Through Arizona's Wonderland With a District Engineer

BY: W. R. Hutchins

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

CIVILIZATION FOLLOWS THE IMPROVED HIGHWAY

VOLUME 2. MAY, 1926 NUMBER 5

By W. R. HUTCHINS, District Engineer.

I shall not attempt to tell you where to spend your vacation, but I am going to try and tell you where you can spend it and enjoy it, and at the same time see wonders that you cannot see in any other part of the world, and which I am sure some of you, just as I, have never realized existed so close to home and so easy to get to.

I am going to be just as easy as possible on California, which has been the playground of Arizona for so long, and although I may take a few punches at California, they will not be in the form of knocks, but as comparisons, for although comparisons are odious, by them is about the only way we can get a true sense of values.

California has rightly been the playground of Arizona in the past, for it has been the closest and most accessible place offering the varied amusements that people living in Arizona desired, and with the cheap railroad rates offered, and with the short time it took to get to these numerous places, it has offered Arizona a playground that she has been lucky indeed to have so close at hand.

This was true when the condition or lack of highways in Arizona just a few years back, made the trip by auto from Phoenix to Flagstaff or Springerville, a matter of anywhere from two to five days of suffering and hard work and harder jolts, and a still harder expense bill to keep the family bus from coming entirely to pieces. But when, as it is today, that one can leave Phoenix at 9:30 o'clock in the morning and drive liesurely, stopping for lunch, etc., and drive into Flagstaff at 4:30 the same afternoon with hardly a jolt to the car or yourself, or drive from Phoenix to Springerville in eight or nine hours without any discomfort, I ask why go to California for recreation and amusement. And I think you will find amusement not only at Flagstaff and Springerville, for these two places were mentioned just as samples, but at some of the others such as St. Johns, Concho, Holbrook, Winslow, Williams, Ash Fork and Prescott in the north and Tempe, Mesa, Globe, Miami, and Phoenix in the south, and you will ask yourself, "Why go to California for my vacation?"

To clear the minds of some of you who naturally link an automobile trip with camping out, sleeping in tents or on the ground and cooking your own meals in the open, with a carload of camp equipment, you can leave home with nothing more than a clean shirt and dress, and possibly a brush and comb. You should take your bathing suit and golf tools along for you can use them, feeling assured that you can get excellent hotel accommodations and meals between very liesurely daily drives. But I would advise that you plan your stops and wire or write ahead for hotel accommodations for the hotels along the northern leg of the trip are beginning already to be filled up every night now, and with the advent of the thousands of out of state tourists that always come with the summer season, hotel accommodations are at a premium, unless reserved a day or two ahead.

AMUSEMENTS VARIED

The amusements will be varied to suit most any taste. The only thing I concede to California that this trip will not give you is sea water bathing, but you will find plenty of fresh water bathing and one salt water swimming pool by taking a short side trip from Springerville. You will find big game, fishing, bass, etc., small game fishing, trout. etc., bear, mountain lion, wild cat, deer, wild turkey, duck, all in season of course, snow balling all season, golf, dancing, hiking and horseback riding.

I shall use Phoenix as a starting point, a city of 40,000, situated as it is in the heart of some three-hundred thousand acres of irrigated land, wa tered by the Roosevelt Dam, with an assured acreage of 100,000 to be brought under cultivation within the next few years by dams on the Verde River, and by pumping, raising as it does, dates, oranges, grapefruit, lettuce, cantaloupes, alfalfa, cotton, grain, etc., and make the circuit as shown by the map, describing a trip that the tourist can make in a week, or a trip that he can enjoy for three months, and can if he so desires, by using the map and distances, take another route which may take his fancy.

Leaving Phoenix and traveling east on Van Buren street, the first town we pass through is Tempe, 9.4 miles from Phoenix, an interesting town for the traveler from the north or east that is taking this circuit trip, for Tempe is situated as is Phoenix, in the heart of the Salt River valley, and here we find the Tempe Teachers college. Tempe boasts of the largest milk condensing plant in the state, making the wellknown Lily Brand of condensed milk. Tempe is surrounded by large date farms, orchards and flour mills as specialties besides the usual farming activities.

The next town 15.5 miles east of Phoenix is Mesa, which is going to give any town in the state a run for its money as to rapid growth, and improvements, for Mesa is growing rap-Idly, with its paved streets, hotels, flour mills and farms. We find here the Experimental Farm of the University of Arizona. The Mormon people are building a $1,000,000 temple at Mesa, next in size to the main temple at Salt Lake City.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS MAY, 1926 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

At 24.7 miles from Phoenix we leave the pavement. One will never know, however, when he leaves the pavement if his eyes are closed, except possibly one will note that the gravel road rides smoother than the pavement.

APACHE JUNCTION REACHED

At 32.4 miles from Phoenix is the Apache Trail Junction, here we have a choice of two routes, from here to Globe we will take first the famous Apache Trail Route, after traveling for 46 miles towards Roosevelt, we come to the Mormon Flats Dam and here is the first big game fishing, for you can either fish in the Mormon Flats Reservoir, or in the Salt River from the upper end of the reservoir all the way to Roosevelt Reservoir, each 15 or 20 miles long, to continue your fishing. If you care to stay at the Roosevelt Dam you have the lodge, an excellent hotel conducted by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. From Roose velt you have a side trip over excellent roads 75 miles to the Natural Bridge of Arizona. This takes you through some beautiful scenic country, through the town of Payson, and it is a fair road through Payson and Pine eith er to Flagstaff or Winslow. Back to the Natural Bridge and cross the Roosevelt Dam the tourist continues to Globe, a distance of 40 miles. You will pass the cliff dwellings four miles from the Dam on your way towards Globe, and by a very short walk can go up to these ancient ruins. You will strike the pavement between Globe and Miami about halfway or three and a half miles from each town and if you have never seen Miami, I would suggest that you drive the extra seven miles and go through Miami, for it is one of Arizona's most progressive mining camps, modern and up to date with some of the largest concentrators, smelters and mines in the United States and materially adds to Arizona's 75 per cent production of all copper mined in the United States. If you have seen Miami, we will drive on into Globe, another big producer of copper, gold and silver, a modern, hustling, bustling up to date mining city, the county seat of Gila County. If you have the time to spare, a trip down one of the mines is well worth the time. At the Old Dominion mine they will drop you down 2,000 feet into the earth without a stop for breath.

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copper, gold and silver, a modern, hustling, bustling up to date mining city, the county seat of Gila County. If you have the time to spare, a trip down one of the mines is well worth the time. At the Old Dominion mine they will drop you down 2,000 feet into the earth without a stop for breath.

ROAD TO SUPERIOR

Now for those of you who do not care to go to Roosevelt, we will start at the Apache Trail Junction again, 32.4 miles from Phoenix and turn to the right here instead of to the left as we did to go to Globe via Roosevelt Dam, at 51 miles we come to another Junction, the right road going to Florence, Tucson, Douglas, etc., but we take the left hand road and travel 16 miles to Superior, another modern, up to date mining camp with all the modern accommodations. Here we start over the famous Superior-Miami Highway, a commercial highway of importance as well as a greatly celebrated scenic tourist highway, and after traveling some 20.5 miles drive into Miami, which I ha already briefly described in the detour from the trip over the Apache Trail Route, then it is seven miles into Globe, where we left the other party from Roosevelt. For those of you out of Phoenix that desire a short week-end trip, Globe and Miami offer you two such camping places, one at the summit, about half way between Superior and Miami over the above described Superior-Miami Highway and the other about 20 miles from either Miami or Globe at the top of the Pinal mountains, there are no hotel accommodations, but there are cabins and no fishing, but for cool days and cool nights, they are hard to beat, the Pinal site being up in the pines. From Globe we take the Globe-Safford Highway and at 20 miles east of Globe we come to Rice, situated on the Apache Indian Reservation. This is another junction for this is one of our roads to Springerville 125 miles away. We will take the route first, and after travel ing past the government saw mill situ ated amongst the immense virgin pine timber, and then further on after cross ing the Black and White Rivers, both of which afford good fishing, we come to the old Fort Apache, which has not been turned over to the White River Indian Agency and school. Our next

TROUT STREAM IN WHITE MOUNTAINS

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS MAY, 1926

Stop is McNary, situated in the heart of the largest unbroken yellow pine forest in the United States, yes, in Arizona it is hard for us "desert rats" to believe, but it is for miles upon miles, and after driving 36 miles and passing through Egar one mile out we drive into Springerville, the most ad vertised town in Arizona.

TAKE OTHER ROUTE

But before we commence to enjoy Springerville let us go back to Rice, 20 miles east of Globe and take the other route through Safford, Duncan and Clifton, which though a little long er to Springerville, I would recommend strongly, for after traveling 70 miles over a road, part of which will be sub merged by the San Carlos Reservoir, and passing through Geronimo, named after the fierce old Apache Indian chief, that bobbed so many heads both men and women, before bobbed hair be came the style, we come to Safford. situated at the foot of the Graham mountains, 11,500 feet high, and snow covered most of the year. Safford, with its hotels, restaurants, stores, paved and lighted streets, is the county seat of Graham County, and is the center of the third largest irrigated district in the state, some 10,000 acres. You will travel over pavement before reaching Safford and seven miles after leaving Safford on your way out of the val ley through Solomonville. At 15 miles from Safford we come to the Clifton Duncan Junction. We can either take the left hand road and go to Clifton, 31 miles or take the right hand road and go to Duncan, which will be 30 miles to Duncan, then 32 miles from Duncan to Clifton. Either way you have good roads all the way, it is well worth your while to go through Duncan for this is a small farming town in the center of some 12,000 acres of irrigated farm lands on the Gila River. They raise the best cab bage here in the world. That is taking in lots of territory but that is what they told me, and Oh Boy! the water melons. At Clifton you will find much to in terest you both historical, as well as scenic, for Clifton is about three miles long and a few hundred feet wide, stretching up and down the San Fran cisco River and Chase Creek, with of Graham County, and is the center of the third largest irrigated district in the state, some 10,000 acres. You will travel over pavement before reaching Safford and seven miles after leaving Safford on your way out of the val ley through Solomonville. At 15 miles from Safford we come to the Clifton Duncan Junction. We can either take the left hand road and go to Clifton, 31 miles or take the right hand road and go to Duncan, which will be 30 miles to Duncan, then 32 miles from Duncan to Clifton. Either way you have good roads all the way, it is well worth your while to go through Duncan for this is a small farming town in the center of some 12,000 acres of irrigated farm lands on the Gila River. They raise the best cab bage here in the world. That is taking in lots of territory but that is what they told me, and Oh Boy! the water melons. At Clifton you will find much to in terest you both historical, as well as scenic, for Clifton is about three miles long and a few hundred feet wide, stretching up and down the San Fran cisco River and Chase Creek, with

MAY, 1926 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 9

what I always considered one of the prettiest residential districts of any mining camp in the state. Clifton is one of the oldest mining camps in the state and if you can get one of the old timers to tell you of the early days there, you will get a bigger thrill than by watching one of Tom Mix's wild west pietures. Clifton is an up to date mining camp with good hotels, restaurants, stores, with one of the most up to date smelt ers in the United States, situated just out of town.

From Clifton we have a 90 mile drive to Springerville through a diversified assortment of scenery. From the rock gorge you pass through on your way out of Clifton toward Metcalf, which gorge has been compared to the Royal Gorge of Colorado, to the large pine forest of the White mountains. This road is just completed, and the open ing will be celebrated on May 30 and 31.

From Clifton to Springerville you pass a virgin country, as far as fishing and hunting is concerned, for this country has been practically closed except to the hardier travelers who were willing to undergo the discomforts of riding horseback and carrying their supplies on pack animals, but with the opening of the Clifton-Springerville Highway you can now make the trip in your sedan, in the greatest of comfort. We are again at Springerville, high enough that when the southern country is sleeping under electric fans, you will need blankets and can wear your coat during most of the day.

Springerville offers you not only cli mate but 300 miles of fishing streams, so that you can stay as long as you are enjoying yourself, either fishing de luxe, staying and eating at the hotels or roughing it and camping out. The government has a fish hatchery at Gree, close by, very interesting if you have never seen one, A run of 60 miles from Springerville, which is 16 miles from the state line over into New Mexico you will find the salt water bathing before men tioned, a good pool for those who can not swim for you cannot sink. Cattle salt for a large territory is procured from this lake.

You can stay in Springerville as long as you please, but I, though sorry, have to move on toward Holbrook, which is 93 miles west. The first town passed through is St. Johns, 29 miles, a pretty little farming town situated in the midst of an irrigated project watered by the Lyman Dam. You will find all the necessary comforts of home here, hotels, restaurants, garages and churches, for those of you who happen to be here on Sunday, I do not mean to leave the impression that St. Johns is the only town offering churches for 93 miles west. The first town passed through is St. Johns, 29 miles, a pretty little farming town situated in the midst of an irrigated project watered by the Lyman Dam. You will find all the necessary comforts of home here, hotels, restaurants, garages and churches, for those of you who happen to be here on Sunday, I do not mean to leave the impression that St. Johns is the only town offering churches for of course, all of the other towns passed through and those which we will pass through later offer you the advantage of the different churches.

DUCKS NEAR CONCHO

Fifty miles from Springerville we pass through Concho, another small farming community surrounded by duck and fish ponds on the numerous lakes that dot the country from Springerville to Concho than I have ever seen out side of Louisiana and Mississippi. There is a good road from Concho to McNary if you care to make this drive into the timber again.

Seventeen miles before reaching Hol