. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ALBERT B. FALL, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 490-D ROUTES TO DESERT WATERING PLAGES IN THE PAPAGO COUNTRY ARIZONA BY KIRK BRtAN WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE 1922 CONTENTS. Page. Preface, by O. B. Meinzer_______ .- _____________________ 1 Introduction___________________________________ _ 317 Acknowledgments___________________________________ 319 Watering places___________________________________ 319 The Indians in relation to travel in the Papago country_____ 322 Types of roads______________________________________ 326 Mountain roads__________________________ _ 326 Malpais roads_____________________________ _ 327 Plains roads____________________________________ 327 River-bottom roads________________________________ 328 Good, fair, and bad roads____________________________ 328 Road signs ____________________________________ 329 Road difficulties and suggestions for surmounting them___________ 329 Water________________________________________ 329 Gasoline and spare parts____________________________ 330 Equipment______________________________ ____ 330 Choice and equipment of automobile_____________________ 331 Crossing an arroyo or wash__________________________ 331 Crossing sandy areas______________________________ 332 Adobe flats and river flood plains______________________ 333 Mountain and hill areas____________________________ 333 Road logs ________________________________________ 334 Tucson-Yuma road________._______________________ 334 Main route _.________________________________ 334 Tucson to Yuma____________________________ 334 Yuma to.Tucson____________________________ 340 Northern road between Indian Oasis and Big Fields________ 344 Indian Oasis to Geological Survey sign at Big Fields____ 344 Geological Survey sign at Big Fields to Indian Oasis_____ 345 Pozo Blanco route_____________________________ 345 Tucson to Ajo_______ __ _ _ _ _ _____ 345 Ajo to Tucson____________________________ 346 Cubo route __________________________________ 348 Tucson to Ajo______________________________ 348 Ajo to Tucson______________________________ 348 Comovo route_________________________________ 349' Tucson to Ajo______________________________ 349 Ajo to Tucson_____________________________ 350 Tucson-Nogales highway____________________________ 351 Tucson to Nogales______________________________ 351 Nogales to Tucson______________________________ 352 Tucson-Nogales road by way of San Xavier and Twin Buttes_____ 353 Tucson to Nogales________ ______ _ ____________ 353 Nogales to Tucson __________ _ _ _ 354 Silver Bell road________________________________ 354 rv CONTENTS. Road logs Continued. Page. Routes in and to the Altar Valley______________________ 355 Tucson-Sasabe road____________________________ 355 Tucson to Sasabe_________________________1__ 355 Sasabe to Tucson_____________._____________ 356 Arivaca road _________________________________ 357 Amado to Ronstadt gate______ _ ________ __ 357 Ronstadt gate to Amado_______________________ 358 Nogales-Arivaca road_____-____________________ 359 Nogales to Arivaca__________________________ 359 Arivaca to Nogales_____________ ___ ____ 360 Figueroa ranch to Buenos Aires and points on the east side of Altar Valley________________________________ 360 Tucson-Phoenix highway____________________________ 361 Tucson to Phoenix_____________________________ 361 Phoenix to Tucson_____________________________ 363 Casa Grande Ruins road____________________________ 365 Florence to Casa Grande Ruins_____________________ 365 Casa Grande Ruins to Florence_____________________ 365 Tucson-Casa Grande road__________________________ 366 Tucson to Casa Grande_________________________ 366 Casa Grande to Tucson_________________________ 366 Roads out of Red Rock___________-_________________ 367 Roads out of Casa Grande___________________________ 368 Casa Grande to Maricopa_____________________ __ 368 Maricopa to Casa Grande_________________________ 368 ' Phoenix to Casa Grande by way of Sacaton_____________ 368 Casa Grande to Phoenix by way of Sacaton____________ 369 Casa Grande to Florence____________________ ___ 369 Florence to Casa Grande__________________________ 370 Casa Grande to Pozo San Luis, Sonora, by way of Jackrabbit and the Santa Rosa Valley___;__________________ 371 Pozo San Luis, Sonora, to Casa' Grande by way of Santa Rosa Valley and Jackrabbit__________________________ 373 Casa Grande to Cocklebur and Quajote_ __'_ 375 Quajote to Cocklebur and Casa Grande __ 375 Roads out of Maricopa_______________________ _ 375 Maricopa to Gila Bend___________________________ 375 Gila Bend to Maricopa________________________-_ 376 Phoenix to Maricopa by way of Gila Crossing________ _ 376 Maricopa to Phoenix by way of Gila Crossing-____ _ 376 Maricopa to Vekol Valley, Kaka, and Covered Wells _ _ 377 Covered Wells to Kaka, Vekol Valley, and Maricopa____ _ 379 Maricopa to Cocklebur__ ___ 380 Roads out of Gila Bend_______________ ___-__ _ 381 Phoenix to Gila Bend by way of Gila Crossing _ 381 Gila Bend to Phoenix by way of Gila Crossing____________ 382 Phoenix to Gila Bend by way of Buckeye ______ __ 383 Gila Bend to Phoenix by way of Buckeye_________ _ 384 Gila Bend to Sentinel_______ __ _ 385 Sentinel to Gila Bend___________________________ 385 Gila Bend to Vekol_____________________________.__! 386 Vekol to Gila Bend_____________________ 387 CONTENTS. V Road logs Continued. Roads out of Gila Bend Continued. Page. Gila Bend to Pozo Blanco by way of Sauceda___________- 388 Pozo Blanco to Gila Bend by* way of Sauceda___________- 389 Gila Bend to Ajo_____________________________ 389 Ajo to Gila Bend______________________________ 391 Gila Bend to Mesquite Tank_______________________ 391 Mesquite Tank to Gila Bend________z___________ 392 Routes in the Baboquivari and Tecolote valleys________ _ 392 Routes north and south from Indian Oasis_______.1____ _ 393 Miscellaneous routes between Quijotoa Mountains and Gunsight Pass_ 394 Indian Oasis to Menegers Dam_________________-___ 394 Menegers Dam to Indian Oasis_________________A____ 395 Copeka to Serventi Well________________________ 395 Serventi Well to Copeka________________________ 396 Copeka to Kavolik by way of Tonukvo_______________- 396 Kavolik to Copeka by way of Tonukvo________________- 396 Pozo Blanco to Pisinemo________________________ 397 Pisinemo to Pozo Blanco________________________ 397 Comovo to Camote________________________ _ 397 Camote to Comovo_______________________ - 398 Charco en Medio to Cubo___________________-__ 398 Cubo to Charco en Medio________________________ 399 Walls Well to Menegers Dam and'Mexico_____________ _ 399 Walls Well to Menegers Dam by way of Cochibo________ 399 Walls Well to Menegers Dam by way of Cubo and Charco Colo­ rado _________________________________-___ 400 Menegers Dam to Walls Well by way of Cochibo_____-_ 401 Menegers Dam to Walls Well by way of Charco Colorado and Cubo_____________________________J___- 401 Routes from and near Ajo_________________________ 402 Ajo to Yuma by the Camino del Diablo_______________ 402 Yuma to Ajo by the Camino del Diablo_______________ 406 Ajo to Pozo Redondo and Perigua___________-__ _ 408 Perigua to Pozo Redondo and Ajo__________-_ 409 Ajo to Sonoita________________________________ 410 Sonoita to Ajo________________________________ 411 Walls Well to Bates Well________________________ 4~12 Bates Well to Walls Well_______________________ 412 Bates Well to Quitobaquito________________________ > 412 Quitobaquito to Bates Well________________________ 413 Roads near the Little Ajo Mountains_________________ 414 Minor roads west of Ajo__________________ _ _ _ 414 Roads in and adjacent to San Cristobal Valley________ _ 414 Wellton to Baker Tanks and points south___________ _ 416 Baker Tanks to Wellton__________________________ 416 Blaisdell to Fortuna mine______________ _ 416 Index to watering places _ ___ _ _ 417 ILLUSTEATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Map of arid region of the United States showing areas covered by guides to watering places and other maps and water- supply papers of the United States Geological Survey____ 2 II. A, First desert watering place signpost erected by the United States Geological Survey; B, Bad road traversed in desert watering place survey________________________ 2 III. Typical desert watering place signpost erected by the United States Geological Survey_:_____ _______ _____ 3 XVI. Road across a sandy wash dug out and corduroyed with brush___________________________________ 4 XXIII. Relief map of the western part of the Papago country, Ariz., showing desert watering places________________In pocket. XXIV. Relief map of the central part of the Papago country, Ariz., showing desert watering places________________In pocket. XXV. Relief map of the eastern part of the Papago country, Ariz., showing desert watering places________________In pocket. XXVI. A, Cochibo, Ariz.; B, Papago Well, Ariz_______________ 320 XXVII. A, Black Tanks, Ariz.; B, Charco near Pozo Redondo, Ariz__ 321 XXVIII. A, Artesa Pond, Ariz.; B, Papago farming____________ 322 FIGURE 7. Map of the Papago country, Ariz., showing principal roads and watering places and areas covered by Plates XXIII-XXV. 318 VI ROUTES TO DESERT WATERING PLACES IN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA. PREFACE. By O. E. MEINZEB. The desert region of the United States forms a great triangle whose base, 800 miles long, is the Mexican border from the Peninsular Mountains, in southern California, to the mouth of Pecos River, in Texas, and whose apex is