Read Ebook: Arizona ghost trails by Hinton Richard J Richard Josiah

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Ebook has 261 lines and 62050 words, and 6 pages

a road diverges south, through the old Papago country, to old mines and deserted Indian villages. At Maricopa Wells, roads north and south diverge direct to Tucson, the Papagonia, to Phoenix, Camps McDowell, Verde, and Apache. At Pima Villages, a road diverges north, passing through the Maricopa village . There are 5,000 Pima Indians, living in ten large and several small villages, between this station and Montezuma. There is also a road directly south from Pima. Road south to Desert Wells. From Florence, regular stages leave for Silver City, Pioneer District; Globe City, Globe District; San Carlos, and Camp Apache; also, to Hayden, East Phoenix, Phoenix, Wickenburg, and Prescott. There is a direct road to old Camp Grant, east, and thence to the San Pablo Valley and Arivipa settlements. At Tucson, the highway to Mexico, via the valley of the Santa Cruz, diverges west. Stages leave for Guaymas. Near Cienega, a road diverges to Davidson's, the Santa Rita placers, old Camps Crittenden and Wallen, the Pategonias, and the old Presidio San Pedro . At Tres Alimos, there is a road north and up the San Pedro Valley to San Carlos, the Globe District, and Camp Apache. There are roads north and south at this point to Camp Grant and the old Chiricahua Reservation, now abandoned, and thence, by trails, etc., to Sulphur Springs Valley, Dragoon Mountains, etc. There is a road north direct to Safford, on the Gila. Stages here for the most southerly station, via Santa F?, on the Denver & Rio Grande N. G. R. R.; thence east, via Colorado and Kansas railroads. At Mesilla, the overland stages connect with branch to El Paso, Fort Worth, etc., Texas.

Distances Between Stations, commencing at Dos Palmas, on S. P. R. R., and thence over Lines of Cal. and Arizona Stage Co.

Ehrenberg is a steamboat landing of importance. Roads north to La Paz, the Colorado Reservation Camp and Agency, and south to Eureka and Castle Dome district. A road branches here southward to Castle Dome landing, and the mines in that district. At this station mine roads diverge to the Harcuvar District and mines; an extensive stock range is found within five miles. At Cullings, the road forks, the right-hand branch going to Wickenburg, and the other striking more northerly, via Date Creek, to Prescott. At this point roads diverge south to Phoenix and Florence, to the Vulture Mine, to Agua Fria and Cave Creek mines, east and north to Prescott, and northeast to adjacent mining districts. At Prescott, roads diverge to Camp Verde and valley, with its growing settlements, to Alexandria, and other mining towns and camps; north to the Black Hills and Forest, and to the San Francisco Mountain; northwest to Mineral Park and vicinity, and almost due west to Aubry and Hardyville landings. Also east, via Camp Verde, across the Plateau to Fort Wingate, New Mexico, and thence to the present southern terminus of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. At Smith's Mill, south of Wickenburg, a road east diverges to Camp McDowell. At Phoenix, roads diverge southward, one crossing to and following the Hassayampa Creek to the Gila, others eastward, up the Salt River valley, to Marysville and Camp McDowell, while other roads strike south, direct to Maricopa Wells, the mail stage line diverging in a southeast direction to Florence.

Military Routes.

Numbers 1-9 include all the Routes north of the Gila River; Numbers 14-25 include all the routes south of the Gila River in Arizona, and the Routes from San Diego to Fort Yuma; Numbers 26-31 include the Routes from Arizona into New Mexico and Sonora, from Fort Whipple, A. T., to Fort Wingate, New Mexico, and the Routes from Camp Pinal and Camp Apache.

? When there is more than one route, the distance on the usual route is marked with an Asterisk . There is a difference of ten per cent. less, as a rule, on the roads and routes surveyed by the military authorities, as compared with those given by the stage companies and mail contractors.

Three miles beyond Camp near Muddy Ca?on is an old government camping ground, with water all the year; wood and grass abundant. New road forks to the left, one mile beyond Camp. Two miles further is the Camp opposite the above mentioned water, one-fourth mile to right of road. Present camping ground well marked.

This new road intersects old road one mile before reaching Anvil Rock; is smooth, and avoids the rocky hills on the old road, now very difficult for loaded teams. Both roads are boggy in winter.

Prescott to Camp Verde, A. T. Route 1.

The road forking to the right at this place leads to Agua Fria Ranch, distance 4 miles; from Agua Fria Ranch to Ash Creek by a direct road the distance is 7.80 miles.

The direct road from Lurty's cannot be used for supply trains, which all go by Bower's Ranch, making the distance from Fort Whipple to Camp Verde 40.67 miles.

Prescott, to Camp Verde, A. T. Route 2.

Prescott to Date Creek, A. T.

Camp Apache to Prescott, A. T.

Dos Palmas to Ehrenberg, A. T.

California and Arizona stages to Prescott leave this station.

From Ehrenberg there is a road up the Colorado River to Camp Colorado, 45.50 miles.

Irrigated lands in Southern Arizona will readily produce two crops of grain each year, and several of alfalfa. Some lands, belonging to the Pima Indians, as well as fields about Tucson and the ranches of the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Valleys, are known to have been in continuous cultivation for at least from two to three hundred years. Water fertilizes and restores the soil. The valley of the Gila, under analysis, shows more phosphorates and other fertilizers than that of the Nile.

A sand storm on the mesas of Southern Arizona is not a pleasant affair to encounter. If caught in one on horse-back or afoot, imitate the animals, put your face close to the ground and turn your back to the blast.

Ehrenberg to Camp McDowell, A. T., via Date Creek.

The road runs along the bed of the stream for a part of the way; when the river is high quicksands are troublesome, and the road is sometimes impassable; whenever this is the case, the route is via the Vulture Mine, by which the distance is increased 18 miles.

From Wickenburg to Prescott, via Walnut Grove, the distance, by a very rough trail, is estimated at 55 miles. Ranch at Walnut Grove, half way.

From Wickenburg to Camp McDowell direct, by trail, the distance is estimated at 65 miles.

There is a road from this point down the Hassyampa to Burke's Station on the road between Fort Yuma and Maricopa Wells, with the following Camps:--Gila Bend, 40 miles; Cottonwoods, 25 miles; Camp opposite Oatman's Flat, 10 miles; Agua Caliente, 16 miles; Burke's Station , 5 miles--total, 96 miles. The road is quite good, and water, grass and wood are to be found at all the above Camps.

From Date Creek to Maricopa Wells, the road is taken to Salinas Lower Crossing , thence by the Gila Lower Crossing to Maricopa Wells --total, 102 miles. In winter, when the Salinas and Gila are too high to ford, by going about 3 miles further up the Gila to Morgan's, advantage can be taken of a Ferry without increasing the distance to Maricopa Wells.

From Camp McDowell to Prescott, by a proposed wagon road that is opened from Prescott to Agua Frio, the distances are estimated as follows:--Camp McDowell to Agua Frio, 47 1/2 miles; Dickson's Ranch, by newly opened road, 23 miles; Agua Frio Ranch, by old road, 18 miles; Prescott, 21 miles--total distance, 110 miles.

The road from Camp McDowell to Camp Reno has the following camping grounds:--Camp Miller, 16 miles; Camp Carroll, 4 1/2 miles; Camp O'Connell, 4 miles; Camp Reno, 8 1/2 miles--distance, 33 miles.

From Camp Reno to Camp Verde, by a newly opened road, it is to Camp in Green Valley, 30 miles; thence to Camp Verde, by trail, 60 miles--total distance, 90 miles.

In rainy seasons, when the route by Agua Frio is impassable, it is necessary to take the right fork to Salinas Lower Crossing, thence up the north bank of the Salinas to Phoenix --total, 45 miles,--increasing the distance from Camp Date Creek to Camp McDowell about 16 miles.

Camp McDowell to Maricopa Wells, A. T.

During the winter the Gila is usually and the Salinas occasionally, unfordable.

Camp McDowell to Camp Grant, A. T.

At Prescott, clerks receive from to 5 per month, with board often thrown in; carpenters and painters, from to per day; masons, from to , and in some cases, when a man is possessed of superior skill, as high as per day; ranch hands, herders, cow-boys, from to per month, and board; common laborers, from to per day; domestic servants, men and women, from to per month; but as yet there is no great demand.

Maricopa Wells to Camp Grant, A. T.

The road from Maricopa Wells to Pima Villages is cut up with small gullies, from 1 to 4 feet deep, with steep sides, which, in rainy seasons, are muddy and troublesome.

The left fork leads up the Gila to Adamsville, 2 1/2 miles distant, where are two stores, a mill, etc., and thence to Ruggles and Ewing's Ranch, where is a store; here the road intersects the road between Camps McDowell and Grant.

Camp Grant to Camp Goodwin.--In very rainy seasons it is necessary to go via Tucson, distance 202 miles. The shorter and better route, except in winter, is up the San Pedro River, 57 miles, to within 8 miles of Tres Alamos, where the left fork leads to Croton Springs, distance 25 miles, and thence to Camp Goodwin, 71 miles--total distance, 153 miles. On this road there are plenty of water, grass and wood, all along the San Pedro River.

Camp Grant to Camp Bowie.--To Croton Spring, distance 82 miles; thence to intersection with road between Tucson and Camp Bowie, distance 16 miles, and thence to Camp Bowie, 37 miles--total distance, 135 miles.

Maricopa Wells.

This is a stage station, with stores, etc., of importance. It is the point of divergence for branch stages to Phoenix, Camp McDowell, and Camp Verde.

Fuller, in his Treatise on Silver Mines, says: "Wherever, in any part of the world, silver mines have been worked they are worked now, unless closed for war, invasion of Indians, etc. We know of no silver mines in the world that have given out." In support of this position, he instances the mines of Mexico, the old Spanish mines, the South American mines, still as productive as they were three centuries ago, mines in Hungary worked before the Christian era, the silver mines of Freiburg, opened in the 11th century, etc., nearly all now worked with unabated productiveness.

Maricopa Wells to Tucson, A. T.

Camp Grant to Tucson, A. T.

The Rio San Pedro is sometimes impassable in winter on account of high water. The first nine miles of the road is in a ca?on, level, and very sandy; the rest of the road to Ca?on del Oro is hilly, ascending till near the ca?on, when there is a long, steep descent. Three miles beyond Ca?on del Oro the road enters the bed of a stream, usually dry; and continues in it to within a half mile of Dry Camp. At the foot of the mountains, opposite Dry Camp, say one and a half miles distant, are the ruins of an old Pueblo, where there is water all the year. The Roieta in winter is a running stream.

Tucson

Tucson to Camp Goodwin, A. T.

The road from Tucson is over a level mesa till it descends into a ca?on, where the Cienega begins. There are several steep hills in the next few miles.

The banks of the San Pedro are high and steep, and about ten yards apart.

In winter it is necessary to take the right fork to avoid Eureka Springs and the Cienega, just beyond it, which are then impassable. This road joins the one by Eureka Springs about a mile beyond the spring.

In summer the creek is dry at this point, but water can always be found by descending the creek half a mile.

Tucson to Camp Bowie, A. T.

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