the loaded skiff and pad- the chase and let the company recover by optimistic fortune hunters. The silver dled his way toward the Arizona shore. its own bullion,” according to the Times remained hidden, and the gold disap- Defenseless, the crew of the Gila could report. peared with the long-forgotten soldier, or not do anything except continue on to According to Thomas Penfield in A so it appeared. PIRACY on the COLORADO Hardyville, where they formed a posse to Guide to Treasure in Arizona, residents of In 1900, a miner found a bar of silver a track the mysterious soldier. Hardy­ville claimed to have witnessed a few hundred feet north of Crossman LEADS MISSING SILVER BARS The San Bernardino Times reported that man traveling with a light load passing Spring while he was digging a shallow to the posse discovered the trail of the sol- through the area. Many people believed well. His find encouraged­ more people to by Kerry Christensen dier’s horses leading away from the river- that he hid the stolen silver somewhere search the area again; however, they found bank where the boat waited, but they lost near Crossman Spring when his second no more silver bars. the tracks on the ridge high above the river. horse be­came disabled. The soldier then “This single bar was evidently a stray he steamer Gila made small waves river, according to Fred L. Kuller, a writer and silver came from the mining camp They hiked to Crossman Spring, today shot the horse and continued to carry the from the larger cache hidden somewhere in the Colorado River as it trudged for Frontier Times. Capt. Jack Mellon rec-­ of Eldorado Canyon, near Nelson, Nevada, called Crescent ­Spring, and found the body gold with him as he evaded the grasp of nearby for it hardly seems likely that each Tdownstream toward Yuma. The ship’s ­ognized the man’s signal of distress, and and the riches lay under the management of a horse, which they assumed the soldier the posse. bar would have been hidden separately,” crew had no idea that a pirate lay in wait to ordered his first mate and two Indians of the Southwestern Mining Co. shot after it broke one of its legs. In addi- Even though he supposedly left the sil- wrote Kuller in the Times. pillage the ship’s gold cargo and escape with to pick him up in a small boat alongside Kuller erroneously wrote that the gold tion, the posse learned of a man who had ver bullion somewhere near Crossman Today, lost in the geology of Crescent the treasure in tow. The man disappeared, the steamer. bullion was worth about $40,000, but Ari- traveled through the area four days earlier. Spring, no one has discovered the cache of Spring, lies the answer to a question long- and the gold, as well as its hiding place, The boat reached the ship and the man zona’s Department of Mines and Mineral At that point, they decided to “give up the missing treasure despite many attempts buried but hardly forgotten. remain buried in the memories of a Terri- climbed aboard. He said he had lost his Resources reported that it was valued at torial legend. companion while hunting wild game on $6,000. Because the level of the river was As the constant drone of the Gila lulled the island. He believed his friend returned too low for the steamer to make contin­ the waters of the Colorado River one morn- to their camp to organize a search party for uous trips to the mining camp year-round, ing in 1880, a man dressed as a soldier him. However, the captain and his men Mellon waited until spring before he start­- stood on the north bank of Cottonwood soon learned differently. ed down the river. Island, 30 miles north of Fort Mojave, and Earlier that day, Mellon had overseen the In Kuller’s article, he related a personal LOST MERCURY TUBES TREASURE flagged down the ship. loading of about a half-ton of silver onto account of what William Balderston, an The soldier’s possessions included a fully the Gila, and he personally placed a strong- eyewitness to the soldier’s piracy, had ex­ by Kerry Christensen loaded Henry rifle and two horses tethered box containing 300 ounces of gold inside a perienced aboard the steamer. He wrote that to the bushes on the Arizona side of the small safe in his shipboard cabin. The gold after the soldier reached the deck of the steamer, he pointed his rifle at Mellon and he steady creak of traveling freight a prized commodity in the mining world dig for treasure, its chemical properties con- demanded he hand over the strongbox with wagons filled with iron-cased mercury because of its ability to extract gold and sil- tained vast amounts of poison, especially the gold in it. Trattled through the vast terrain of Coco­- ver from pulverized ore with its poisonous in its liquid form. Many times, miners fell Mellon played innocent and said that nino County as the wagons headed south charm. Using a process called amalgama- prey to the deadly mercury fumes. he did not possess such a strongbox, but toward Flagstaff from Lee’s Ferry. En route, tion, miners combined mercury with gold Many believed the lost mercury tubes the soldier knew otherwise, for he had six of the 26 tubes, or flasks, disappeared, or silver to create an amalgam, according to treasure lay buried somewhere in Bitter observed the captain carrying the strong- creating a mystery that hasn’t been solved. Springs, 15 miles south of Lee’s Ferry, ac­ box aboard the ship that morning. The sil- In 1902, the wagon train carrying mer- cording to Penfield in his book. However, ver bars were stacked on the sturdy deck cury reportedly valued at $65,000, accord- The location of the the location of the mercury remained a of the ship. ing to Thomas Penfield’s book, A Guide to mystery until some Indians revealed that The thief ordered the crew to throw their Treasure in Arizona, rolled through north- mercury remained a they had witnessed men burying the flasks weapons onto the deck and he then kicked ern Arizona from the Colorado River to in the sand at the base of Echo Cliffs near the guns into the river. meet a train waiting in Flagstaff. The mer- mystery until some Tanner Wash in northern Arizona. At rifle point, the soldier directed Mellon­ cury rested in flasks 6 inches in diameter The only discrepancy in the Indians’ and his men to the captain’s cabin, where and 10 feet long. story lay in the fact that they saw the men the gold-filled strongbox sat in a heavy safe. Each flask weighed approximately 76.5 Indians revealed that burying 10 flasks instead of six. He ordered Mellon to open the safe and pounds and, according to the legend, had In response to the Indians’ report, a man give him the strongbox. After Mellon com- a market value of $2,500 per flask, but Ari- they had witnessed named Abe Cole investigated the base of plied, the soldier exchanged clothes with zona’s Department of Mines and Mineral Echo Cliffs himself. After searching for Wharton Barker, the treasurer of the South- Resources reports the flasks were actually men burying the miles along its base, Cole spied the ends of western Mining Co., in an attempt to dis- worth $44.10 each at the time. In 2003, the several flasks sticking out from the sand. guise himself while on shore. market value for mercury was $170 per Due to the heavy weight of the iron flasks, Making his way out to the ship’s deck, flask, according to Nyal Niemuth, mining flasks in the sand. Cole failed to retrieve them. the soldier ordered the crew to lower the engineer with the Department of Mines Soon after, Cole was chased away by a skiff, and then place the strongbox into it. and Mineral Resources. Niemuth. This fusion of elements made it sandstorm that possibly covered the treasure As an afterthought, the soldier directed the When the men unloaded the shipment easier to collect the gold or silver after sub- site. When Cole returned to dig up the mer- crew to start loading the silver bars into in Flagstaff, only 20 flasks remained in the jecting the mixture to fire-refining processes. cury, he could not find it. The fury of the rag- the small boat. The weight soon became wagon, leaving six unaccounted for. The properties of mercury allowed the gold ing sandstorm masked any sign of the flasks. too much after a couple hundred pounds Although the freighters claimed ignorance and silver to dissolve into it, much like iced Despite many hunts for the toxic treasure, had been loaded, and the thief ordered the regarding the disappearance of the trea- tea and sugar, until the miners recovered the it apparently remains safely in the ground, transfer ­stopped. He told Barker to “keep sure, some believed otherwise. gold or silver from the mercury. possibly to stay there until revealed again the change,” according to Balderston, as In the late 19th century, mercury became Although mercury aided miners in their by the winds.

28 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 29 about the gold from soldiers stationed with them at Camp Reno who traded supplies for bits of ore brought in by Indians. According to historian Jim Schreier, in his book Camp Reno: Outpost in Apacheria,­ TALE GOLDEN BULLETS 1867-1870, the ore samples “confirmed of rumors of placer gold not far from the by Caramie Schnell general site of planned Camp Reno.” The Army officially established Camp Reno in 1867 to protect settlers from the he diary of French-Canadian Francois­ with Coyotero Apaches in the Tonto Basin, group of Apaches approached the camp. Tonto Apaches, particularly the band head-­ Xavier Aubry, who amassed a fortune according to author Leland Lovelace in his As it turned out, however, the Indians ed by the colorful but resistant Delshay. Tin the early 1800s as a trader and book, Lost Mines and Hidden Treasures. came to trade, offering gold nuggets for As a military strategy, he would periodi- freighter in the Southwest, tells of seeing Aubry and his party of 18 were ambushed food, tobacco and clothing. Aubry record­ ­- cally offer peace and blame his enemies Indians in the Tonto Basin using solid gold there by the Coyoteros, whose home terri- ed in his diary that they had received near- for raids committed by his band or allies. bullets to shoot rabbits. tory was the forests of the Mogollon Rim. ­ly $1,500 in gold nuggets in exchange for As lucky as he was crafty, Delshay elud-­ But the Apaches, who inhabited both the Though some of Aubry’s band were struck clothes the men had gathered from among ed capture numerous times even while mountainous country below and the forests their belongings. wounded, escaping to the Mazatzal or the along the Mogollon Rim, would not dis- In another diary entry, Aubry reported Sierra Ancha mountains northeast of to- close the location of their gold source. Aubry reported that that he had seen one of the Indians place ­day’s Phoenix. Despite the behavior of Because the Apaches did not work mines, it small gold bullets in a pistol and shoot a their leader, the Apaches continued trad- was assumed the riches were free gold, ore he had seen one of rabbit that the Indians later presented to ing with the soldiers at the small military picked up on the surface. But where? him as a peace offering. enclave. Aubry was no ordinary merchant. He the Indians place Rumors of the golden bullets spread The rich ore briefly infected many of had built a reputation on speed, travel­ throughout the frontier, but did they ex- the enlisted men with gold fever. How- ing once in 1848 from Santa Fe, New Mex- ­ist? If not, why would Aubry make such ever, the frequency of Apache attacks ico, to Independence, Missouri, in five small gold bullets in a an entry­ in his diary? cured most of the stricken soldiers sta- days and 16 hours, a record for the time. The answer, unfortunately, died with tioned at Camp Reno and inhibited fur- He hauled freight between the two cities pistol and shoot a Aubry in 1854. At the La Fonda Hotel in ther prospecting. twice each year while other freighters could Santa Fe, Aubry drew a pistol on a news- The mystery of the Tonto Apache gold make the journey only once. Aubry, whose rabbit that the paperman who had disparaged some of vein inspired author and treasure hunter feats earned him the nickname “Skimmer Aubry’s feats. But the pistol proved no John D. Mitchell to research it. In an ar­- of the Plains,” amassed a trading fortune ­Indians later match for the newspaperman’s Bowie ticle published in Desert Magazine he of about $250,000, according to historian knife. Aubry, both rich and famous, was claimed that gold from this mine still came Dan L. Thrapp in his Encyclopedia of Fron- stabbed to death in a street brawl at the into the Phoenix-Scottsdale area by way tier Biography. presented to him as age of 30. A jury acquitted the newspa- of Apache wood haulers as recently as The Southwest was a violent place in perman, Richard H. Weightman, of the 1942, only 67 years after the soldiers’ the eight-foot hole being covered with a could have washed away the landmark those days, and Aubry had numerous skir- a peace offering. killing, ruling self defense. grisly remains turned up. Mitchell also packrat nest.” nest, or plants could have overgrown the mishes with various Indian tribes. In one But other stories of Apache gold in the said, “One old Indian described the ore Perhaps the soldiers found the gold, but outcropping of gold, leaving no trace of the of his trading forays into California, his down, the group managed to repel the area lend credence to the belief that the In as coming from a white quartz stringer, the location has since been lost. Floods fortune beneath. company fought with Mojave Indians attack with their newly acquired Colt pistols. dians did find the precious metal, and that along the Colorado River, taking several Later during the same journey, Aubry’s Aubry really saw bullets made of gold. [See casualties, Thrapp reported. party camped in the Tonto Basin, but their the following “Lost Gold Mine of the Tonto His troupe had another serious encounter suspicions were aroused when a small Apaches.”]

THE LEGEND of FRONTIER JESUIT TREASURE by Caramie Schnell LOST GOLD MINE of the TONTO APACHES by Allison Oleksa ontezumas Head, the northern sen- priest, Eusebio Francisco Kino, was it awaits discovery. The Jesuits themselves tinel of the Ajo Range, stood watch located south of the old mining town of say there never was any gold. Mas Indians rebelled and tore apart the Ajo near the U.S.-Mexico border. No his- According to Tohono O’odham tradi-­ he bodies of two soldiers discovered the location of gold-laden white quartz remains of Army uniforms. Most people San Marcelo de Sonoita mission, situated torical doc­u­ments confirm the idea of ­tion, Anglos arrived years ago on a ship in 1875 on the northern face of rumored to lie with­in the homelands of assumed the soldiers had found the quartz innocently in the verdant valley below. gold buried beneath the mission, but the and made their camp in a grassy field, TMount Ord in the Mazatzal Moun- the Tonto Apaches. vein and were ambushed by the Apaches Some say that the mission was razed with legend of the lost gold of Sonoita lives on. about 60 miles from the coast of the Gulf tains hinted­ at a rich gold find that cost Empty shells from a U.S. Army-issue before they reached the nearby Camp a fortune in gold buried beneath it. Some treasure-hunters­ believe someone of Cali­fornia. The lush green Sonoita­ Val­l- them their lives. According to local lore, rifle littered an area not far from where McDowell. The mission, one of the many founded hid the Jesuit gold high in the towering ey (now spelled Sonoyta) and the O’od- the nameless­ soldiers probably found shepherds found the skeletons and the The unlucky soldiers reportedly heard during the late 1600s by the famous Jesuit Tortilla Mountains in Pinal County where ham settlement there enticed Father Kino

30 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 31 to build a mission in the valley. His tribes into the rebellion in which men created a large church at the site, nearly 100 Spaniards died. Mission- using Tohono O’odham (then called ­­aries perished at Caborca, located Papago) In­dians in the construction in the Mexican state of Sonora; and of the structure and the tilling of the the missions at San Xavier del surrounding land. Bac, in the Santa Cruz Valley, and TWO SKELETONS SUPERSTITIONS John D. Mitchell, in his book Lost at Guevavi, laid out on the Santa of the Mines and Buried Treasures Along the Cruz River south of Tucson, also by Caramie Schnell Old Frontier, says supplies were un­ were plundered and temporarily loaded from a Spanish clipper ship abandoned. anchored off the Gulf of California Historical records indicated that ne hot day in the shimmering desert, flecks in the quartz and certified that it author of Lost Mines and Buried Treasures and packed in to the site on the backs Father Enrique Ruhen was the a few miles north of the Superstition ran $35,000 per ton in gold. After his trip Along the Old Frontier, a legend called the of local Tohono O’odham Indians. priest assigned to Sonoita, the west- OMountains,­ a group of Indians stum- to have the rocks assayed, the prospector “Lost Pima Indian Gold” might explain The Indians dug the trenches for the ernmost of the old Kino mis­sions bled upon a mystery that remains unsolved returned to the route between the moun- the construction of the mineshaft and the church’s rock foundation and were at the time of the rebellion. Ruhen to this day. tains to spend the rest of his healthy days skeletons. employed to make the adobes that was a missionary from Germany. As the story goes, a group of young Pima guarding his secret while searching fruit- While U.S. soldiers were stationed at would surround the church. An account of the priest’s martyr- Indians escorted some bear hunters into lessly for the lost gold. Fort McDowell, two of them traveled east The Tohono O’odham people dom is found in the 18th-century the Mazatzal Mountains, about 50 miles When his body could no longer stand of the fort across the Verde River to hunt proved eager workers and, not long writings of Father Ignaz Pfeffer- northeast­ of Phoenix. The time frame is the rigorous demands, he finally revealed deer. They returned that night with as after the Spaniards’ arrival, the church korn, a Jesuit priest famous for his unclear, according to author Thomas the story about the skeletons and the gold much ore as they could carry. It was “white and an adjacent residence stood tall. book Sonora: A Description­ of the ­Penfield in the book Dig Here! to others. According to John D. Mitchell, milky quartz generously flecked with free High walls to provide protection Province. According to Pfefferkorn, After getting the hunters settled, the Pimas against marauding­ Apaches encom- the attack at Sonoita occurred on headed back to their reservation. Traveling passed the buildings. An orderly little the night of November 21, 1751. south from Mount Ord to just north of the village stood farther south, fronting As Father Ruhen lay in bed, foothills of the Superstition Moun­tains, they the church. arrows rained through his win- stumbled across the parched and bleached After the completion of the church, dow, wounding him so badly that skeletons of two men. according to legend, men worked fe- his attackers assumed him dead. According to Penfield, the bones lay verishly mining the placer gold dis- As arrow wounds are seldom im­ scattered across the dry desert. A shallow covered in the San Francisco Moun­ mediately fatal, Father Ruhen mine shaft near the men, along with scat- tains, southwest of the village in Mex- gathered his strength and crept tered tools and a small pile of gold-laced ico. Men worked at a smelter near from his hut, perhaps looking for quartz, led the Indians to believe that the the church. Workers fashioned the ore a place to hide. He managed to reach a men were prospectors who had died before into gold bars, which were stored, along Father Ruhen . . . tree, where he knelt, struggling to hold enjoying the fruits of their discovery. The with buckskin bags full of gold nuggets himself upright, as his life ebbed. Indians pocketed a few of the larger gold and dust, in a secret room be­neath the At daybreak, a small group of Indians nuggets, perhaps to take to their tribal mission floor. managed to reach a found Father Ruhen barely clinging to life, craftsmen. The legend says the Indians grew weary and smashed his skull with a rock. The As evening neared, they settled for the of their work, cleaning, cooking and min- tree, where he knelt, account by Pfefferkorn­ failed to mention night beside an ancient water hole at the ing for the missionaries who were growing any of the lost gold, and indicated that it north end of the Santan Mountains. An old rich. The gold beneath the mission increased, struggling to hold was six years before Ruhen’s body was prospector stopped at the same water hole though extracting it from the mine grew given a proper burial. to fill his containers. Wandering among the more difficult. As the years passed, the Some versions of the legend indicate Indians’ camp, the prospector chatted with extent of the Indians’ discontent magnified, himself upright, as his that the Indians working with the priests the friendly Pimas and noticed the rocks and they began to plot a revolt. valued their friendship and did not feel they brought with them. He examined one According to Mitchell, church bells rang life ebbed. enslaved by the missionaries as the other and immediately saw it was rich in gold, out over the valley one bright spring morn- version of the legend suggests. The Indians but tossed it aside, saying it had no value ing in 1750. Legend has it that a group of loved the priests so much they warned the to avoid tipping off the Indians. Indian men with brightly woven blankets Marcelo de Sonoita, the Indians covered clergymen of the impending revolt, help- The prospector spent the night nearby flung over their shoulders walked silently the entrance to the rich gold mine they had ing them to hide the gold in a cave in the and returned early in the morning to find to the service. The church was conspicu- worked, known as the Santa Lucia, leaving Tortilla Mountains before leading them the Indians gone, but the pieces of ore lying ously empty of women and children that its whereabouts a mystery to this day. to safety. Some accounts contend the gold where he’d thrown them. He collected the morning. When the church had filled, the This legend differs from historical ac­ resided in a dark, deserted cavern high valuable rocks before backtracking the war­rior Indians drew tomahawks from counts. But both legend and history agree within the Puerto Blanco Mountains in In­di­­­­ans’ route until he came to the base of under their blankets and killed the resident that Luis, a Pima Indian from Saric, So-­ southwestern Pima County. the mountains. There he lost the trail as it Father Miguel Diaz, along with two visit- nora, instigated the rebellion. The travels The question remains as to whether a disappeared into the rocky country north ing priests from a mission in Santa Bar-­ and teachings of the missionaries had ham- vast treasure lies buried with the skele- of the Superstitions. bara, California. They flung the bodies into ­pered Luis’ prestige and lessened his author- tons of faithful men in the ruins of an old Frustrated after riding in circles, the the underground room where the gold was ity as a shaman, instilling in him a vengeful mission, or whether the gold lies buried pros­pector returned to the camp as night hidden, and then leveled the church. bitterness toward the priests. high in the hushed mountains that stand approached. After sacking and razing Mission San He used his position to work the Pima guard. An assayer in Phoenix tested the gold

32 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 33 gold,” according to Mitchell. The ore search for riches, their appetite for the remained eternally guarding their gold, refused to abandon the chase and divided had been depending upon in order to account of their harrowing experiences. later sold in Phoenix for nearly $1,400. gold so whetted by what they’d encoun- concealing it from whoever passes by — the gold they’d collected equally among return to civilization, had dried up, said Several of the soldiers who also had The soldiers subsequently returned to tered. Mitchell concluded that the men including the old prospector himself. the men before ordering them to continue Thomas Penfield in A Guide to Treasure seen the gold made searches themselves the area to collect more gold. Although eventually found their gold, but possibly Many determined and optimistic fortune- the hunt. in Arizona. Nevertheless, the men loaded after they were discharged. They figured they’d originally stumbled upon their find, had been killed by Apaches hiding in seekers, foreheads wrinkled in frustration In time, the pursuing soldiers headed the horses with the gold ore and led them the deserters had stashed some of the they were unable to retrace their steps in nearby caves. and dismay, have searched for the elusive off the Apaches and rescued the abducted out of the mountains. gold in an attempt to relieve the horses the endless landscape without landmarks Regardless of what happened, no one gold. But as with most legends, the trea- child. Afterward, some of the men sought As they traveled, the heat and sub­sequent of some weight as they tired. One mem- to guide them. ever heard from the soldiers again. Maybe sure has evaded even the most persistent discharges so they could return to the can-­ dehydration began to affect the men and ber of the original group that discovered After their release from the Army, the the bones those Pima Indians stumbled hunters like a mystifying, glittering desert yon and mine the gold. The Army denied the horses. Piece by piece, the gold had to the gold set out year after year, vainly men returned to the area to resume their upon belonged to the soldiers. If so, they mirage. their requests, but according to legend, be removed in hopes of lessening the bur- attempting to locate the lost nuggets. two of the soldiers deserted, stole horses den. Ultimately, the horses collapsed. Some accounts place the gold north of and rode south toward the mountains The Army dispatched a search party to the Quijotoa Mountains, rather than in convinced that a life of luxury and leisure apprehend the deserters, Penfield reported, the Baboquivari Mountains, complicating awaited them. and discovered the body of one of the men, the search. Eventually the soldiers found the ledge dead from dehydration. The search party As far as anyone knows, the gold mined and the gold, but the pool of water that soon came upon the second deserter who by troopers from pools of water remains ARMY DESERTERS’ UNDETECTED TREASURE had quenched their thirst, and which they survived just long enough to gasp out an hidden to this day.

by Caramie Schnell

he Baboquivari Mountains guard gold ore at the bottom of two ephem- T­eral pools of water. Frontier soldiers twice found the gold, but weather and ma­rauding Apaches combined to stop them and others from returning to the THE ELUSIVE COWBOY MINE rich deposit. Most accounts place the gold southwest by Allison Oleksa of Tucson on the Tohono O’odham Reser- vation near the Baboquivari Mountains. The story begins in the early 1870s ome legends speak of gold fields so Every so often, in Mojave, California, with a load of black when soldiers from old Fort Lowell in Tuc- thick with nuggets anyone could hematite pebbles and spouting a story of son were ordered to pursue a band of Sgather a fortune by bending over to observers a small, pebble-covered hill near the Colo- Apaches south from Maricopa Wells on the pick them off the ground. The story of ­rado River. Gila River. The Indians had massacred a the Cowboy Mine describes people actu- Some people thought the cowboy got family at Maricopa Wells and kidnapped ally throwing gold away. No one com- in small aircraft the pebbles and the tale from a dying a child in the process, then headed south prehended the action until someone Indian. Others thought he found them for the Mexican border, wrote Raymond knowledgeable realized the gold was dis- have sighted in a corral on the east side of the Colo- W. Voss in his book, A Reference Guide to guised. By then, the find was lost. rado River. No one knows the reason Lost Mines and Hidden Treasures of Arizona, As the legend goes, in the early 1860s for the discrepancy—and no one has yet Old and New. an unnamed ranch on the Colorado River an adobe corral, found the Cowboy Mine. The troopers found the bloodied bodies north of Yuma sheltered an adobe corral A prospector supposedly camped one of the murdered family and set off to find at the bottom of a small hill littered with prompting night in an old corral surrounded by the Indians. Mounted soldiers soon joined smooth black pebbles. The cowboys had black pebbles. Upon learning of his acci- the search. The weather was hot and water no use for the pebbles other than as gen- a spate of dental find, he set out to cash in on his was scarce, so the Army’s scout watched the tle ammunition to toss at a stubborn cow luck. Later, his body was found near his horses in order to detect when they smelled while they herded the cattle into the cor- renewed empty canteen in the desert. water. The horses led the men to a shallow ral. The thought of prospecting probably Every so often, observers in small air- arroyo at the foot of a rocky ledge where never crossed the ranch hands’ minds. craft have sighted an adobe corral, prompt- two pools of water had collected. When Indian raids forced the closure prospecting. ­ing a spate of renewed prospecting­ even The soldiers, exhausted by the heat, of the ranch, one grizzled cowboy re­ though nobody knows if the corral is the stopped to quench their thirst. As they did turned to the East. One version of the the hematite was filled with free gold. same as the one in the legend. so, one soldier noticed rocks in the bottom story says he found some pebbles that Treasure hunter John D. Mitchell said So far these hopeful treasure seekers have of the pool that reflected the sunlight. An­- had fallen into his trunk. Another version the cowboy remained in the East telling returned empty-handed and crestfallen. But other soldier recognized gold in the shiny says the cowboy had absent-mindedly put his tale while others searched for his those views from the air perpetuate the pieces of quartz, and the men hurriedly the pebbles into his pocket. On a whim, fabled bonanza. The mysteries of what story and the hope that some day a lucky began to collect as many nuggets as they he showed them to an unidentified min- happened to the stash and the location treasure hunter will rediscover the gold- could carry. Some of the men wanted to for- ing man who judged the small metallic of the abandoned ranch still baffle and laden hematite pebbles that cowboys of the get the Apache renegades and to concentrate­ stones composed of hematite. Upon taunt treasure hunters today. past used to carelessly toss at their cattle. instead­ on collecting the gold. The captain breaking one open, the two discovered According to Mitchell, a cowboy arrived If only they had known.

34 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 35 MISSING MAP TO THE VALISE MINE

by Kerry Christensen

oft whispers of the Lost Valise Mine owner, lying cold and still in the ground. two days’ worth of supplies and water. By echoed near Lava Butte on the Navajo Watt halted his search for the mine until early evening, Lava Butte lay in the dying SIndian Reservation, telling a tale of 10 years later, when he found Baker’s map light of the Arizona sun while the men set chance and mystery for those seeking an by accident, according to McReynolds. up camp. easy road to riches. Many believed the One day, Watt needed several strips of That night, their dreams brimmed with mine had an abundance of gold-laced leather for some purpose, so he decided to images of rich ore hiding in the folds of quartz tucked in its shafts. use the outer leather covering of Baker’s Lava Butte, waiting for somebody to chance But no one has discovered its location in valise. But as he cut into the worn leather, upon it. Thoughts of success enriched the northern Arizona since the death of its orig- a yellowed sheet of paper fell between the men’s hearts. Then something went wrong inal finder, although many have tried. After the evening meal, Bowden took a In 1879, Capt. Charles Watt and Irwin solitary stroll under the stars, but never Baker built a cabin in a gulch a couple of That night, their dreams returned. The midnight hour approached, miles from Cripple Creek, Colorado. Baker but both McReynolds and the rest of the happened to have a stash of gold ore with brimmed with images party felt hesitant about leaving camp to him that he said he and a Mexican mined look for him. McReynolds knew the area on an Indian reservation in Arizona. He of rich ore hiding in the better than anyone in the group, so he felt said Indians chased them off the land obligated to take control of the situation. before they could reach the spot where Instead of searching for Bowden and pos- they hid a cache of white quartz threaded folds of Lava Butte, sibly getting lost in the desert, he fired his with gold ore. They hid it under a huge rifle at intervals throughout the night, hop- shelving rock, which showed signs of hav- waiting for somebody to ing Bowden would recognize the signal to ing housed cliff dwellers in past years, return to camp. But he never came back. according to Robert McReynolds, author chance upon it. In the morning, McReynolds began a of the book Thirty Years on the Frontier, search for his companion. His water supply published in 1906. outside leather and the inner lining. Watt grew low, and the dry weather conditions­ Baker vowed that he would return for had found the map that had eluded him forced him to return to the camp at the river. it after peace had been made with the since the death of Baker. However, before he reached it, his horse Indians. In preparation for that day, he Watt immediately organized a search died, and McReynolds, too, got lost along created a map that would lead him back party, which included McReynolds, who the way. Luckily, his party found him before to the mine, as well as the treasure he and knew the area well, John Bowden, a civil he succumbed to dehydration. ift-Giving Made Easy the Mexican found and concealed. engineer, and a Captain Baker (probably Because of the delay, members of the The Mexican died, Baker said, from not related to Irwin), to seek out the mine party used the remaining water and provi- Arizona Highways makes the perfect holiday gift for anyone who wounds inflicted on him during the bat- as well as help Watt finance the trip into sions before they could begin to search for G enjoys the beauty and splendor of Arizona and the Southwest. tles with the Indians, leaving Baker as the northern Arizona. the Lost Valise Mine, and were forced to sole possessor of the knowledge of the According to McReynolds, the key to the return to the river camp. Spectacular photography and insider information about travel destinations mine’s whereabouts, as well as the hiding lost mine resided at Lava Butte in Arizona, The group discovered Bowden’s body around the state are featured in every issue. For nearly 80 years, readers have spot of the cliff-dwelling stash. for that was the most prominent landmark about 5 miles from camp. Apparently, he experienced life in Arizona with lively and informative articles about the people, Baker told Watt the map leading to the on the deceased Baker’s map. The site lay had gotten lost and his tracks showed that ave mine rested in his own battered valise, but in the Painted Desert region, which is about he had walked in circles. They believed he places and geography that attract visitors from around the world.

Baker never lived to use it. He traveled to 160 miles long and starts around 30 miles had died from exposure, for his body % 56 Give (a full year) and pay just for Leadville, Colorado, the closest town to the north of Cameron. But the Lost Valise Mine revealed no signs of violence. Off the Newsstand 12 beautiful issues $21 known digging site at Lava Butte, in the proved not such an easy target. Before the search party could organize SCover Price! the first gift, and for each additional gift. We’ll even mail an attractive fall of 1879 in pursuit of his long-lost trea- The search party camped along the Little another trip into Lava Butte, Watt died $19 card announcing your gift. As a bonus, your name will appear on every issue’s sure. But there he fell ill and died from Colorado River, while McReynolds and from gastritis. He possessed the only map pneumonia. Bowden branched out to further explore leading to the treasure of the Lost Valise label as a reminder of your thoughtfulness, making this a holiday to remember. After Baker’s death, nobody claimed the surrounding area. Their venture even- Mine, but a search of his belongings did his valise, so Watt did the honors, know- tually led them to their goal, Lava Butte, not uncover the map, so the members dis- ing the map to the lost mine was hid-­ and allowed them to chart the best way to banded and returned to Flagstaff empty- Giving Subscriptions to Arizona Highways is Quick, Easy and Convenient. den among its contents. But he could approach it. handed. not find it anywhere. As a result, he The day finally arrived for the search The location of the Lost Valise Mine CALL TOLL-FREE 1-800-543-5432 (Phoenix or outside the U.S., call 602-7 12-2000) believed the map remained with its party to set out toward Lava Butte with remains a mystery today. ORDER ONLINE arizonahighways.com

36 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 37 Uncommon Gravesite Treasures Reveal an Ancient Man of Power and Mystery

Text by ANNE MONTGOMERY Illustrations by BRAD HOLLAND

“During the excavation of Ridge Ruin . . . a most remarkable and unusual burial was found. The burial offerings, accom- panying the remains of a man, numbered over 600 artifacts . . . many of which were of such fine workmanship and unique execution that it is our belief that this is the richest burial ever reported in the Southwest.” –John C. McGregor “Burial of an Early American Magician,” a monograph delivered to the American Philosophical Society in 1943

he discovery came on the last day of Texcavating Ridge Ruin, a pueblo sitting on a small outcropping over-­ looking a cinder-covered valley east of Flagstaff. Archaeologists dug through the floor of a masonry-lined pit room and found the skeletal remains of a man surrounded by an incredible array of burial offerings. In 1939, archaeologists as a matter of course removed and logged such finds and gave them to museums to display. So the man, who would become known as “The Magician,” and many of the objects interred with him, were gathered and moved from where they rested for more than 800 years to the Museum of Northern Arizona. Today Ridge Ruin lies near Flagstaff, almost invisible beneath a wind­ swept hillside scattered with juniper and piñon trees. The only obvious evidence­ of its ancient occupation are the tiny, geometrically designed, black-and-white potsherds littering the rocky ground, fired-clay fragments thought to be almost a thousand years old. Only a practiced eye can see where the stone rooms once stood. The settle­ ment,­ which produced one of the most astounding burial sites in terms of the number and quality of recovered objects and artifacts ever exceptionally bright blue, a variety known to come specifically from style with which subsequent Ridge Ruin rooms were built. the Los Cerrillos area southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico, almost Fully coursed and chinked masonry is rare. The most well-known 330 miles away. examples can be seen at Wupatki and the Chaco Canyon great Some of the objects obviously traveled great distances before they houses. This building style alone, then, raises Ridge Ruin’s stature were placed in the grave, especially considering the shells found at among contemporary settlements. But with just 20 to 25 rooms, the the burial site. A needlelike variety of shell common to south­ern Cal- pueblo is only one-sixth the size of Wupatki. Imagine a great and ifornia was found in great quantity. Five complete car­dium shells powerful man drawn to what, back then, was a big city. But it’s pos- were unearthed, as well as fragments of an abalone shell. sible that during The Magician’s lifetime, Ridge Ruin was the more None of these objects, however, was able to give archaeologists in- desirable destination. dications about this man’s identity. Nor did the myr­iad baskets, 420 The sandstone core of Ridge Ruin pueblo was probably built arrow points, 25 pottery vessels or the large collection of minerals before a.d. 1150, about the same time that the Wupatki commun- and crystals, which included a bundle of reed tubes filled with pig- ity began developing. Wupatki continued to expand to more than ments—blues and greens derived from copper minerals and red- a hundred rooms by the time it was abandoned, but in the lifetime dish hues from ground cinnabar. of The Magician, Ridge Ruin may have been the larger pueblo. Clues to the background of the man would come from artifacts While it is certainly possible that The Magician could have been made from a much more mundane substance—wood. born and raised at Ridge Ruin, his physical appearance marked McGregor, in his 1943 monograph delivered to the American him as different from his peers. McGregor speculated that with his Philosophical Society, wrote: unusually flat cheekbones and long, narrow, high-bridged nose, “Several carved sticks were found in various positions in rela- The Magician’s facial structure suggested some European types. And tion to the body. All were made of some dark, dense wood . . . the at 5 feet 8 inches tall, he would have been somewhat larger than most grain and the color suggest mountain mahogany or some similar of the people of his time. type. [The sticks are] pointed on one end and ornamented on the “He was a man who probably had some physical gifts that other other. Three of these are carved in the form of deer feet, and two are people didn’t have,” Downum explained. “He was a large fellow, carved into human hands.” which means he was probably pretty capable of taking care of him- The 12 decorated sticks were familiar items to the Hopi Indians self. Which, if it’s true he was the leader of a warrior society, certainly asked by McGregor to view the objects. Though none had ever wit- makes sense.” nessed the ritual for which they were used, their inclusion in the While the Hopis are historically known as a peaceful people, grave identified the ceremony the man performed as either Moochi- no group survives without having the ability to defend itself. Fol- wimi or Nasot wimi, both of which refer to “swallow sticks.” lowing the eruption of the Sunset Crater volcano in a.d. 1064, the “If you know what you’re doing, and you know how to hold interaction among the Sinagua people in the area greatly increased. your head and your neck, and lose your fear, and acquire the tech- The ash spewed over 800 square miles, providing mulch that con- nique, you can put on quite an impressive display for what we served soil moisture, producing farmable land where there had would call today a sword-swallowing act,” said Chris Downum, an been none before. The eruption also took on a supernatural aura, associate professor of anthropology at Northern Arizona University. which may have drawn settlers to the area. More people moving Downum, a soft-spoken archaeologist, sits in his office, a short about meant more trade. drive from what remains of Ridge Ruin. Today, it is difficult to imag- With all the intermingling, groups needed the ability to protect ine what would have drawn a man of such physical stature and their homes and families from interlopers. A physically imposing mystical abilities—as The Magician must surely have been to be leader with seemingly mystical abilities might have been the dif- honored with such a magnificent burial—to what, on first glance, ference between life and death. appears to be a lonely backwater. But on closer inspection, it It may never be known why those who honored The Magician becomes obvious Ridge Ruin at his burial so revered him, or which pueblo had originally been was built with special care. his home. And though his deeds remain unknown, this remark- able man may have been one of the greatest ‘ ancient leaders of the area. The Museum of Northern Arizona pro- e was a man who probably had tects his remains and the associated artifacts and funerary objects. In accordance with H some physical gifts that other people didn’t have.’ the Native American Graves and Repatria- discovered in the Southwest, has been backfilled to protect it from commercial needle in use in 1939 was unable to pass through them. tion Act, the Hopi Tribe will choose his ulti- looters. Another exquisite artifact, a coiled tube, was coated with 1,500 mate resting place. Careful deliberation pre- In 1992, Ridge Ruin and the surrounding area was placed on the mosaic pieces of turquoise, orange-colored rodent teeth and black “The earliest part of it, the core part of the pueblo, was built of cedes the decision, along with consideration of all the spiritual National Register of Historic Places, one of the few instances in stone inlays. It was later determined that this “basket” might really slabs of Moenkopi sandstone.­ That is not a building material that implications of the past, present and future. which an individual from early history has been cited as one of the have been a decorative armband used for some ceremonial purpose. occurs near the pueblo,” Downum said. “When they got the stones, For The Magician, who is remembered eight centuries after his reasons for including the site on the register. Former Museum of Northern Arizona archaeologist John C. they built the pueblo in a masonry style that involves fully coursed death, such thought­ful attention seems appropriate. While the sheer volume of funerary objects unearthed at Ridge McGregor, who pre­sided over the discovery, said the most inter­ and chinked walls.” Ruin was impressive, the quality of the workmanship in many of the esting personal ornament uncovered was a large nose plug made The people who initially built Ridge Ruin must have carried large Anne Montgomery of Phoenix stumbled upon the idea for this story accidentally artifacts also impressed the archaeologists. of red argillite and bearing turquoise buttons at either end. hunks of sandstone over several miles. In the early 12th century, while researching Indian ballcourts at Ridge Ruin. An archaeologist pointed to the One important find was a pointed skullcap made of beads. Some The buried man also sported matching stone charm bracelets of there were no large pack animals in North America, nor did the burial site just 20 yards away, a gesture that sent her on a yearlong search to learn were white shell, while others were formed from fine-grained black carved animal heads, and a pair of earrings—one of three sets people have the advantage of the wheel. And the style of masonry more about the man they call The Magician. New Yorker Brad Holland haunted farmers’ fields as a child in Ohio and Arkansas rock. Arranged alternately, the beads numbered more than 3,600 — found—made of flat, circular disks of turquoise overlaid with construction they used, which resembles modern-day cinderblock and amassed a collection of Indian artifacts. The petroglyphs illustrated in this story 21 per inch — and were bored with holes so tiny that the smallest smaller shell disks. The turquoise objects found in the grave were walls, was more complicated than the layering of basalt boulders, the are based on ancient drawings from the Flagstaff area.

40 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 41

The HASa s yampa a River of Gold, Game and Grain n the mountains of north- and that’s no lie central Arizona, not far from Text by Gregory McNamee the resplendent old Territorial­ Photographs by Jack Dykinga capital of Prescott, stands a deep, winding cave that would do very nicely as a set for a homegrown I version of Lord of the Rings. It is lined with gold nuggets, precious gems and the armor-clad bones of conquistadores. From the mouth of that great cave roars a mighty river. It jets out hundreds of yards into the sheer air, then clatters down a deep, secret canyon, spills over a is that the legend provided fuel for a long- staircase of mountains and plateaus standing, yet mostly good-natured rivalry until, far down on the desert floor, between the upstream town of Prescott, which it forms a vast lake that is dotted, indeed lies close to the river’s headwaters, and the midcourse town of Wickenburg. at high season, with oceangoing Around the end of the 19th ­century, some cruise ships from many nations. Prescottonians, apparently bent on secur­ Scratch all that. Rewind. Start over, with ing a respectable reputation for their fair apologies. You see, I have lately been imbibing town, began to circulate a version of the leg- the waters of the Hassayampa River. By doing end — which the Prescott Courier attrib­uted so — according to a centuries-old Arizona to the indigenous Yavapai Indians — that tradition — I have made myself susceptible exempted themselves from committing­ to telling some dreadful lies, if not just some untruthfulness. Water consumed from “above pleasant but transparent fibs, what the old- the crossing” — that is, north of Wickenburg­ timers called “Yampers.” But I’m not the only — was safe, they said, whereas anyone drink- one who’s been affected by the Hassayampa’s ing the stuff from other places south along truth-bending powers, to judge by this sign in the Hassayampa was sure to become a fibber. Wickenburg’s Horseshoe Cafe, just a stone’s Wickenburgers, naturally enough, spun throw from the river’s left bank: “Cow­boys their own version of the story, accusing the never lie, they just improve the truth.” upcountry folks of being allergic to the truth, The origins of the Hassayampa-as-fib- unlike the virtuous inhabitants of the desert factory legend are lost in time. What is certain floor. The Arizona Republic writer who, in a arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 43 bit of doggerel from 1896, distributed tale-spinning talent to all concerned and probably just added fuel to the neighborly fire:

The Hassayampa’s water is a blessing to the land (In spite of shocking tales with which it’s cursed) That he ever after lies in a way to win first prize, Who quaffs the Hassayampa to quench his thirst.

It’s thirsty country, and the quaffers are many. The truth about the river is this: The Hassayampa, in fact, begins high in the ponderosa pine-clad Bradshaw Mountains just south of Prescott, that handsome and historic town. The river’s sources are found on no map, as far as I know, which was one reason that Richard Sims, the director of the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, and I decided to make a project of pinpoint- ing them in August 2000. Using what map knowl- edge we could find in the museum’s archives and combin­ing it with a little commonsensical orien- teering along Mount Union, a 7,979-foot-tall ridge above the hamlet of Potato Patch, we set out on a grand adventure. [preceding panel, pages 42 What we eventually found, and 43] Barely a puddle after crisscrossing the moun- hidden in a forest of conifers and aspen trees, tain’s flanks for a few hours, the Hassayampa River was a pleasant surprise: a originates near Potato ­little spring bubbling up Patch in the Bradshaw through reeds and grass, the effect of, “No, it’s a ter- [above] In the Bradshaw Mountains south of Mountains’ foothills, streaked Prescott. enlivened by swirling drag- rible place, no game to be with varied hues of green, the [right] A profusion of onflies, butterflies and bum- had anywhere. I’ll show you Hassayampa River reflects white lupines brightens blebees, feeding a field of some much better country willow and cottonwood trees the shadows of an aspen on its banks. wood on Mount Davis in wildflowers, and generally out to the west.” the Bradshaw Mountains. gladdening the scenery along You can’t blame Iretaba an otherwise dusty trail. for wanting to keep that fine territory his little secret.

Richard and I thought it But Walker decided to have a look for himself. He

The HAS was a fine discovery and, found plenty of deer and elk in the forested canyons emboldened by long drinks through which he passed, and around which State a of water from the spring, we Route 89 now twists and bends, providing spectacular found ourselves spinning a views of the Hassayampa­ drainage. Certain of an ample s yampa mighty epic about the dan- food supply, Walker then turned his men loose to pros­- gers we braved in finding pect through the side canyons along the Bradshaws the source. We soon put our and Sierra Prieta. When they brought back gold, a heroic story aside, however, when we rounded a clump race was on that forever changed the face of Arizona. of brushy undergrowth on the back side of the spring Despite his irritation with Iretaba, Walker and his and found in our path an old arrastra: a wooden boom companions — among them explorer Paulino Weaver, bound to an iron ring. for whom Prescott’s Weaver Creek is named — took We were not the first to drink from the river’s pains to establish good relations with the Yavapai, source: At least one 19th-century prospector had Mojave and Tonto Apache people who lived along beaten us to it, judging by this boom, to which long the Hassayampa. ago a miner would have yoked a mule to crush rocks Unlike elsewhere in the state, those good relations in the hope of separating ore — in this case, gold. So we generally held when, soon afterward, miners gave guessed that the arrastra dated to the Prescott-area way to farmers and ranchers, and the fertile hills gold rush, which began in 1863 and lasted for sev- below the Bradshaws began to sprout fields of grain eral years before eventually playing out. and herds of cattle. That wealth might not have been discovered so The landscape hasn’t changed much since that day. early in Arizona’s Territorial history had legendary The broad plateau that runs between the Bradshaws explorer Joseph Walker not grown tired of some Yamp­- to the east and the Weaver Mountains to the west, ers told around a campfire down near Wicken­burg by ex­tending about 40 miles by 40 miles, is punctuated a Mojave Indian named Iretaba. Walker had asked here and there by picturesque little towns —Yarnell, whether there was any hunting­ to be had up along the Kirkland Junction, Skull Valley and tiny Wilhoit, upper Hassayampa, and Iretaba replied with words to where a long-abandoned gas ­station still advertises

44 NOVEMBER 2004 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 45

The HAS too deeply; we turned up a shovelful of wet dirt after digging just a few a inches into the bed. But only 5 miles away toward the mountains to the north and east, now in the protected Hassayampa River Canyon Wilder-­ s yampa ­ness, the river flows merrily along the surface. Richard and I were astonished at the variety of wildlife we saw in the stream and along its saguaro- and paloverde-lined banks: herons and hummingbirds, chipmunks and coyotes, ringtails and rabbits, even a rosy boa con- strictor out basking in the sun. It takes a sturdy vehicle or a good pair of hiking boots, as well as a nonchalant attitude toward snakes, to get into that tangled ter- rain, where the river flows among granite hills and broken boulders past such wonderfully named, faraway places as Jesus Canyon, Ama­- zon Gulch and Slim Jim Creek. It takes less effort — and less wear and tear on truck, mule or hiking boots — to see the Hassayampa in equally full splendor off U.S. Route 60, just south of Wickenburg. There the river emerges aboveground again to flow through a dense gallery forest of cottonwood and willow trees, the air above it vibrant with scores of bird species, the grassy banks whis- pering in the wake of passing deer, raccoons, lizards and perhaps even a snake or two. Laced with signed loop trails, the Hassayampa River Preserve, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, is an ideal place to understand just how sublime can be that rarest of rarities, flowing water in the desert. As if to protect itself from the searing sun, the Hassayampa dives underground again soon after leaving the preserve’s boundaries. ­finish. It spends much of its time away from pry- Barring a soaking rainstorm of the kind the west- ing eyes. It is not easy to get to its most ­beautiful ern Arizona desert sees only every decade­ or so, reaches, and the river can be dangerous. Still, it it flows underground for most of the remaining has wielded a disproportionate spell over those 30-odd miles of its course, until it surfaces again who have come to know it — whether bird- just a couple of miles from its junc­tion with the watchers, hikers, gold-seekers, equestrians or high-octane gasoline at 32 cents a gallon, a Yamper the way down to the Colorado River far to the west. [above] Looking more like a Gila River southwest of Phoenix. storytellers — hoping to drink from its waters of its own kind. A few years earlier, a less tragic event demonstrated to dusty road than a river, the The birds, connoisseurs of such matters, know and be blessed with a store of tall tales in the bar- Hassayampa snakes through But mostly that wide tableland boasts only scattered, the residents of Wickenburg­ just how powerful the river saguaro- and cholla-studded that good things await where those two streams gain. Long may their stories endure — and long well-cared-for ranches, as well as a couple of one-room in flood could be. Late on an August afternoon, a mon- desert along its underground join. Just across the Gila from the confluence, may the Hassayampa, river of fables, flow. schoolhouses and country markets. The little dirt tracks soon delivered a cloudburst to the Hassayampa River course. where the channel is a dense carpet of vegeta- that radiate from State 89 are bumpy but negotiable Canyon­ a few miles above town. By midnight, the Hassa- [right] A lavish display of tion broken by occasional pools of water, stands Tucson-based Gregory McNamee is fond of traveling the foxtails, cattails and length of desert watercourses to see what stories he can turn for anyone who doesn’t mind being bounced around ­yampa was a mile wide and 15 feet deep — an impressive­ watercress thrives in the a place known to discerning birders but little up. He has been roaming the Hassayampa for years, and the tall a bit. The side trips they offer, to places such as Min­ sight, especially considering that a few wagonloads of protected lands of the visited by others: Robbins Butte State Wildlife­ tales are mounting. nehaha and Crown King, are a back road enthusiast’s valuable freight bound for Phoenix were now floating Hassayampa River Preserve Area. A short hop over bumpy but well-kept dirt Jack Dykinga, also of Tucson, says that after years of south of Wickenburg. ­observing the Hassayampa’s dry bed, it was a pleasure to delight. off toward Gila Bend, in the wrong direction to arrive roads from State Route 85, the wildlife area explore the flowing portions of this living river that Here, along the road to Minnehaha Creek, the Has- at their planned destination. boasts a year-round population of dozens of ­intermittently appears and disappears along its route south. ­sayampa broadens, collecting water during wet sea- Wickenburg seldom sees the Hassayampa flow with species, including waterbirds not sons from other streams along the 30-mile length of that much force these days, but signs along the river’s often seen in drier climes, like egrets, Location: The headwaters of the Hassayampa River are about 20 miles south of Prescott off the old Senator Highway. The the Bradshaws. The flow was evidently good enough banks there attest to its importance to local history and herons, and if my Hassayampa-fed Hassayampa runs 60 miles south until it joins the Gila River in past times that the Arizona Territorial Legislature culture. It was there that, early one hot April morning eyes didn’t deceive me, even the odd near Arlington, about 45 miles southwest of Phoenix. bankrolled a $600,000 earthen dam just outside the in 2003, Richard Sims and I met again to explore the seagull, presumably just visiting for Warning: Some of the roads and trails that approach the Hassayampa, hamlet of Walnut Grove. The dam didn’t last long, wild country through which the river passes as it leaves the winter. ­especially in its middle reaches, require four-wheel-drive vehicles. Most, though: On February 22, 1890, following a long the Weaver Mountains and drops down to meet the The Hassayampa is a small river, ­however, are easily accessible by passenger vehicles. Additional Information: Hassayampa River Preserve, (928) 684-2772; rain­fall, it burst, killing more than 50 people who desert floor. as rivers go, traveling only a little Hassayampa River Canyon Wilderness, Bureau of Land Management, (623) lived downstream, and washing bodies, it is said, all Close to town, the river dives underground, but not more than 60 miles from start to 580-5500.

46 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 47 {destination} by Peter Aleshire | photographs by Nick Berezenko

A Visit to Old Fort Verde Yields Glimpses of Army and Apache Wars

stood in the drizzle on the porch of fighting between the Apaches and the U.S. however, the scouts had no advantage over any the headquarters of Fort Verde State Cavalry. of their people. IHistoric Park, peering at the bronze plaque Rowdy, an Apache scout, earned his Volunteer soldiers first arrived in the Verde honoring the Medal of Honor-winning soldiers medal in 1890 for killing a rival chief while Valley in 1865, but deserted after a year without and scouts once based here, thinking of a loyal leading a cavalry troop. Sgt. Bernard Taylor pay. The regular Army detachment dispatched in warrior and a selfless sergeant. I half waited for earned his medal in 1874 for carrying his 1866 moved the camp to the present location in the sound of their boot heels on the worn wounded commander through 300 yards of 1870 to escape the malarial mosquitoes breeding planks on which I stood, a century from their enemy fire. Their stories span the fort’s history, in the beaver ponds of the Verde River. hardship and heroism. from its establishment in 1873 to its In the early 1870s, General Crook directed The plaque honors the 17 Indian scouts abandonment in 1891. arduous winter campaigns against the Tonto and soldiers who earned the nation’s highest Perched on a mesa alongside the Verde Apache and Yavapai tribes. Defeated by honor while serving at the fort during the River outside of the town of Camp Verde, the starvation as much as by bullets, they finally fort served as the Army’s staging ground for the surrendered in large numbers. The let Rowdy dispatch the wounded chief. Apache Wars in the 1870s. Snatched from the government established the 800-square-mile So I thought of Rowdy — and of jaws of deterioration and ruin in 1970 by Rio Verde Reservation in 1873 on the Taylor — standing on the porch. I closed Arizona State Parks, the meticulously restored homelands of the tribes, and the Indians made my eyes and almost heard boots on buildings now provide a glimpse of the conflict good use of the land, building an irrigation boards. But when I opened my eyes, that helped shaped the myth of the West. ditch and cultivating 56 acres. In 1875, I saw only the empty parade ground The exhibits and loquacious rangers provide Congress ordered the population removed to and a vulture, still on patrol after all an absorbing tour of a rich history. The fort the San Carlos Apache Reservation in east- this time. boasts a bookstore, library, stashes of primary central Arizona and opened the former documents and exhibits of guns, uniforms, reservation to miners and settlers. Location: Approximately 90 miles artifacts and explanations of life at the frontier A procession of vivid characters galloped, north of Phoenix. Getting There: From Phoenix, post. Exhibits detail the history of the Tonto slouched, staggered, blustered and blasted their drive north on Interstate 17 to Apache scouts recruited by Gen. George Crook way across that parade ground — but none State Route 260 (Exit 287). Turn to fight rival bands. The scouts became loyal braver than Rowdy and Sergeant Taylor. right onto Main Street in Camp warriors on the payroll of the U.S. Army, so Taylor earned his medal in October 1874 in a Verde. Drive to 125 E. Holloman St. and turn left. The park is on the right. they were provided food and clothing for their battle at nearby Sunset Pass. First Lt. Charles Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Christmas Day. families. At the end of the Indian Wars, King led a 40-man detail in pursuit of a band of Fees: $3, adults; $1, children 7 to 13; free, Apaches who had killed a cowboy. The hostile under 7. Apaches ambushed the patrol, hitting King in Travel Advisory: Allow one to three hours to [above] Dressed in period the face. Taylor charged forward to rescue King. enjoy the exhibits and stroll past the commanding costumes and “camped” officer’s quarters. next to the commanding Ignoring the officer’s orders to leave him and Additional Information: (928) 567-3275; officer’s quarters at Fort seek safety, Taylor slung the officer across his www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/fortverde.html. Verde State Historic Park, back and carried him through heavy fire for 300 Kimberly Wageman (in green), her son, Colin yards — pausing repeatedly to hold off the [top] Volunteers from Scott, and Elizabeth Apaches with his pistol. King’s wound never several Southwestern Magowan interpret the fully healed, but he became a noted Western states participate in Fort fort’s history for Mike and Verde Days’ historical re-­ Michelle McManus during writer of vivid fiction and nonfiction, and a man enactments each year. Fort Verde Days, an of strong character. [above] A wide- annual October event. Rowdy earned his medal through equally brimmed, formal hardy [right] Nestled in the daring actions. A fierce, good-natured warrior, hat bearing the crossed Verde Valley about 50 sabers of the cavalry, and miles south of Flagstaff, he led a detachment of soldiers and scouts after a kepi, or everyday cap, Fort Verde authentically raiders who had killed a Mormon wagon driver. displaying a trumpet for portrays 1880s Army life The soldiers overtook the hostiles in a canyon the infantry hang on a during Arizona’s Indian rack above a cavalry Wars period. near Cherry Creek. The Apaches dug in behind good cover, so Rowdy crawled up close greatcoat near a desk in the former adjutant’s enough to jump up and shoot the leader of the office. edward mccain band twice — prompting the mortally [left] Depicting wounded chief to surrender. “Corporal Cho” and “Private Barndog,” The commander wanted to carry the re-enactors Enrique wounded chief back to the fort, but Rowdy Salmon and Barney observed that the chief would probably not Mullins play their roles survive the move and suggested they kill him. as Army scout and trooper. The prisoner stoically agreed, then began singing his death song. Reluctantly, the officer

arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 49 {back road adventure} by Leo W. Banks | photographs by Edward McCain

Road to Jackson Cabin from Muleshoe Ranch Takes Its Toll in Bumps

rank sinatra wandered into the field visitors from all over the country, and even those of our high beams. Strolling across the who didn’t take the cure at his retreat could read F road, dressed in orange and black, he about Arizona in the writings of Hooker’s looked deeply cool, somehow certain we’d slap daughter-in-law, Forrestine. She became a highly on the brakes to watch him pass. regarded early 20th-century novelist. [below] A queen More on Ol’ Blue Eyes momentarily. In spite of its relative proximity to Willcox, the butterfly, a relative to A lapse in judgment and a sense of adventure Muleshoe Ranch remains remote and beautifully the monarch butterfly and common to Arizona, had conspired to keep us in this outback after lonesome. Photographer Edward McCain and I feeds on golden rabbit sunset — not a good idea. The extremely rocky got a hint of that on our approach when we brush nectar in the and steep road we were traveling, Forest spotted two grazing pronghorn antelopes. Muleshoe Ranch Service Road 691, begins at Muleshoe Ranch, 30 They gave us the once-over before bolting up Cooperative Management Area east of Tucson. miles northwest of Willcox, and runs about 14 a hill. One of them disappeared down the [bottom] Jackson Cabin miles to Jackson cabin along the west slope of backside, but the second stopped at the peak Road (Forest Service the Galiuro Mountains. We left Willcox by and turned back, his face quizzical, his perked Road 691) begins smooth and level, then follows a heading west on Airport Road for about 15 ears tickling the spring sky. rugged, challenging miles, then took the right fork at Muleshoe Sights such as this, so rare these days, should course through the Ranch Road and found the ranch headquarters be savored, and that means taking it slowly. Muleshoe Ranch CMA. and the beginning of FR 691 about 14 miles Carry binoculars to periodically scan the slopes [opposite page] Faulting of long blocks of farther down the road. and draws for mule deer and bighorn sheep, and continental crust formed This rugged country — called the Muleshoe expect the tough 14-mile-long journey from the rocky mass of the Ranch Cooperative Management Area — Muleshoe to Jackson cabin to take the measure Galiuro escarpment seen here from Jackson consists of almost 50,000 acres of semidesert of whatever you’re driving. Cabin Road. grasslands, tall buttes, seven streams cutting Be forewarned, this road requires tires through deep rock canyons and suitable for rough, rocky conditions, a high- century-old cottonwood trees clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle and shading the sun. It also has experience driving difficult backcountry routes. abundant hiking and camping Also, carry proper safety equipment in case opportunities, bird and of car trouble — assistance in this isolated area wildlife viewing and equally is almost nonexistent, and cell phones will not abundant history. connect. The healing waters that In its early stages, passing Double R Canyon, bubble from the hillside near the the road mimics a roller coaster, and it only gets ranch headquarters take their more interesting from there, continuously name from Henry Clay Hooker, splitting the horizon to bull its way up and the 19th-century cattle king of down, up and down. southeast Arizona. Our hope that it would flatten out, or at least Hookers Hot Springs attracted quit being so ornery, proved wishful thinking. So we made peace with its back-banging constancy, and enjoyed the scenery. Poppies and white mariposa lilies grew on the grassy hillsides, though not in lavish abundance, and the grass hardly stood tall enough to wave in the wind. Drought conditions have also decorated many of the draws and gorges with dead trees that seem to sprout from the boulders themselves. These skeletal specimens, gnarled and grasping, brushed the landscape in a pale gray. At about the 6-mile mark, we dropped into the rolling grasslands of Pride basin, site of Pride Ranch, a three-room brick structure with outbuildings. A spinning windmill and a water tank sit on the property, too, making this a favorite spot of coatis, raccoons, bears and other animals come to water. The setting makes a pretty picture,

arizonahighways.com { back road adventure}

Warning: Back road travel can be although I couldn’t help imagining what a the 115-degree water as a cure for arthritis, hazardous if you hardscrabble existence it must have been, rheumatism and pimples. are not prepared for the unexpected. ranching in such a land. By the late 1880s, the resort boasted nearly Whether traveling in But some have made a living from the Galiuro 400 visitors during summer, most arriving by the desert or in the Mountains. The Hohokam people farmed the stagecoach from Willcox. high country, be aware of weather area until a.d. 1400, forming trade routes that Playwright Augustus Thomas also accepted and road conditions, and make sure you and your vehicle are in top reached all the way to South America. The Hooker’s hospitality. He stayed for a time at shape. Carry an ample supply of Apache Indians held sway into the early 1870s, Hooker’s Sierra Bonita Ranch in nearby Sulphur water. On this road, it is imperative followed by homesteaders. Springs Valley, then used the experience in to let someone know where you’re The settlers did their best to stay alive in a Arizona, his 1899 Broadway hit. going and when you plan to return. [below] Dried agave stalks country that attracted its share of rustlers and Although portrayed under different names, Odometer readings may vary by punctuate an early morning vehicle. vista of the Muleshoe no-accounts. Muleshoe’s first owner, Dr. Hooker and Forrestine were the main Travel Advisory: To get a sense of Ranch CMA and the distant Glendy King, who came for the health-giving characters. Decades later, Forrestine based her the land, its natural and man-made Galiuro cliffs. waters of the natural hot springs, died in a 1920 novel, The Long Dim Trail, on her life at features, as well as its attractions [opposite page] No postal neighborly shootout in 1884. the hot springs. and use restrictions, especially those service delivers letters to governing private property, travelers the rusted mailbox on the The next owner, Henry Hooker, also owned Several owners followed Hooker, each should stop at the visitors center at doorframe of the Jackson a Willcox weekly newspaper, called The finding, in turn, that this rugged land always Muleshoe Ranch headquarters before cabin, but hikers and back making the drive. The Muleshoe also road travelers often visit Southwestern Stockman. It raised the hot has the final say. offers historic cabins for rent. the abandoned structure. springs’ profile with frequent stories touting We found that to be true, too, especially on the back end of the trek. The best way to hoping to get a picture. Lizard paparazzi. The hot springs sit on private describe it? “Good ambush country,” said He got away, but that didn’t dim our property and may be used only by McCain. appreciation for this drive through Muleshoe. overnight guests. Be sure to stop at Perfect, I thought, as the road became a We exited feeling a sense of luck at having seen the Bureau of Land Management narrow shelf twisting up a hillside just beyond it, and excitement at talk of a return trip. kiosk — where Forest Service Road Pride Ranch, the far side opening to a huge 691 begins — just a few hundred feet beyond the visitors center for horizon bossed by a nearly vertical cliff. Editor’s Note: During daylight, and while additional information, as well as We stopped several times to hike around, keeping an eye out for lizards, two Arizona maps and a sign-in sheet. finding the emptiness good company. Birds sang Highways editors retraced Banks and McCain’s Muleshoe Ranch is cooperatively constantly. Experts have recorded more than route. The editors discovered that the rough- managed by The Nature Conservancy, the Forest Service and the Bureau of 180 bird species on the Muleshoe, including and-tumble Jackson cabin sits quietly at the end Land Management. The visitors nesting black hawks, zone-tailed hawks and of the circuitous road. center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., gray hawks. Research into Jackson cabin’s history through from Labor Day weekend through At the 13-mile mark, we plunged into The Nature Conservancy, museums, the Forest Memorial Day weekend. Sycamore Canyon, the deepest gorge yet, the Service, historical societies and other Additional Information: Muleshoe Ranch Headquarters, road edging a streambed that couldn’t recall its organizations has yielded no information. If you (520) 507-5229; last drink. Ahead rose another cliff, caves visible know the history of Jackson cabin, contact us. www.muleshoelodging.org. in its face, and a steep climb out the back end. We inched to the top and beyond, knowing

from maps that Jackson cabin, where the road GAL IURO dead-ends, sat below us, surely visible in MO N UN TA daylight. But due to our dallying, we’d run out IN CORONADO NATIONAL S of that particular commodity. We considered FOREST pushing on, but feared losing the road in the GALIURO dark. Let the night keep its secrets. Jackson WILDERNESS cabin The return drive took almost three hours. REDFIELD CANYON Kangaroo rats escorted us out, packs of them WILDERNESS

with their long paddle tails, hopping this way Pride and that in the high beams. Ranch

F Rat packs. From there, when a big, Muleshoe Ranch R Headquarters 6 9 orange, yellow and black Gila monster 1 MULESHOE RANCH wandered into our headlights, it only COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT AREA Airport seemed natural to name him Frank Road START HERE Sinatra. He certainly acted like the WILLCOX chairman of the board, ambling across the road, in no particular hurry. Muleshoe Ranch Road 10 McCain grabbed a flashlight and a flash To Tucson camera, and we followed Frank into the brush, KEVIN KIBSEY

arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 53 {highway to humor} Jokes, Witticisms and Whatchamacallits by Peter Aleshire | illustration by Joseph Daniel Fiedler {along the way}

HUMMINGBIRD JOKES television series as a side-kick to perspective One Author Finds Another, and Not in the Expected Place We asked readers for hummingbird­ an unpopular animated character. u n u s u a l In Arizona you need a license to jokes, and we got a ton of them. The series was canceled halfway hunt rattlesnakes, but you don’t etting out for the chiricahua the grounds of self-defense, Gus withdrew from Here’s a sample: through the season. The reason? need a license to own one as a pet. In that case, you just need to Mountains, I knew I was a century too the sheriff’s race. Though the hummingbird could have your head examined. — Linda Perret S late to meet Geronimo or any of the other When the railroad came to Phoenix in 1879, ince hummingbirds flap their sing and dance, he just couldn’t hard cases and tough settlers from the area. But Gus moved his wagon freight business to the Swings so fast, we rarely get a carry a ‘toon. I figured that perhaps I would encounter Portal Chiricahuas, despite the danger of roving bands chance to observe them. David Membrila, Tucson NOT THAT SIMPLE REFUND WITH A SMILE resident Alden Hayes, a self-described “failed of Apache warriors. When Mary grew religious, I realized that as I tried to ach year our family drives to reer, a city boy, moved to the farmer, bankrupt cattleman, sometime smoke- Gus became a preacher. Confronted by a robber explain to my wife that one of hy did hummingbirds love the EFlagstaff to play in winter’s first Gcountry, and bought a donkey chaser, one-time park ranger and would-be on a back trail, Gus calmly dismounted and the differences between male W1960s? snowfall. One year, our son asked if for $100 from an old farmer who archaeologist,” who wrote A Portal to Paradise, asked permission to retrieve his Bible from his hummingbirds and female “Flower Power.” his two young friends and their agreed to deliver the donkey the published by the University of Arizona Press saddlebag, according to one version of the story. hummingbirds was the number of Rebecca Jarvis, Forest Park, IL parents could join us. They’d never next day. However, the next day, in 1999. The robber agreed, whereupon Gus drew a pinion feathers in their wings. played in the snow, so we agreed. the farmer drove up and said, Hayes’ carefully researched, often-droll handgun and killed the robber, whom he then “Well, that proves my theory,” aid the roadrunner to the On the drive up, the children grew “Sorry, son, but I have some bad account of the early settlers confirmed my buried with all the proper prayers. my wife said. “The battle of the Shummingbird, “I didn’t know excited as we climbed into high news. The donkey died.” love affair with the southeast On another occasion, Gus reportedly offered that there country. All the while, our friends’ Greer replied, “Well, then, Arizona mountain range the to say a prayer for the sinners in a Galleyville {early day arizona} were compact boys, Randy and Chris, urged us to just give me my money back.” Chiricahua Apaches fought so saloon full of toughs. When one of the patrons hummers.” hurry to the snow. We explained The farmer said, “Can’t do desperately to protect. I’d written mocked him, Gus killed the scoffer with a single “Do you know, Miss Frisbee,” said the large-headed Robert Young, that it would be a couple more that. Already spent it.” a couple of books of my own blow, then preached a sermon over his grave. young author, “my most brilliant thoughts come to Norway, SC hours until we got there. Clearly, Greer said, “Okay then, at about the Apache Wars and Hayes crowded his book with such anecdotes, me in my sleep.” this made no impression on Chris. least give me the donkey.” appreciated the care Hayes took which made me eager to meet him. On the way “Isn’t it a pity you’re troubled with insomnia?” added uring several His next question was, “Daddy, The farmer asked, “What ya’ with his story. to find him, I spent the day driving tortuous the young lady. Dvisits to my what time does the snow open?” gonna do with him?” So I reread his words before jeep trails, stalking summer tanagers through Holbrook Argus, november 30, 1901 home, my young Karen L. Pinder, Garland, TX Greer responded that he was heading off to spend the sinuous sycamores, climbing crags of fused niece had going to raffle him off. weekend seeking the ghosts of volcanic ash, listening to the murmured melody sexes is really just a difference of helped me fill the hummingbird ALL TOO TRUE “You can’t raffle off a dead the Chiricahuas. After marrying of a small stream, admiring the view from a a pinion.” feeder with pink nectar. One how me a man with both feet donkey,” the farmer said. Gretchen Greenamyer, Hayes gathering place of rustlers and sitting among the Henry Charles, Sun City day, while watching the Splanted firmly on the ground, Greer replied he could, he just settled into that isolated, history- boulders the Apaches believed could soothe beautiful creatures feed, she and I’ll show you a man who can’t wouldn’t tell anyone the donkey conscious community of your mind and confer wisdom. hy did the hummingbird pull said, “Auntie, I don’t think we put on his pants. was dead. characters and iconoclasts — All around me, life flitted, flourished and Waway from the tiger lily? need to add food coloring to the Ben Nicks, Shawnee, KS A month later the farmer met reaching the deep gash of Cave soared — vultures and pine trees and lizards and Because he was pistil whipped. water anymore.” up with Greer and asked what Creek Canyon in 1941 amid a ants and flickers. I could hear the hum of the life Arthur Wolden, Shelton, WA “Why’s that?” I asked. WEATHER PREDICTION happened to the dead donkey. springtime riot of Mexican force the Apaches believe pervades all things. “Well,” she replied, “we’ve hen I was young, my family Greer responded, “I raffled goldpoppies. But Hayes skipped over his own At the end of the day, by the nearly deserted elevision producers had plans been doing it for years, and the Wand I went to the Four him off. Sold 500 tickets at $2 history to write about the warriors, gunfighters, town of Paradise, just a few minutes up the road Tto feature an extremely birds are still green!” Corners area. Like most people who each and made a profit of $998. rustlers and ranchers who populated that from Portal on the eastern face of the Chiricahuas, talented hummingbird in a Jane Drazek, Cave Creek visit the landmark, we wanted to “Didn’t anyone complain?” spectacular contortion of geology. I came to the ramshackle gate of a small, tree- get a picture with all of us holding the farmer asked. My only regret was that I couldn’t call my Dad shaded cemetery full of wildflowers. I skidded to hands, each one in a different “Just the guy who won him, and cajole him into coming along. We used to a halt, hoping to find the graves of Gus and Mary. state. My brothers stood in so I gave him his $2 back,” take similar aimless rambles together, but he Near the gate, I read the headstones on a Colorado and New Mexico, and I Greer said. died nearly three years ago after a stoic struggle modest row of graves. One caught me off guard. stood in Utah, but my sister Andrea Goebel, Glendale against cancer that did nothing to dampen his I stared at the name: Alden Hayes. He’d died just refused to stand in the capacity for deep joy and good questions. Ever months before his book came out. Tears sprang Arizona portion, {reader’s corner} since, I have struggled with the sense that life is to my eyes — unbidden, unexpected. insisting, “It’s always too tagecoaches were crowded, as fleeting as lizard tracks in the dust. And when the rush of sorrow subsided — hot in Arizona!” S cramped and jarring. Throw in a free I knew Dad would have loved gabbing with for Gus, for Alden, for my father — I found Jared Whitley box lunch, and you would have what we Hayes, or the outlandish people Hayes wrote a strange swelling of comfort. A splash of the Salt Lake City, UT call today “business class.” about, like Mary and Gus Chenowth. same Mexican goldpoppies that had welcomed Gus Chenowth was a preacher with a vivid Hayes to the Chiricahuas bloomed close by his GREAT EXPECTATION Send us your travel-related jokes, and we’ll and violent past. In 1869, he helped found grave. A cardinal flitted past, a heart-wrenching ign seen at a pay you $50 for each one we publish. Phoenix, where he started a wagon freight flash of scarlet. And I knew that nothing ends; Scampground: business. In 1871, he ran for sheriff against it merely moves from hope and longing to “You are entering TO SUBMIT HUMOR: Send your jokes and Whispering Jim Favorite. The two candidates memory and myth, persistent as poppies. We mountain lion country. humorous Arizona anecdotes to Humor, Arizona got into an argument, which prompted Favorite wonder at the frail marks in the dust, even as Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009 All fees must be paid in or e-mail us at [email protected]. to grab a shotgun and snap off a badly aimed we leave our own marks. advance.” Please include your name, address and telephone shot. Gus then drew his six-shooter and shot “I read your book, Alden,” I whispered into number with each submission. “I don’t know about you, but I feel hungry all of a sudden!” Dave Stilson, Anthem the fleeing Favorite in the back. Acquitted on the cool breeze. “Well done.”

54 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com arizonahighways.com ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 55 {hike of the month} by Christine Maxa | photographs by Jeff Snyder

Reynolds Creek Trail Feels Wild in the Accessible Sierra Anchas

ust past the convenient reach of cascades 50 feet during snowmelt and wet Arizona’s cities, but close enough to weather, comes into view here. Jqualify as a day hike, the Reynolds Creek After a zig-zag up the rock wall along a Trail in the Sierra Ancha mountains makes section called The Switchbacks, the trail a full-day getaway. The remote but well- follows the creek southward under a cover of maintained trail has an untamed feeling as it hardwood, fir and pine trees. In autumn, this travels an extraordinarily section becomes a kaleidoscope of color. scenic route in the mountains. Velvet ash and Arizona walnut turn yellow, North of Theodore and bigtooth maple trees flare every shade of Roosevelt Lake and just east red. At about mile 2, the trail enters an aspen of the Mazatzal Mountains, forest in Knoles Hole. the rugged Sierra Anchas fill The path meets up with an old road and the distance between Tonto follows it deeper into the mountains past and Cherry creeks with currant bushes that sparkle in the summer with precipitous peaks. The Sierra garnet-colored berries. Directional signs point Anchas’ high country shows the way off the road to a path up a ridgetop, characteristics of a coastal rain and cairns mark the twisting route down the forest in the heat of the other side. The downhill leads through a monsoon season. Wildflowers shadowy aspen and mixed-conifer forest where spring up, moss drips from bears like to look under rocks and logs for food. conifer limbs and cold Hints of civilization appear when the trail mountain streams, such as skirts the old Murphy Ranch, renamed Haldi Reynolds Creek, clamor down Ranch by the current owners. The ranch signals canyons. In autumn, bigtooth the trail’s end. Hikers can continue on the road maple, velvet ash and quaking to the Aztec Peak Lookout Tower or loop back aspen trees inundate the to their vehicles on one of the mountains’ canyons with color. network of trails. Or they can simply return The Reynolds Creek Trail the way they came. With all the special scenic takes hikers 3.7 miles up a spots, potential to get a glimpse of wildlife, wooded canyon as it follows and beauty from flowers or fall color, this trail’s the course of Reynolds Creek. worth the double take. The riparian forest along the creek makes a cool cover in [left] Encouraged by mountain streams and monsoon rains, the summer and a colorful plants and mosses flourish along the Reynolds Creek Trail in the Sierra Ancha mountains northeast of Phoenix. one in the fall. The path also [right] Rainfall and snowmelt feed Reynolds Creek and doubles as a thoroughfare for refresh its diverse riparian community. Location: About 130 animals that like to lap the creek water. miles northeast of The trail starts at a sunny section of Before you go on this hike, visit our Web site at Phoenix. arizonahighways.com for other things to do and places Reynolds Creek where dozens of species of to see in the area. Getting There: Drive wildflowers congregate. The path swerves

east on U.S. Route 60 T o

toward Globe, and turn around thickets of long grasses and M n Reynolds

A t

Z o Creek FR 410 AT S north (left) onto State Z I crosses the creek on troughs dug A 188 E Route 188; drive about 13.6 miles L R TRAILHEAD C R into bedrock. On the other side M r A C to State Route 288, and turn east O e h U e A e of the creek, the trail starts a N k N r (right); drive 27 miles to Forest T r C y A HA steady climb up the north I Service Road 410 and turn east N C

S r

e

(right); drive 3.7 miles to the canyon wall under a forest Theodore 288 e k trailhead. A high-clearance vehicle of pines. Roosevelt Lake r is required for FR 410. ve At about mile .6, the Ri Additional Information: Tonto trail breaks from the tree lt National Forest, Pleasant Valley 88 Sa Ranger District, (928) 462-4300. cover and takes on a high N desert look as it brushes next 188 to the eroded rim of the chiseled canyon wall. Mountain mahogany trees, Miami GLOBE TONTO NATIONAL FOREST agave and cacti line the trail. 60 70 To Mesa

Reynolds Creek Falls, which KEVIN KIBSEY

56 NOVEMBER 2004 arizonahighways.com