BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

Murder Most Foul, Space Aliens, and a Bit of History - You'll Find It All on This Trek

First take three lynchings, one deadly ranch war, two historic trails, and a desperately crooked deputy sheriff. Then throw in a ranch full of beautiful women and the world's most famous UFO abduction.

This might sound like a new fiction category: Sci-Fi Western Romance. But up on the Mogollon Rim, such plot lines form the basis of history books and a great backcountry trek.

One historic example: In midAugust, 1888, a cowboy on the Rim found three grisly bodies hanging from a pine tree. The victimsJamie Stott, Jim Scott, and Billy (or Jeff) Wilson - had been lynched. Some accuse Deputy Sheriff J.D. Houck, who coveted Stott's land.

Another example: In November, 1975, a tree-thinning crew decided to investigate a strange light emanating from near the edge of the Rim. Their search allegedly led to a disk-shaped spacecraft that hovered at treetop level. One crew member, Travis Walton, inexplicably ran toward the ship, but he was stopped cold by a bolt of blue light. By the time his buddies had recovered their senses, Walton and the spacecraft were gone, the young man not turning up until five days later, confused and dehydrated, relating fantastic tales of his tour aboard a flying saucer.

If you're interested in a more conventional, terrestrial tour of the Mogollon Rim's most scenic and spooky sites, consider a loop route along those two historic trails one a famous 1870s' military road, the other a cattle route dating from the 1880s.

Begin at the community of Heber, just before Milepost 304 on State Route 260. Turn south onto Black Canyon Lane and follow it through a small residential area until you break out toward the Rim. One hundred years ago, you might have passed a stagecoach heading south or a cattle drive plodding north along this road. Today you're as likely to see elk as traffic.

residential area until you break out toward the Rim. One hundred years ago, you might have passed a stagecoach heading south or a cattle drive plodding north along this road. Today you're as likely to see elk as traffic.

As you progress up the canyon, you'll find yourself surrounded by cliffs and rock formations. Hidden among them are red-painted pictographs perhaps 900 years old. Nearer the road, you'll see pockmarked limestone boulders cropping up like halfburied skulls.

Six miles from the highway, at Wilford, the road crosses a low bridge. This abandoned community thrived in the early 1880s. Beyond it another 2.5 miles lies historic Black Canyon Ranch, the property occupied by Deputy Sheriff Houck on the day that Stott, Scott, and Wilson were murdered.

at Wilford, the road crosses a low bridge. This abandoned community thrived in the early 1880s. Beyond it another 2.5 miles lies historic Black Canyon Ranch, the property occupied by Deputy Sheriff Houck on the day that Stott, Scott, and Wilson were murdered.

Another 1.5 miles brings you to lovely Baca Meadows, named for Juan and Damasia Baca, who began homesteading this area in 1889. Their ranch soon became the most celebrated stop on the entire cattle trail partly because of Damasia's legendary hospitality, but mostly because her seven pretty daughters represented the best concentration of young womanhood almost anywhere in the Territory. A family cemetery lies nearby, ringed by aspen and blanketed with wildflowers.

Continue southwest three miles to the turnoff for Black Canyon Lake, and take the short side trip down to its tranquil waters. Afterward, return to Black Canyon Road and drive two more miles, not quite to the junction with Forest Service Road 300. On your left, you'll find a primitive track called Spur No. 9, and if you have a high-clearance

vehicle, you can follow this track back into the forest 1.5 miles to a small rail-fenced enclosure protecting the somber grave sites of Stott, Scott, and Wilson. The tombstones, curiously, are etched with the date "August 4, 1888," seven days before the true date of their demise.

Again returning to Black Canyon Road, turn left onto FR 300, which is commonly called the Mogollon Rim Road, and also known as General Crook Trail, a tactical military supply road surveyed by the famed commander in 1871 during his campaign against the Apaches. Along here you'll start to find official Crook Trail markers - Small white Vs tacked to tree trunks. (See Arizona Highways, July '82.) Two miles east, stop at Gentry Lookout, a Forest Service fire tower. If invited, climb the stairs and enjoy the view.

To the north is the sinuous green body of Black Canyon Lake; west is Baker Butte, highest point on the Rim; southwest you can see Four Peaks, guardian of the Phoenix metropolitan area; south lies the vast Fort Apache reservation, and beyond it the summit spire of Mount Turnbull on the San Carlos Apache reserve.

From Gentry head east along the edge of the Mogollon Rim. After four miles, you will pass FR 87 at Turkey Springs Canyon, the vicinity of Travis Walton's alleged harrowing encounter with space aliens. Stop a moment and feel the mystery.

The road continues east along the edge of the Rim, continually playing tag with Crook's historic route. After about six miles, Crook Trail takes off northeasterly, but don't follow. You will meet it again if you continue east another three miles to FR 125. Here, turn left, and travel north two miles to Phoenix Park. Pause awhile at Phoenix Park and imagine its long grassy pasture filled with cavalry horses and blue-clad soldiers. The spot's grasses also attracted several cattle growers. One of the first was James Stinson, an absentee rancher whose foreman inadvertently touched off the Pleasant Valley War when he accosted local Tewksbury clan members about some stolen horses. Bad idea. Tewksbury six-shooters erupted, the foreman and his cousin caught lead, and by the end of a decade-long killing spree, up to 50 men were dead.

While at Phoenix Park, look north for a sandstone chimney marking the foundations of two ranch buildings. These originally belonged to pioneer Sarah Holcomb, whose parents acquired the property after Stinson. They died when she (LEFT) Cool summer temperatures, picturesque scenery, and rainbow trout lure vacationers to Black Canyon Lake.

(RIGHT) A stone chimney marks the site of pioneer Sarah Holcomb's cabin at Phoenix Park.

(BELOW) Victims of an Old West lynch mob, Jim Scott, Jamie Stott, and Billy Wilson were murdered during the animosities surrounding the Pleasant Valley War.

It was only 14. Orphaned and alone, brave young Sarah carried on at the ranch.

From Phoenix Park, the road climbs north. In less than three miles, it reaches a junction with FR 124. Turn right and head east 3.75 miles until you start to see Crook Trail markers again. They will stay with you while you make your next left onto FR 146.

After three miles, you will emerge at State 260. This is journey's end, only 10 miles east of Heber. Crook Trail, mean while, has already branched off to the east. In a few miles it, too, seems to end, disap pearing ghostlike in the shade of distant pines.

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

For maps, route information, and road conditions in the area, contact the Chevelon-Heber Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest at P.O. Box 968, Overgaard, AZ 85933; (520) 535-4481. Back road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country, be aware of weather and road conditions, and make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape and you have plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return. Odometer readings in the story may vary by vehicle.