THE CORONADO TRAIL

The Coronado

The historic route of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in his quest for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540 has become an all-weather road now that surfacing of the last six miles of U.S. 666 was completed in 1962. Today's motoring public may now travel the Coronado Trail in modern comfort. This last link in the first Ocean to Ocean highway was not opened to automobile travel until 1926 after more than a decade of hard work cutting the road through some of the most rugged and remote country in the southwest. Surfacing of the final six miles of this historic highway was completed during the summer of 1962. The Coronado Trail (U. S. 666) runs the full length of Greenlee County. The last slice of the Arizona cake, small but filled with the most delicious bits of all, is located in east-central Arizona. It is bounded by New Mexico on the east; Graham County and the Apache Indian Reservation on the west and Apache County on the north. Although Greenlee County is shy on roads other than the Coronado Trail, it is still a stretch of land that invites the unhurried visitor.

So let's take a trip up the trail and visit a few of the spots that have been made famous by more than four hundred years of past history and are there beckoning the visitor to come and explore the great riches of Coronado.

Greenlee County was formed in 1911. This long slim hunk of Arizona was taken from Graham County and may be divided into three parts; the north, cattle raising; mining in the central part; and the southern section filled with agriculture.

However, four centuries before the cattle raising, or mining, or agriculture, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado had heard of "... Seven Cities in which whole streets were occupied with people working with gold... many buildings built almost of turquoise."

Coronado, then Governor of New Spain, listened to these tales and became so inspired to gain glory and conquest for himself that he decided to lead an expedition to this fabled place, the Seven Cities of Cibola.

Pedro de Casteneda was historian for Coronado who led a well-equipped army through this portion of Arizona. The expedition was undertaken in 1540, nearly a century before the first colonies were attempted on the east coast of the North American continent.

The written record of the terrain, vegetation and animals accurately describes this portion of Greenlee County which remains today as much a wilderness as it did more than four hundred years ago when Coronado came this way.

Coronado endured many hardships while searching for gold. He met with much armed resistance from the Indians, many of his men being wounded or killed. Still he found no gold, but the trail he blazed through the primeval fastness of northern Greenlee County is a form of gold for today's visitors.

It was not until 1825, nearly three centuries after Coronado had taken his army through the area, that James O. Pattie and a trapper companion came from the east into what is now Arizona. They set traps along the "Helay (Gila) and San Francisco Rivers. In a week's time they had trapped 250 beaver. After burying the pelts near the 'Helay' river they moved on intending to return later and unearth their cache, but upon their return they discovered that local Indians had beat them to their hides!

Time passed on and in 1864 the first known prospectors reached the area. They had heard the familiar story of "gold that could be scooped up with a shovel along the San Francisco

Trail

"COPPER PIT AT MORENCI" BY K. C. DEN DOOVEN, JR. This photograph was taken in the Morenci open pit mine of the Phelps-Dodge Corporation. This mine is the largest open pit copper mine in Arizona. Each of the "benches" shown are about sixty feet high. The rail cars each hold around eighty tons of copper ore. 4x5 Linhof camera; E-3 Ektachrome; f. 32 at 1/10th sec.; 150mm. Xenar f/4.5 lens; July; hazy sun; ASA rating 32.

"GREENLEE COUNTY VISTA" BY M. PAUL JARRETT. Photograph was taken from Morenci shortly before noon. The photographer says: "Clifton is considerably more of a town than it appears to be when driving through on the highway." Deardorff camera; Ektachrome E3; f. 18 at 1/50th sec.; 12" Dagor lens; October; clear, light clouds; Meter reading Lunasix 19; ASA rating 64.

"ROLLING HILLS OF GREENLEE COUNTY" BY W. G. GODBEY. This view shows the mineral rich hills of Greenlee County, which attracted the first prospectors in the early 1870's. Greenlee is the youngest county in Arizona, being created from the eastern part of Graham County by Act of the 25th Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1909. The county was named after Mason Greenlee, one of the first settlers of the area. Photograph taken three hundred yards east of the PhelpsDodge plant on the road from Clifton to Morenci. View is to the north. Hasselblad camera; Ektachrome Professional; f. 11 at 1/25th sec.; Tessar 80mm lens; December; early morning; ASA rating 50.

River." But the riches that Coronado had been looking for was not to be found until 1870, then it was discovered in the form of copper ore! Robert Metcalf and his brother were with a sheriff's posse searching for a band of outlaws believed hiding in the canyon when they discovered an outcropping of copper ore and proceeded to stake the first claim and prospecting began in earnest. A mining camp was set up, and since the site was in the narrow confines of the San Francisco River bed the camp was named Cliff Town, later shortened to Clifton. Clifton, as most other early mining towns, has known the wilder aspects of the early West. Indian raids, bank and train robberies, shady ladies, outlaws just name it Clifton has no doubt had it. Today Clifton is a small dignified community, still living in the same housing structures built so many years ago. The town is sandwiched between towering canyon walls. Its residents have one complaint no place to grow!

However, enterprising early residents beat this problem when the law-abiding citizenry decided they needed a jail. They gave the job to one of the town's more enterprising men and he proceeded to blast a jail out of the solid rock mountainside in the center of Clifton. The jail consisted of two rooms, one larger "tank" area where the town drunks were thrown and a smaller cell for the more desperate criminals.

Upon completion of the jail, the builder was so pleased with his task and the pay he received that he toasted himself in a local saloon as the "world's greatest jail builder." The townspeople didn't see the need for so much toasting and refused to properly join in with his celebration, whereupon he proceeded to shoot up the place. Needless to say he was the first occupant of his much-toasted jail.

The durable jail, although no longer in use prisoners are now housed in a more modern but undoubtedly less durable building near the sheriff's office remains a favorite target of the camera-toting tourists and their exploding flashbulbs.

Many stories can be told of early-day Clifton, one about the Justice of Peace who interrupted his court to take up his rifle and shoot a few goats on the mountainside above his courtroom the silly things were rattling stones down the hillside and bothering his justice. Then there is the story about the bank robber that escaped with the loot, circled the town and met the posse. He calmly asked for a fresh horse so he could join them in their search. Justice caught up with him months later after much whiskey and a false sense of security got the best of him and he talked too much of his crazy venture and was arrested. The Old West lingered on in Clifton and as late as 1945 a lone gunman held up Clifton's bank and made his escape on horseback. Today Clifton is a delightful place to pause in the "Footsteps of Coronado."

about the Justice of Peace who interrupted his court to take up his rifle and shoot a few goats on the mountainside above his courtroom the silly things were rattling stones down the hillside and bothering his justice. Then there is the story about the bank robber that escaped with the loot, circled the town and met the posse. He calmly asked for a fresh horse so he could join them in their search. Justice caught up with him months later after much whiskey and a false sense of security got the best of him and he talked too much of his crazy venture and was arrested. The Old West lingered on in Clifton and as late as 1945 a lone gunman held up Clifton's bank and made his escape on horseback. Today Clifton is a delightful place to pause in the "Footsteps of Coronado."

As time goes so goes the mountain. Just a few miles above Clifton is the town of Morenci, with the third largest copper mining operation in the world. The Phelps-Dodge Corporation has built an observation point where one can actually see the moving of a mountain, as the electric trains traverse over the purple and mauve shaded terraces of the large open pit mine to bring their eight cars of seven hundred tons of pay load to the smelter. Groups may make arrangements for guided tours through the huge concentrating plant at Morenci by writing the corporation in advance. Coronado in his search for gold could never have believed the staggering $105,646,000 mined from Greenlee County during its peak year of 1955-56. At the time when the estimated five billion pounds of copper will have been taken from this gigantic hole it will be more than a mile long, and nearly a mile wide and more than a quarter of a mile deep. Back on the Trail just five miles north of Clifton are the remains of the once booming town of Metcalf. In 1872, when gold was discovered in the area, Metcalf became a thriving community of some 2,000 inhabitants, all with one thought in mind, to claim as much of the wealth for themselves as possible. But things didn't pan out as the gold-bugged people planned. The gold gave out and the price of copper ore fell; therefore the town went the way of many boom towns. Today one can wander through the roofless walls and crumbled weed-covered foundations, letting the immagination run rampant over the days of yesteryear.

During the mining boom in Metcalf the ore was being hauled by wagon eight miles to Clifton's smelter. This was, in those days, a rather hazardous means of transport for the marauding Indians played their typical games of the day and seemed to delight in shooting at the drivers and their mule teams. This hastened the building of Arizona's first railroad, a 20-inch narrow gauge track up Chase Creek.

In 1878 Arizona's first locomotive, "Little Emma," was hauled by oxen from La Junta, Colorado, some six hundred miles to Clifton where it was reassembled and began pulling the ore cars over the narrow gauge track. Little Emma has gained her rightful place in Arizona's history and may be seen at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Her bell rests demurely in Clifton's town hall.

For the present day explorer Greenlee County is all the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola offered Coronado, for within the county lies all types of gems and minerals for the amateur and professional collector.

South of Duncan fire agates and chalcedony rose in pink and orchid can be found. East of Duncan lies a large deposit of petrified wood. The area is truly a rockhounder's paradise. Semi-precious gems are found throughout the entire county. Mulligan Peak, known to rockhounds all over the nation, is just five miles north of Clifton in Limestone Canyon and there is one of the largest agate beds in existence.

The washes and canyons along the San Francisco River offer agates of many types. Farther up the river to Goat Mesa meteorites have been found. These were identified as chips off the moon, or more precisely known "VIEW FROM BLUE LOOKOUT" BY WAYNE DAVIS. This photograph was taken from the Coronado Trail at Blue Lookout, nine miles south of Hannagan Meadows. Graphic View II camera; Ektachrome.

Camera Touring Colorful Coronado Trail NOTES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS FOLLOWING COLOR PAGES

"VIEW SOUTH FROM K. P. CIENEGA" BY CARLOS ELMER. On the Coronado Trail, U.S. 666, looking south from this spot a vast distance can be seen to the south stretching well into Mexico. The Coronado Trail offers innumerable panoramic vistas such as this for the traveler. Burke & James Press camera; Ektachrome 4x5, E-3; f. 12 at 1/50th sec.; 6" Goertz Aerotor, Polaroid filter; autumn; bright day; Meter reading 400; ASA rating 50.

"IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS" BY CARLOS ELMER. On the Coronado Trail, U.S. 666. The trail can be seen winding its merry way through the mountains, framed by the flowering plants that appear in late summer and early autumn at these high altitudes. Burke & James Press camera; Ektachrome E3; f. 18 at 1/100th sec.; 90mm Schneider Angulon lens; autumn; bright day; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

"ALONG THE CORONADO TRAIL NEAR NUTRIOSO" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph taken just south of Nutrioso on the Coronado Trail. Nutrioso is located at the south end of Dry Valley. The settlement was named after two Spanish words: "nutria" and "oso" (beaver and bear) which the first settlers killed in the region. At one time Nutrioso was a Mormon stronghold against Indian attacks. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 27 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; slightly hazy sunlight; West Meter 300; ASA rating 64.

"CORONADO TRAIL NEAR CLIFTON" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph taken along the Coronado Trail just north of Clifton. Heading north from Clifton, the road climbs steadily to the high forested areas of the Blues. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright side lighting; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

"AUTUMN ALONG THE CORONADO TRAIL" BY M. PAUL JARRETT. This view was taken a few miles south of Alpine on U.S. 666. This beautiful mountainside was almost backlighted, making a beautiful illumination for the golden aspen (Populus tremuloides.) Deardorff camera; Ektachrome E3; f. 16 at 1/50th sec.; 5" Dagor lens; October; clear day nearing sunset; Meter reading Lunasix 19; ASA rating 64.

"AUGUST IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph was taken at Black River on the road from Alpine to Buffalo Crossing near Beaver Dam Forest Camp, on an interesting side trip from the Coronado Trail. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 150mm Symmar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

"HAPPY GRAZING" BY ARTHUR A. TWOMEY. Bone-yard Creek, a cool meandering stream which empties into the Black River at Three Forks, is seldom visited by White Mountain vacationers. It can be reached by a rough dirt road which branches from the Big Lake-Alpine road a few miles east of Three Forks. 4x5 Crown Graphic camera; Ektachrome; f. 18 at 1/50th sec.; Xenar lens; early August; bright sunlight; Meter reading 200; ASA rating 64.

"CORONADO TRAIL COUNTRY" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph was taken five miles north of Hannagan Meadows along the Coronado Trail. Hannagan Meadows is in the heart of a delightful summer vacation area. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

Meadows along the Coronado Trail. Hannagan Meadows is in the heart of a delightful summer vacation area. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

"HULSEY LAKE" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Hulsey Lake, just off the Coronado Trail, north of Alpine, is a pleasant summer camping area. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; 1. 25 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 250, ASA rating 64.

"ROAD TO K. P. CIENEGA" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph was taken just off the Coronado Trail on the road leading to the K. P. Cienega Recreational Area, one of the U. S. Forest's larger recreational areas along the Trail. Exploring side roads off the Coronado Trail leads to many interesting and beautiful places. Caution should be used in traveling these side roads during the rainy season. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

"IN THE HIGH COUNTRY" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph taken along the Coronado Trail, north of Clifton, near Rose Peak. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 150mm Symmar lens; August; slightly hazy sunlight; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

"THE GOLD CORONADO PASSED" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph taken along the Coronado Trail just north of Hannagan Meadows. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/25th sec.; 150mm Symmar lens; August; bright sidelighting; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

CENTER PANEL

"HANNAGAN MEADOWS" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. This is a view of Hannagan Meadows on the Coronado Trail, twenty-nine miles from Clifton. The area was named after an early-day New Mexico rancher, Robert Hannegan, who used these beautiful meadows to pasture a herd of cattle for one summer in the mid-1880's. The name on road maps give the spelling with the middle "a" instead of "e". 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 18 at 1/10th sec.; 90mm Angulon lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 200; ASA rating 64.

"EVENING AT LUNA LAKE" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Luna Lake, near Alpine, is a popular trout fishing and boating center for summer vacationists. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 18 at 1/10th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; late evening light; Weston meter 50; ASA rating 64.

"CAMPGROUNDS NEAR ALPINE" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Photograph shows Alpine Divide Campgrounds north of Alpine along the Coronado Trail, in Apache County. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 22 at 1/5th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright side lighting; Weston meter 150.

"SUNRISE AT BONEYARD" BY ARTHUR A. TWO-MEY. This secluded meadow through which Boneyard Creek passes was once the scene of a tragic event. During a warm, inviting summer early in the century, some German immigrants with their cattle settled in this verdant valley. As a result of the intensely bitter winter that followed, all the cattle and half of the settlers starved to death. Hence the hidden valley has become known as the Boneyard. This area is now part of a grazing permit where Earl Platt, a prominent northeastern Arizona rancher, brings his cattle in the summer. 4x5 Crown Graphic camera; Ektachrome; f. 24 at 1/25th sec.; Xenar lens, early August; hazy early morning light; Meter reading 200.

THE CORONADO TRAIL... Continued from page 12

as Tektites. Ward's Canyon, Rattlesnake Gap, Four-Bar Mesa, Granville Park, Eagle Creek, Maple Peak and many other colorfully named places will yield a large variety of precious stones to the visitor who knows how and what to look for.

There are two rockhound clubs in the county. The Morenci Gem and Mineral Society and the Clifton Gem and Mineral Club. Members of either club welcome the visitor and willingly give directions and information pertaining to specific areas. Their advice and direction should be carefully heeded as many of the areas are isolated from civilization and side trips into them should be attempted with caution.

Other items of interest to the traveler of the Trail are the many glory holes that are located all up and down the canyon. If you are the adventuresome type and wish to explore these old diggin's, use extreme caution as rotting timbers and crumbling ceilings and walls are an ever-present hazard.

From Metcalf, the Trail labors up a corkscrew grade to an elevation of 7,500 feet. Looking back one can see the smoke from the smelter at Morenci hanging lazily over the valley below lending a misty appearance to the scraggly oaks and junipers clinging to the canyon walls.

The Trail climbs to an elevation of 5,000 feet where at Pine Flat there are picnic tables for one's use. Here is an excellent place, with limited facilities, for overnight camping.

Four-Bar Mesa stretches ahead and the Trail gradually climbs until it reaches Rose Peak at an elevation of 8,550 feet. Here the U.S. Forest Service maintains one of the finest and most complete lookout towers in the country. This tower is steel constructed throughout and has complete living quarters on top for the lookout. From this elevation there is a wonderful panoramic view of the country just travelled.

Continuing through the Apache National Forest, which is in the very center of the Nation's largest ponderosa pine stand, the traveler should be ever watchful for deer, elk, turkey and bear. Photographers should be constantly alert for many times these wild creatures will be standing quietly by the side of the road.

Here the Trail begins climbing in earnest up the many switchbacks of the Mogollon Rim. In just seven miles U. S. 666 climbs more than 1,000 feet to an altitude of 9,500 feet at K. P. Cienega.

At Hannagan's Meadow, just twenty-nine visitortarrying miles from Clifton, stands the monument marking the opening of the final link of the first "Ocean to Ocean" highway which was dedicated in June, 1926. Here the open fields and cienegas are favorite early morning and late afternoon feeding places for deer, elk and turkey.

A lodge, service station and resort accommodations provide a resting place for the visitor to tarry and enjoy the beauties of the alpine scenery. There is also a grocery store to supply the provisions for those who want to rough it in one of the many camp grounds maintained by the U. S. Forest Service in the area.

It is here that the Trail had been closed to winter

NOTES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

"RANCH POND" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. This view shows a cattle watering pond in the ranch country between Springerville and St. Johns. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f. 27 at 1/25th sec.; 127mm Ektar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 300; ASA rating 64.

"GREEN PASTURE" BY DARWIN VAN CAMPEN. Summer pasture near Springerville. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome, f. 27 at 1/25th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; August; bright sunlight; Weston meter 300; ASA rating 64.

"GOOD FISHING BIG LAKE" BY ARTHUR A. TWOMEY. Photo taken in the Apache National Forest in the White Mountains of Apache County, south of Springerville, just off State Highway 273. Big Lake is one of the most popular fishing areas in the White Mountains. Excellent camping facilities in the forested periphery of the lake are available to vacationers seeking refuge in the quiet serenity of this pleasant highland. 4x5 Crown Graphic camera; Ektachrome; f. 32 at 1/5th sec.; Xenar lens; late August; bright sunlight; Meter reading 400; ASA rating 64.

travel. Deep snow, even in Arizona, fills high mountain passes making it impractical for highway crews to keep the Trail open. Now that surfacing has been completed the department hopes to be able to keep the Trail open to year-around travel.

Before bidding goodbye to Greenlee County the Trail passes Beaverhead Lodge nestled in a small valley amid the towering pines. This is a favorite stopping place for the traveler. Here, too, fishermen enjoy a last stop before taking off into the remote wilderness areas of the Black and Blue Rivers in quest of trout in the high mountain streams.

Geographically the visitor finds himself in the heart of the fabulous White Mountains which are known throughout the nation as a summer vacation paradise loaded with excellent trout fishing. The Whites, as oldtimers refer to this area, are made up of several of Arizona's highest peaks, thus forming the state's highest mountain range. The White Mountains, also, receive the state's highest annual rainfall. This combination creates a forest primeval forming an abundant number of trout streams that begin high in the mountains and actually flow in all directions of the compass. The Whites are a miniature Continental Divide for here are the headwaters of the Little Colorado River flowing north through Greer, Springerville, Winslow and joining the main Colorado River at the eastern boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park. Becker, Paradise and Diamond Creeks are tributaries of White River which flows to the west before turning south where it joins the Black River to form the Salt River which is the huge water supply for the central part of Arizona. The three forks of the Black River originate near the headwaters of the previously mentioned streams. However they spring from the other side of the ridge and flow to the south and southeast before turning toward the west. Several streams, such as the Blue and Campbell Blue, flow in a southerly direction paralleling the Arizona-New Mexico state line to become a part of yet another watershed, the Gila. Only a few of the mountain streams of the Whites have been mentioned here for approximately ninety per cent of the total of Arizona's trout waters originate there. The headwaters of a few streams on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation are the spawning grounds of the remnants of Arizona's native trout. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is studying these in an effort to try to determine what can be done to perpetuate them for future generations. The lure of the Whites had been discovered by the Indians long before white men had ventured into the area. This was the summer hunting ground for many of the Apache tribes. The White Mountain Apaches remain there today on a 1,664,872 acre reservation. They have recognized the value of the tourist business and have responded by creating the White Mountain Recreation Enterprise to build motels, resorts, lodges and have turned much of the reservation into camping areas, complete with tables, fireplaces and sanitary facilities, to meet the ever-increasing needs of the summer visitors.

Working cattle ranches in the White Mountains also have adapted their facilities to meet the demands of the tourist by turning bunk houses, when not in actual use during spring and fall roundups, into bunk houses for summer camps for boys and girls from all over the United States. Here they spend summer vacations in the West, miles away from the hustle of today's busy world. Cow-ponies are now saddle horses and cowboys become "dude" wranglers instructing the youngsters in the ways of the old West. Many of these ranches actually sponsor monthly rodeos to entertain their summer guests. Following the fall roundup these same cattle ranches become hunting lodges. Arizona's big game seasons (with the exception of antelope) begin with the opening of deer season the Friday nearest to the last day of October. This allows the ranchers to leave cattle on their summer ranges as long as possible and still remove them before the influx of hunters. Deer, bear, elk, turkey and mountain lion are among the most popular game hunted in the Whites. Ranchers and cowboys now become guides and packers and ranch facilities are made available to steadily increasing numbers of sportsmen. Information concerning many of these facilities may be obtained by writing the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, Springerville, Arizona.

Springerville is the upper end of the Coronado Trail. Here is where U. S. 666 connects highways U. S. 60 from the east with U. S. 70 in southern Greenlee County to splice the nation's first ocean to ocean highway. A large statue, The Madonna of the Trail, stands in the center of Springerville at the junction of the two highways. This Pioneer Mother monument was erected in 1928 by the Daughters of the American Revolution in cooperation with the National Old Trails Association to honor those who endured the hardships of blazing the trails connecting the East with the West.

The headquarters of the Apache National Forest are also located at Springerville. The U. S. Forest Service, under a program called "Operation Outdoors," has stepped up operations increasing facilities for outdoor enthusiasts. It has produced a large, illustrated map clearly showing the roads, streams and locations of all camp sites throughout the Apache Forest. These maps may be obtained by writing the office at Springerville.

An auto trip over the Coronado Trail is an experience that will remain with one a lifetime. However, to enjoy the full splendor of this country that is as wild as when Coronado visited the area four hundred years earlier it is necessary to drive off the Trail. These back roads can be impassable and very dangerous during the rainy season if one is unfamiliar with this kind of driving. Information concerning the conditions of these roads can be obtained at any of the lodges along the Trail.

One colorful side trip from Beaverhead Lodge can be taken down a winding course through some of the most spectacular scenery in the southwest to the town of Blue. Blue is approximately six miles from the end of the road but is complete with U. S. Post Office and not counting the assortment of hunting dogs, house cats, parakeets and a pet squirrel has a population of two, Mr. and Mrs. "Slim" Joy. A full vacation could be enjoyed here relaxing in a remote, hidden valley that has very little to remind one that the jet age has arrived. Horseback riding, hiking along a meandering forest trail, rock-hounding, rearching ancient Indian ruins, or sitting quietly at the edge of a stream watching the beaver at work building dams in the same unchanging ways they have been building dams for centuries are but a few of the things for a change of pace. The more active outdoorsman might enjoy the thrill of following the hounds on an exciting lion or bear hunt. Hospitality is never talked of, but "Slim's" hearty, "The biscuits are on," morning greeting lets one know breakfast is ready and that it is time to gather around the kitchen table.

Blue River has a plentiful supply of trout without an abundance of fishermen. Beaver dams form natural ponds where huge rainbow beauties lurk to delight and test the skill of the fly fisherman. It is not necessary to retrace the route back to Beaverhead Lodge as one may drive north on an improved gravel road to the upper end of Blue Valley to the mountain town of Alpine where one is again on the Coronado Trail. The road crosses and recrosses the Blue a number of times. Bridges are not numerous and many of the crossings are fords, creating additional hazards to travel during the rainy season.

The residents of Alpine boast of having Arizona's most accessible trout lake in their back yard. Only three miles to the east on paved U.S. 260 is Luna Lake. The accessibility and its reputation for producing excellent fishing has made the lake a favorite with fishermen of other states. Arizona Game and Fish Department checks show that nearly as many fishermen from the states of Texas and New Mexico fish the lake as do Arizona residents.

Luna Lake is not a natural lake but was man made to provide irrigation water to an irrigation district in New Mexico. In 1952 the Arizona Game and Fish Department entered into an agreement with the New Mexico group to increase the height of the earthen dam creating a 175 surface acre lake. The lake proved to be an excellent trout lake, young trout up to one and one-half inches in length, have been known to grow more than twelve inches in less than one year.

To the northwest of Alpine the Trail goes through the tiny mountain hamlet of Nutrioso at the foot of the Escudilla Mountain with a summit of 10,995 feet. Escudilla comes from the Spanish word meaning "porridge bowl." Such a description is understandable when it is learned that the mountain was a huge volcano. The huge depression shaped crater in the top resembles the inside of a bowl. Nutrioso is seventeen miles from Springerville, the Trail's end. This portion of the White Mountain country has a variety of pleasures to offer the tourist. Fishing is open the year around. Information pertaining to hunting and fishing may be obtained by writing the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Phoenix.

According to history Coronado, after finding no gold, moved his expedition eastward to the Rio Grande River and on into what is now Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. He later returned to the City of Mexico, sad, weary, and shamefaced at not finding the Seven Cities of Cibola.

Today's visitor need not be weary or sad while traveling the Trail through this vast stretch of country for all along the way there is "gold" for one and all.