The Mighty Chiricahuas

THE MOUNTAIN TIME FORGOT

From a distance, the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona appear cloaked in haze, their softly undulating base dressed in the dull green of mesquite and sagebrush.

Beyond the foothills, the scene changes rapidly. Fractured by shifts in the earth and etched by eons of rain, melting snow, and wind, massive stone towers stand majestically in clusters, pinnacles reaching exaggerated heights, bold projections against the deep-blue backdrop of sky.

Twenty-five million years ago, explosive volcanic eruptions rocked the area, spewing white-hot ash that fused under heat and pressure into the rhyolite found here. During the cooling phase, weak areas broke, creating vertical and horizontal cracks. Then an upheaval tilted the land mass and thrust the Chiricahua Mountains upward from the desert plain. Subsequent erosion enlarged the cracks, causing rocks to stand in jumbled vertical formations, often striated with deep horizontal furrows. Today the Chiricahua range is essentially a mountain island with flora and fauna largely unchanged from earlier times.

Within the Chiricahuas are five of the seven life zones found in North America, an unusual habitat range in such a small area. Here desert scrub changes rapidly through mixed brush and deciduous stands to climax in fir and pine at the highest elevations.

To this area some 120 years ago came Brannock and Mary Riggs and their nine children. They homesteaded in Bonita Canyon and later became a strong influence among the settlers who followed.

The Chiricahua Mountains shelter an amazing diversity of geologic formations, plants, and wildlife. (ABOVE) A Sonoran mountain king snake coils its way through a yucca plant. JOHN CANCALOSI (RIGHT) This spot on 7,307-foot-high Sugarloaf Mountain, the tallest peak within the Chiricahua National Monument, commands a view of the rugged Heart of Rocks formations in Rhyolite Canyon and the Chiricahua peaks. GEORGE H. H. HUEY

MOUNTAIN

The 17-square-mile pocket of desert known as the Chiricahua National Monument was called Yadhesut, or "point of rocks," by the Apache who roamed among its natural wonders. (CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT) The tiny claret cup cactus produces large crimson blossoms. EDWARD MCCAIN Rhyolite Creek courses along its rocky way past thirsty bankhugging vegetation. Standing Rocks in Echo Canyon resemble sentinels huddled together on watch. BOTH BY GEORGE H. H. HUEY A raccoon and a mountain lion guard their domains. BOTH BY LARRY BROCK

Wildflowers crowd the foothills below Silver Peak (LEFT) near Portal, the sleepy hamlet that sits at the entrance of Cave Creek Canyon and is home to the Southwest Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History. RANDY PRENTICE northeast, is bordered by the Coronado National Forest on three sides and Sulphur Springs Valley on the west. An eight-mile road paralleling Bonita Canyon climbs through ever-changing scenery to Massai Point, which, at an elevation of 6,870 feet, affords panoramic views of rock formations and the valleys below.

The second region of interest is the Cave Creek Canyon Recreational Area on the east side of the range, adjacent to the hamlet of Portal. The name Cave Creek is derived from the numerous natural fissures in the cliffs flanking the canyon. Here water seepage gradually eroded weak areas in the rock resulting in many crevices and caves.

Honey mesquite and Arizona sycamore shadow the clear waters of the creek, which cascades over a rocky bed embraced in season by banks of flowers. Abrupt changes in elevation, humidity, and terrain along the creek created habitats for an astounding array of animals and plants. Deciduous trees and cypress coexist with a sprinkling of agave. Small bands of peccaries roam the area, and whitetailed deer and the Apache fox squirrel, a species unique to the Chiricahuas, are common.

The varied habitat of the canyon also provides a haven for an extraordinary number of winged species. Here birders can find such colorful types as the painted redstart, the oriole, black-headed grossbeak, and the spectacular, elegant trogon, not to mention the thick-billed parrot.

The Chiricahuas offer something for every lover of the out-of-doors: a grand spectrum of wildlife, striking geologic formations... and a brief glimpse of pioneer Americana.

Photo Tour: For a mesmerizing look at the wonders of the Chiricahua Mountains, join P. K. Weis and Peter Kresan on a Friends of Arizona Highways Photo Tour, October 24-27. For information and reservations, call the Friends' Travel Desk, (602) 271-5904.

Barbara Kent taught biological and physical sciences at the secondary level for 17 years. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Magazine.

Continued from page 32 The family prospered, their ranch supplying beef to the infantry and cavalry at nearby Fort Bowie, a post created initially to protect the area around Puerto del Dado, a spring in Apache Pass, which is a narrow defile between the Dos Cabezas and Chiricahua mountains. This area embraced a key east-west trail later chosen as the route for the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach line. Among the men stationed at Fort Bowie, which was abandoned in 1894, was Neil Erickson, a Swedish immigrant. Discharged in 1886, he married shortly thereafter and settled in Bonita Canyon. Later the Erickson family and one other would play a major role in what would become Chiricahua National Monument. But we're getting ahead of the story.

Edward Riggs, grandson of the original settlers, married Neil Erickson's oldest daughter, Lillian. Eventually the couple converted the old Erickson residence into a guesthouse they called Faraway Ranch. They offered lodging and tours of the Chiricahuas and soon found themselves hosting travelers from across the country.

Neil Erickson had spent 25 years building trails throughout the range. When the mountains became a government reserve in 1904, Erickson was its first ranger. With support from area residents who also recognized the special qualities of the Chiricahuas, the reserve became a national monument in 1924. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built or rebuilt much of the area's 17 miles of trails.

After the death of Lillian in 1977, Faraway Ranch was purchased by the National Park Service, and, following extensive renovation, it was opened to the public. Neither large nor pretentious, Faraway Ranch is steeped in local history. Tours of the ranch are conducted daily by monument personnel, adding considerably to the appeal.

Today, the region is laced with recreational sites, but two areas are of particular interest to visitors.

Chiricahua National Monument, in the

MOUNTAIN

Animal and bird watching are prime pastimes in the Chiricahuas. (TOP) A fox is alerted by an intruder, while a redwing blackbird (ABOVE) sounds an alarm.

Some denizens in these parts require a keen eye to spot. (TOP) A tiny hummingbird hovers at a flower. GEORGE H. H. HUEY (ABOVE) Distinctive markings identify the ringtail cat.

WHEN YOU GO

Getting there: Chiricahua National Monument is 35 miles southeast of Willcox, on State Route 181 off of State 186. Cave Creek Canyon is reached via a spur to Portal off U.S. Route 80 or over Pinery Canyon Road across the Chiricahuas from the western entrance to the monument. Pinery Canyon Road is open only during good weather.

Where to stay: A campground in the monument takes trailers up to 26 feet. No other services are provided.

Outside the monument, full accommodations and services are available in Willcox. A store, cafe, and trailer park can be found in Sunizona, 26 miles to the southwest at the junction of State Route 181 and U.S. 666.

Cave Creek Canyon Recreational Area has several small campgrounds and picnic areas. A small store in Portal offers six “bed-and-breakfast” rooms. P.O. Box 364, Portal, AZ 85632; telephone (602) 558-2223. Cave Creek Ranch has a selection of housekeeping cabins. Box F, Portal, AZ 85632; telephone: (602) 558-2334.

What else to see and do in the area:

Visit Fort Bowie, off State 186, just north of the entrance to the monument. To the west is Tombstone, a town filled with romance of the Old West, on State 80. In Texas Canyon near Dragoon, off Interstate 10, is the Amerind Foundation (See Arizona Highways, April, 1988) an archeological research facility and museum that focuses on the culture and history of Native Americans of the Southwest. To the south, on State 80 is Bisbee. If you plan to travel west, tour Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca off State 90.