BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

Buried Gold Along the Ajo Scenic Loop Eludes Would-be Modern-day Prospectors

Know this for certain: There's gold somewhere in the rugged, beautiful hills around the historic mining town of Ajo. But that's a little like saying that all the words for a great novel are right there in the dictionary. The key to fortune, in both cases, lies in putting a puzzle together. My wife, Donna, and I assembled every last puzzle piece we could find before setting out on a back road excursion centered on a lighthearted hunt for a legendary trove of gold in the vicinity of Ajo. Our chosen back road the 10.9-mile Ajo Scenic Loop Drive would take us not only into a placer prospector's paradise but also through some of the most exquisite desert terrain in Arizona. But first we had to get to Ajo and do some homework along the way. As I piloted our truck on the scenic 131-mile drive westward to the desert community from our home in Tucson, Donna perused the collection of books, maps and pictures we'd assembled to facilitate our transition from wage-earners to millionaires. We had Lost Mines of the Great Southwest, by John D. Mitchell; Ajo, Arizona: The People and the Legends, by Charles J. Gaetjens; and The Development of Ajo, Arizona, compiled by Forrest R. Rickard. The latter volume, which is devoted mainly to the rich and colorful history of Ajo as a copper mining town, makes tantalizing references to the fact that Papago Indians, now known as the Tohono O'odham, may have worked the area for placer gold in the 18th and 19th centuries. "When Mexicans heard of this, they came to the area,” Rickard wrote. “The Papagos retreated, probably farther to the west. A group of Apaches had been to the Gulf of California. On the way back, they drove the Mexicans away from the 'Old Ajo' area.” That account seemed to fit like a glove with another piece of the puzzle a chapter in Mitchell's book relates circumstances leading to a fabled stash of buried gold. The chapter repeats the assertion that Papagos long ago found a wealth of placer gold in the area. It tells of Mexicans from the Sonoran village of Caborca reportedly driving the Papagos away from the placer finds and taking over the gold workings for themselves. And it describes a sudden attack by a band of Apaches that forced the Mexicans to flee, abandoning their supplies and “a large amount of gold buried in the camp.” That gold, alas, as legend would have it, has never been found. This is where Donna and I came in. We reasoned that maybe, in one of those instances of dumb, unpredictable lotterywinning-type luck, we would stumble across some sign of the bonanza if we prowled the Ajo countryside with an exceptionally positive attitude. Failing to find buried treasure, we might at least happen upon some of the placer gold that we assume remains in the mineral-rich mountains. With optimistic thoughts dancing in our heads, we pulled into the charming palm-lined plaza of Ajo on a balmy, beautiful midwinter day. We chatted with townsfolk at a real estate office and in a bookstore, hoping to sift out some nuggets of information that might aid our explorations. Later we would continue our sly line of questioning at a Mexican restaurant and at the Ajo Historical Society Museum, where we met Charles Gaetjens, author of the aforementioned book about Ajo's people and legends.

Several of our sources said they, too, had heard stories of Papago gold workings in the area in centuries past. And they recalled historical accounts of conflicts among Papagos, Apaches and Mexicans in the years before white miners turned Ajo into one of the nation's copper boomtowns.

The bad news our informants offered was that the village of "Old Ajo" and the surrounding area the supposed site of some of the Papago and Mexican gold sources had been entirely obliterated by a huge open-pit mine. The mine operated from 1917 until 1984, when dwindling copper prices forced its closure. (The Phelps Dodge Corporation hopes to resume mining in a few years if economic conditions are favorable.) Not to be discouraged by a mere copper mine in our quest for gold, we whipped out a sort of "secret weapon" a map of the Ajo Scenic Loop Drive.

This map, which is available free at the Si Como No! bookstore and gift shop at 207 Taladro Avenue in Ajo, would guide us on a meandering back road that encircled the abandoned open pit (off-limits to the public). If the long-lost gold happened to have been buried somewhere outside the pit boundaries, we figured it could be in the area of Black Mountain or Darby Well southeast of the pit. Or perhaps we'd find it near Pinnacle Peak to the southwest.

Using the loop-drive map in conjunction with a topographic map of the area, we set out to get rich or at least settle for some fine scenery.

As we cruised along the loop on a well-marked, well-maintained gravel road suitable for passenger cars, we eyed the rugged slopes of 3,008-foot Black Mountain to the south. As one who has long viewed mountains as places of refuge and security, I could easily imagine the Papagos or Mexicans secreting their treasures in that mountain fastness rather than in the lowlands nearer Ajo. But the written and wordof-mouth information we had gathered seemed to imply that the treasure site as well as the placer gold sources might more likely be found near arroyos.

This led us to stop at Darby Well, a deserted dwelling site along Darby Arroyo southeast of the copper pit. Old adobe structures, apparently renovated with more modern materials in the middle of this century, had fallen into ruin at the site of this once-precious water source. Although we turned up not so much as a flake of gold at Darby Well, we passed a pleasant half-hour prowling the ruins on what is now Bureau of Land Management acreage.

Then, as we followed the loop westward along Darby Arroyo, we watched for several side roads and four-wheel-drive routes leading north toward the edges of the copper pit. Our interest in these roads was aroused by our topographic map, which showed some of them leading to sites labeled as "prospects" and "mine shafts."

But we'd done no preliminary research on these sites, so we didn't investigate them. And we'd advise anyone following in our tracks to exercise the same caution. Mine shafts and prospect holes are often unmarked and exceedingly dangerous. Furthermore, they might belong to someone who had legally staked a claim.

Our belief, at any rate, was that miners would have long since discovered "our" treasure if it were to be found near an active shaft or prospect. So we turned our attention toward possible former mining camp sites near Locomotive Rock, Windswept Rock, North Ajo Peak, Pinnacle Peak and rolling desert terrain on both sides of the road.

Shades of green frequently interrupted our focus on gold. Elegant organ pipe cactuses, which some locals contend rival those at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to the south, punctuate the desertscape. Mesquite, ironwood, paloverde and elephant trees, as well as saguaro, barrel, hedgehog and cholla cactuses complete the picture.

By the time the sun began a showy spectacle of setting over the Growler Mountains to the west, we were still gold-less, but not without the added wealth of another day spent footloose under Arizona skies.

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

Warning: 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. 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.

Additional Information: Si Como No! bookstore and giftshop, (520) 387-7001; Ajo District Chamber of Commerce, (520) 387-7742.