The Apache National Forest

THE APACHE

THE APACHE National Forest lies midway north and south on the Arizona-New Mexico border. It is a land of mountains, magnificent scenery, and colorful history.Water for the farms of Arizona's Salt River Valley and the faucets of Los Angeles on the Pacific coast is an important pro-duct of this area. Timber for the homes and industries of the Middle West, cattle and sheep for the markets of distant states, fish and game for the sportsmen, outdoor retreats where people find rest and seclusion these are other things the Apache pro-vides which indicate its social and economic importance.

Within the forest boundaries are a part of the majestic White Mountains, part of the spectacular Mogollon Rim, the Blue Range, Escudilla Mountain, and several other ranges. Occasionally the evergreen forest gives away to meadows and small lakes, and the area is crossed by numerous streams. The Little Colorado, the Black, the Blue, and the San Francisco Rivers, all important sources of irrigation water, rise within this forest.

Slightly less than half of the Apache (43 per cent) is in east central Arizona and the remainder is in west central New Mexico. The forest's northern boundary borders U. S. 60 and comes within the vicinity of Springerville, Arizona, and Quemado, New Mexico. The Continental Divide winds inside the eastern boundary, which crosses the wide Plains of Saint Augustine. On the west are the Sitgreaves National Forest and the Fort Apache and San Carlos Indian Reservations.

The Apache alone embraces almost one and three-quarter million acres. It is not all a solid block, because within it are farms and villages where families have settled and obtained title to land which is more valuable for producing agricultural crops than for other purposes. Although the boundaries enclose a gross area of 1,717,542 acres, the actual net area of the forest is 1,569,089 acres.

Dawn of civilization on the North American continent found the land which is now the Apache National Forest occupied sparsely by primitive Indians who preceded the Apaches.

Into the wilderness which existed here in 1540, there came from "New Spain" (now Mexico) the Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. This was 67 years before James-town was settled and 80 years before the Pilgrim fathers landed at Plymouth Rock.

The wilderness gave the conquistadores many hard days. Coronado and the men in his vanguard suffered hunger and other hardships as they slowly and laboriously worked their way through rocky canyons and over high divides. Crossing what is now the Apache Forest, they passed close to the present site of Springerville, continuing into New Mexico in search of the reputed riches of the Seven Cities of Cibola.

Big pine trees, great quantities of piñon nuts, water cress, fish in the streams, big game things that still exist in good measure under Forest Service protection were described by Castañeda, a scribe with Coronado's expedition.

Failure to find a fabulously rich empire, like that of Montezuma in Mexico, sent the Spaniards home weary and dis-couraged. The true wealth of the area was discovered centuries later, when settlers cultivated fertile valleys, irrigated their crops with the flow from forest watersheds, turned livestock onto the lush grass, and drew on the forest for logs, hewn tim-bers, poles, posts, and fuel wood.

After Coronado, three centuries passed without use of this section by white men. Livestock, forerunner of the modern era, led the way to development. The first livestock men came not to settle, but went on as soon as the forage of virgin range land was grazed down.

Settlement began in earnest with the homesteader and the little sawmill operator. Hardship was their steady diet. Hunger was perhaps as common as Indian scars. Coffee, sugar, farm implements, and the like had to be freighted from Missouri and Kansas by wagon train, and the price was high.

When Spanish-American agriculturists settled in the 1860's along the San Francisco River, in what is now the New Mexico division of the Apache National Forest, their first thought was to erect stockades against the Indians. But the red man was not the cause of all depredations; outlaws made their hide-outs in the rugged hills along the Arizona-New Mexico line.

By 1870 the first grazing operations on a fairly steady basis had been started by livestock men reaching out from the more developed areas in New Mexico. William Milligan established a ranch in 1871 at what is now Springerville. The town was named for Henry Springer, an early merchant.

As recalled by the late Gustav Becker, a pioneer merchant of Springerville, "Bill" Milligan erected a gristmill and sawmill there about 1877. Lumber for doors, windows, and floors of buildings were sawn by hand on a trestle, with one man on top and one below to pull the saw. Oxen were used as beasts of burden.

The late seventies saw an influx of Mormon settlers from Utah.

The logging industry was getting under way when James G. H. Coulter, a Wisconsin lumberman, settled near Springer-ville in 1875. One of the larger sawmills of that time was established about 1881 by Ben and Lorenzo Brown at Nutrioso, 16 miles south of the settlement.

Apaches under Victorio rode through Alpine Valley in September 1880, killing several men and women. Troopers of the Sixth Cavalry halted their pursuit to bury the victims.

Forest management had its inception August 17, 1889, when President William McKinley set aside the Black Mesa "Forest Reserve." Part of this became the Apache National Forest when the latter was established on July 1, 1908. At this time it was entirely in Arizona; but on January 23, 1925, a portion of the former Datil National Forest in New Mexico was added. This portion originally was part of the Gila River Forest Reserve, dating back to March 2, 1899, and the Magdalena Forest Reserve, dating back to November 5, 1906.

For seven decades or more, sheep herders have kept lonely vigil over flocks in the mountain meadows and valleys which are now a part of the Apache National Forest.

A few head of cattle were grazing in the Tularosa section as early as the 1860's. About 1870, bands of sheep were brought in from the north. Indians scattered and ran them off, however, in a fruitless effort to stay the invasion of the white man. Texas longhorn steers were among the early cattle in the area. They were trailed in, soon after the sheep came.

In those days, public land was anyone's to use. The man who got his stock there first, or who was best able to hold it, got the grass and the water for his herds. Since there was no assurance of future occupancy, the man in possession was usually inclined to use the range to the limit, without thought for the future.

The struggle for control of the unregulated range caused serious over-grazing, which eventually denuded the land or left it in critical condition. Providentially, regulations came at the end of the last century with establishment of "forest re-serves," forerunners of the present national forests.

Under Forest Service range-management plans, which have been in effect for many years, range within the national forest boundaries is divided into allotments. For each allot-ment, grazing capacity has been estimated, based on the types of range plants and their productivity. The permit issued for the use of a grazing allotment specifies the number of head of cattle, horses, sheep, or goats which may be grazed on the allotment. The fee which the Forest Service charges is adjusted annually in accordance with livestock market conditions.

Twenty-one thousand head of cattle and 28,000 head of sheep graze on the Apache National Forest. Approximately 280 ranchers hold paid permits for grazing. Permits for free grazing of milk cows and work horses are held by 300 persons living on or near the national forest.

The Mount Baldy Wild area, 7,400 acres in extent, lies to the west boundary of the Apache National Forest where it adjoins the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The area is on the northeast slope of Mount Baldy and extends to the peak, 11,410 feet above sea level. Inaccesible except by trail and beautiful with its dense stands of spruce and fir, the area is valuable also for watershed protection. The little Colorado River rises in this area.

NATIONAL FOREST and the Blue Range of Arizona

NATIONAL FOREST, SPRINGERVILLE, ARIZONA A gem of forest beauty is the Phelps Botanical area. In this virgin cienega, vegetation is undisturbed and at its best. A road leads to the area, which is closed to public camping.

An almost endless variety of attractive drives may be made from towns, guest ranches, and forest campgrounds. On or near the Apache National Forest are such points of interest as the sawmill town of McNary, Arizona; the old Salt Lake, which has supplied salt for centuries to Indians and white men; Petrified Forest National Monument, under jurisdiction of the National Park Service; Green's Peak (Forest Service lookout tower); Eagle Peak (fire lookout tower); Mount Baldy and its twin, Mount Ord (11,353 feet elevation); Gobbler Point (fire lookout tower nearby); Mogollon Rim; the Black River and the Blue River; pueblo ruins in the San Francisco and Tularosa valleys; migratory waterfowl breeding grounds and refuge at Big Basin, and Crescent lakes; cliff dwellings on the Blue River; and other ruins and traces of ancient tribes to be found at scattered points in the forest.

The vacationist will encounter along the forest roads a score of free public campgrounds, developed by the Forest Service. All have good water, tables and benches, fireplaces for cooking, and other facilities. A few have shelters.

People who prefer to camp away from developed areas may do so on any of the thousands of natural campsites throughout the forest, provided they take special care against forest fires and observe the common rules of sanitation. A fire breaking out in an isolated section, away from roads, is harder to detect and suppress than one in a more accessible area.

East Fork Black River-A number of campgrounds are located along this fishing stream. They are reached by way of the Diamond Rock road north from Buffalo Crossing, or south from the Three Forks Road.

West Fork Black River-This is also an ideal fishing stream, and the campgrounds are conveniently located. Reached by way of the Water Canyon and PS Ranch roads.

Greer Several improved campgrounds are located within a short distance of this popular summer playground, where there is lake fishing in the three Greer reservoirs and stream fishing in the Little Colorado. Rearing ponds, constructed by the Forest Service, supply thousands of trout annually for the streams in this vicinity.

Sheep Crossing-A recently developed area on the West Fork of the Little Colorado, where one finds beautiful mountain scenery in the cool forests with the added attraction of good fishing. The trail to Mount Baldy Wild area starts here.

Blue River Blue River is well equipped with campgrounds, located at a lower elevation in excellent country.

Hannagan On the Coronado Trail, at picturesque Hannagan Meadow.

KP-At KP cienega, near the Coronado Trail and Mogollon Rim. From here there is a fine view of southeastern Arizona.

Elderberry Spring Picnic Grounds-Near Springerville, on the Water Canyon road.

Alpine Divide Picnic Grounds-On U. S. 260, between the communities of Alpine and Nutrioso.

Good roads, grand scenery, cool summer climate, and excellent opportunities for camping, hunting, fishing, and "roughing it" have made the Apache National Forest popular with recreationists. The Blue Range and the White Mountains are centers of attraction.

The climate is ideal for summer vacations, yet summer is only one of the enjoyable seasons. While winter sports development here is minor so far, opportunities are unlimited. Spring brings out the angler, and fall the hunter. Changing Nature attracts picnickers and campers alike through spring, summer, and fall.

A wide choice of conditions results from the range in elevations from 5,500 feet above sea level, around Reserve, to 11,410 feet at the top of Mount Baldy, second highest point in Arizona. Within this range of nearly 6,000 feet are conditions varying from semidesert to alpine with corresponding changes in temperatures, flora, and fauna.

During the growing season, there is a succession of wild flowers from the woodland areas to the mountain heights. Stream borders, cienegas (marshy meadows), and mountain meadows in late sumer are alive with color.

Fishing and Hunting. On this forest and the adjoining Fort Apache Indian Reservation are half of the fishing streams in Arizona. Three hundred miles of fishing streams and a number of reservoirs invite the angler. Some 30 miles of fishing streams have been improved by CCC labor under Forest Service supervision.

Big Lake with an area of 450 acres, provides good trout fishing. This natural lake was enlarged by a dam built by the Forest Service in 1934-35, in cooperation with the United States Biological Survey recently combined with the Bureau of Fisheries and now known as the Fish and Wildlife Service, to serve with two smaller lakes (Crescent and Basin) as the Apache Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Reservoirs and creeks afford duck shooting in season. Grouse are found in the higher elevations. Elk, deer, antelope, bears, lions, turkeys, and other game roam the forst. Wildlife has a recognized place in the forest's management plans, and measures for its conservation are worked out in cooperation with the Arizona and New Mexico Game and Fish Departments and local protective agencies.

The Apache National Forest has unusual accessibility. U. S. 60 approximately parallels the northern boundary and goes through Springerville, Arizona, where the forest supervisor has headquarters in the post office building. U. S. 260 (the El Paso-Grand Canyon highway) crosses the forest diagonally and also touches Springerville. Arizona Highway 73, New Mexico Highway 21, and New Mexico Highway 32 also serve the forest.

Driving over the Coronado Trail is an experience to be remembered. This is the section of U. S. 666 between Springerville and Clifton, crossing the Apache and Crook National Forests. For many miles the route lies close to the Blue Range Wilderness area. Scenery of thrilling beauty and the romantic history of the country traversed by the Coronado Trail make it one of the outstanding highways of the West. On this road the motorist spins along in modern comfort through rough, wild land, not many miles from where Coronado, the Spanish explorer, and the handful of men in his advance force plodded wearily four centuries ago.

Federal and State highways connect with 268 miles of improved roads and 324 miles of minor roads in the forest transportation system which has been developed for administrative purposes. The forest roads and some 800 miles of trails are also used for transporting forest products and for travel by local residents, picnickers, campers, hikers, horseback riders, hunters, fishermen, and nature students.

Roads are not extended into the Blue Range Wilderness area and the Mount Baldy Wild area. These areas have been set aside by the Forest Service to perpetuate primitive conditions as nearly as possible, so this and future generations may see the forest as our forefathers beheld it.

From the Blue River, one can work his way up any of a number of deep canyons to the top of the Blue Range and there stand in a forest of spruce and corkbark fir that is so dense the light of day is turned to forbidding gloom. It is easy here to imagine the forebodings of the Spanish conquistadores as they faced this wilderness.

Covering 216 acres in the Apache and Crook National Forests, east of the Coronado Trail, the Blue Range Wilderness area is one of the largest areas in the Southwest remaining relatively free of human occupancy and development. It includes mountains and timbered land big game country, remote from railroads and highways. The Mogollon Rim crosses it from east to west. Above the rim is spruce and fir country; below is a wild and broken country largely in ponderosa pine. The Blue Range is rolling on top, breaking into rough, precipitous canyons at its outer rim. The Blue River breaks are choppy, with many rim-rocked canyons. The San Francisco Divide is rough and broken, with numerous deep canyons heading at the summit. Elevations range from 4,500 feet to 9,100 feet, the latter on the Blue Range.

APRIL, 1943

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