Old Trails And New Highways

BY: W. W. Lane, State Highway Engineer

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Old Trails And New Highways

It'S a far cry from the long desert trails and the perilous mountain roads of pioneer days to the modern highways which net Arizona today. Yet, not so far in one sense, for often we find the motor thoroughfares of today following Indian war paths, cattle trails, famous old transcontinental stage routes and those utilized by pony express riders and twenty-mule freight teams hauling ore and bullion in the early days of the state's history. The Apache Trail once was an Indian By W. W. LANE, State Highway Engineer warpath. The Florence-Superior Highway follows the old stage route to the famed Silver King mine and the now vanished town of Pinal. The FlorenceKelvin highway is over the FlorenceGlobe stage route and the MammothTucson highway is along the old stage and freight route from Tucson to the old Mammoth Mine. Excellent highways now crossing the Southern part of the state hide the Cattle once trailed over the present hoof marks of rustled cattle. Other highway from Tucson to Phoenix. The ways cover the bloodstains where some highway from Nogales to Tucson once noted gunman of the early days, a split-

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second late on the draw, sprawled in the dust, dead before he fell.

All of the highways which comprise the state system lead to the scenic wonders in which Arizona abounds. The total highway system of the state, exclusive of county highways, comprises 2,193.39 miles, of which 139.33 are of concrete, 48.26 miles of bituminous concrete; 23.43 miles of bituminous macadam; 15 miles of sheet asphalt; 26.87 miles of oil surfacing; 1324 miles of gravel surfaced; 245.56 miles of graded and drained; 220.11 miles of partly improved highway; 35.55 miles under construction; and 114.69 miles of unimproved highway.

POINTS OF INTEREST

The principal points of interest that are reached over Arizona's wonderful system of state highways include Cathedral Cave on the Prescott-Ash Fork highway. It is 700 feet long and 100 feet wide. The entrance is through a narrow crevice between huge boulders. The ladders to the floor of the cave are 39 feet high.

Prescott, the mile-high city, formerly the capital of Arizona, is a summer paradise, with Granite Dells and many other scenic points of interest near by. It is a haven for "dude" ranches and each July crowds flock to the Frontier Days' celebration and the rites of the Smoki tribe, modeled after the ceremonies of the Hopi Indians. It has an excellent summer climate and the United States Hospital for disabled American war veterans is located at Fort Whipple.

On the Prescott-Jerome highway, 46 miles east of Prescott, is Verde Valley. Oak Creek Canyon on the north rim of the valley, 30 miles south of Flagstaff, has scenery second only to the Grand Canyon. Oak Creek is an angler's paradise, with its plentiful trout fishing.

Kingman and Oatman are mining centers 116 miles west of Flagstaff.

The Grand Canyon, 65 miles from Williams, is one of the most noted scenic spots in America. Its beauty and grandeur beggars description. The gorgeous colors of its rugged cliffs at sunrise and sunset have caught the brushes Of many artists; but what great painter can do justice to this great work of nature? You may see it in oils, prose or poetry, but you have seen nothing until you stand on the rim of this masterpiece of the Creator. Recently one of the highest highway bridges in the world has been thrown across the canyon-a monument of engineering genius which may be credited to the Arizona Highway Department. The bridge is to be formally dedicated June 14.

Castle Hot Springs, 64 miles northwest of Phoenix and 23 miles from Hot Springs Junction, produces 400,000 gallons of mineral water daily at a temperature of 115 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The water has wonderful curative qualities and many wealthy easterners go there upon the advice of their physicians. Also it is sacred ground to the Indians.

San Francisco Peaks, the highest spot in Arizona, from which can be seen four states and Old Mexico, is 15 miles from Flagstaff. A road has been

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built to the top. The ice caves are especially interesting.

ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLINGS

The old cliff dwellings of an ancient race can be seen in Walnut canyon, six miles east of Flagstaff, while Lake Mary, nine miles east of Flagstaff, provides fishing, boating, riding and hiking for the summer vacationist. Mormon Lake, 35 miles southeast of Flagstaff, is another summer resort very popular, providing the same attractions as Lake Mary.

Kayenta, with an altitude of 6,200 feet, is 135 miles from the Grand Canyon and 156 miles from Flagstaff. It is an outfitting point for campers journeying to the Rainbow Natural Bridge, just over the state line into Utah, and to the Navajo Mountain Cliff Dwellings. The camping season is from May 1 to October 1.

The Navajo country includes the villages of Leupp, Polacca, Oraibi, Hualpai and Keams Canyon. These Indian villages, can be reached from Flagstaff, Winslow and Holbrook The famous snake dances, the religious rites of the Hopi Indians, take place at one of the villages early in May The Hopi priests dance with live rattlesnakes whose fangs and poison sacs are untouched before or during the dances and frequently are bitten by the "little brothers." After the dances when the snakes are sent writhing North, South, East and West, the medicine man ministers unto the braves who have been bitten by the poisonous reptiles, and their medicine is efficacious for the wounded dancers rarely suffer any after effects.

Canyon de Chelly, another of Northeastern Arizona's wonders, may be reached by horseback from Kayenta. This canyon also contains ancient cliff dwellings with colored cliffs and rocks of fantastic shape.

Montezuma's Castle, its history shrouded in the mist of centuries, deserves mention not for beauty of architecture. It challenges the imagination as well as lends to the fancy to rebuild the lives and scenes of a by-gone race. The bestpreserved of the cliff dwellings, snugly ensconced high on a niche of a gray cliff, with that overtone of rose so typical of Arizona, Montezuma's Castle challenges the imagination as well as the agility of the visitor.

The base is approximately 75 feet from the level of the creek that flows at the foot of the cliffs. The castle itself is 30 to 40 feet high, with substantial squared walls of masonry, and is in five stories, access from one to the other being either by openings in the ceilings or by modern ladders against the outside walls.

WONDERS OF NORTHLAND

An interesting feature in Northern Arizona is Meteor Mountain, a hole in the desert about 600 feet deep, a mile wide, with a circular fringe around it about 200 feet above the floor of the desert, made by a falling meteor several thousand years ago. Although numerous attempts by drilling have been made to discover this meteor, fragments from which show valuable metals, no great success has crowned the efforts.

The Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest furnish scenic wonders, the like of which does not exist any other place in the world. These two scenes cannot be described. Like the Grand Canyon, they beggar description and pen, camera and brush fail to do their beauty justice. You must see them for yourself to gain an idea of their magnificence. Both can be reached from Holbrook or Winslow.

Holbrook-St. John's Highway

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Springerville on the Clifton-Springerville highway, mainly known as the Coronado Trail, is the gateway to the White Mountains and the Blue range forests, and is the favorite spot for hunters and fishermen. Fish abound in the streams and big game is found in the mountains.

Large lumber mills are found at McNary, 72 miles south of Holbrook.

In the Tonto Basin, between Roosevelt and Pine, are two groups of cliff dwellings six miles east of Apache Lodge. Also the most famous of Arizona's natural bridges is in this vicinity. The Tonto Basin was the scene of the last of the bloody wars between cattlemen and sheepmen in this state. This is described in Zane Gray's novel "To the Last Man" in which is detailed the famous feud.

Two of the oldest of the modern landmarks in Arizona are the missions San Xavier del Bac near Tucson, and Tumacacori on the Tucson-Nogales highways.

The Apache Trail is one of the most widely heralded roads for its scenic effects. It takes in Roosevelt Dam and Lake. Two other dams of importance are Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa. All furnish water for irrigation of the Salt River Valley.

Coolidge Dam on the San Carlos Indian reservation will furnish water for irrigation of lands in the Casa Grande Valley.

Each year at Casa Grande, the big house at the ruins of an ancient fortress, a pageant is produced, showing the life and customs of the inhabitants of Arizona from ancient times to the present.

CHIRICAHUA MONUMENT

The Ciricahua National Monument, often called Ryolite Park or the Wonderland of Rocks, in Cochise County, is famous for its rocks of fantastic shapes. There are Punch and Judy, the Totem Pole, Thor's Hammer and countless others.

There are many wonderful spots in Arizona that may be reached by highways that are second to none. In the words of Cornelius Vanderbilt, former newspaper publisher and traveler: "California and Florida may claim to have the best paved highways in this country, and justly so; but Arizona has, without a doubt, the best dirt highways in the United States, to say nothing of paved roads equally as good as any of the aforesaid states . . . We journeyed by automobile for more than 500 miles, half of the time in California, and the rest of the time in Arizona. Of course the California highways are wonderful, everyone knows that, but we had been informed before that the roads in this state were miserable, bumpy, sandy, and no time whatever could be made upon them. For this reason we beg to disprove the theory and state positively that as far as we have seen the highways of Arizona, particularly the dirt highways, are as fine, if not finer, than any highways of a similar sort in the nation today"