Living in the cliffs at Tonto National Monument

Cliff dwellings -- National Park Service photo

If you dig archaeological ruins, then you’ll want to visit Tonto National Monument in central Arizona where the Salado peoples lived in cliff dwellings.

For 10,000 years, the Tonto Basin of the northern Sonoran Desert has provided a home to ancient peoples.  The most recent were the Salados, who blended the best of other Native Americans living in the region into their own unique culture.  While the Tonto Salados carved their homes out of the cliffs, the Salados built stone houses above ground just 25 miles away at Besh Ba Gowah in Globe.

There are two cliff dwelling settlements at Tonto National Monument. The lower dwelling is open all year round, while the upper dwelling can only be visited from November to April.

The Salads lived at Tonto for about 250 years from the 13^th to 15 centuries. Then, like their counterparts at Besh Ba Gowah and the Hohokam at Casa Grande NationalMonument, they disappeared. They left behind their colorful pottery and high-quality weavings, which can be seen at the monument’s visitor center/museum. You can see an informative video about the Salados and Tonto on the upper deck of the visitor center.

Tonto National Monument, operated by the National Park Service, is open daily, only closing on Christmas Day.  Do note that if you’re visiting in the hot summer months, your footwear will be checked – flip flops are not allowed because they’ll melt on the hot asphalt walk up to the cliff dwellings.

The trail up is paved, making it handicapped accessible. It’s rather steep, so wheelchair users should make sure they have good brakes for the trip down.

It takes about a half-hour to get to Tonto from Globe. Take Highway 188 out of Globe.

The way up may be steep, but the views are great!

Many Westerns shot at Arizona's Apacheland Movie Ranch

Elvis Chapel

At one time Apacheland Movie Ranch had dreams of becoming the Western movie capital of the world. That dream went up in smoke, though a respectable number of Western movies and TV shows were filmed here in the decades before fire destroyed the movie set.

 Apacheland was started in 1959 on Apache Trail Road, a scenic byway that runs through the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, Arizona.

Apacheland suffered a fire in 1969, but the one that pretty much destroyed the movie set happened on Valentine’s Day in 2004.

When the blaze ended, the only buildings left were the chapel, the barn/stable and the gallows. They were moved 10 miles down the road to the Superstition Mountain Museum.

The chapel is known as the Elvis Chapel because it was featured in Charro!, a movie starring Elvis Presley that was made here. Inside, on the altar, you’ll find a life-size statue of Elvis. The chapel is a wedding venue; a docent says many couples choose to be married standing next to Elvis, though he can be moved aside for the ceremony.

Aduie Murphy Barn

The barn is known as the Audie Murphy Barn because of a shootout scene filmed for Arizona Raiders. Inside, you’ll find pictures of actors and actresses who starred in movies and TV shows filmed here. There’s also the buggy that Doc drove in Gunsmoke.

Besides Elvis and Audie Murphy, the list includes Steve McQueen, Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Clint Walker, Stella Stevens, Marty Robbins and Ida Lupino.

Stars at  Apacheland

Television productions include Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Gunsnoke, and Wanted: Dead or Alive.

Movies include Blood on the Arrow, Ballad of Cable Hogue, The Hunted and Broken Land.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., though it does close on major holidays.

To get there take the Idaho Road exit off Highway 60 at Apache Junction. Stay on this road until you get to Highway 88/Apache Trail Road. The museum is about three miles from the intersection.

Arizona's Interstate 19 stands apart from other freeways

Interstate 19 sign

        Interstate 19 that connects Tucson with Nogales at the border with Mexico isn’t your normal interstate freeway.

For starters, I-19 is the fourth shortest double-digit freeway in the interstate system in the Lower 48 states, running just over 63 miles long.

Secondly, the distances on “mile” posts and freeway signs use the metric system, so they’re in meters and kilometers rather than miles. When the freeway was built, the United States was considering adopting the metric system and signs have just remained that way over the decades. It’s the only interstate in the system with metric signage.

I-19 follows the route of U.S. Highway 89, which once stretched down the United States, connecting the Canadian and Mexican borders.

Arizona's spectacular sunsets

           Arizona sunsets may be one of the greatest shows on earth.  As day melts into night, the sky is lit up in brilliant oranges, reds and yellows.

Why? The explanation has to do with physics. I am science-challenged and don’t really fully understand the concept, but it goes something like this: The blue and violet colors in the sky’s color palette are short wavelengths, while red, orange and yellow are long wavelengths. As the earth turns, the wavelengths must travel farther to reach the same spot. The short wavelengths aren’t strong enough to travel that far through particles, such as nitrogen, oxygen and dust, in the earth’s atmosphere.  So they’re blocked out, and only the long wavelengths make it through. Clouds and the desert also have a hand in helping Mother Nature create these spectacular light shows.

Do we really need to understand the science behind Arizona’s gorgeous sunsets to appreciate them? Not really. All we need to do is enjoy them!

 

 

Mining is important industry in Globe, Arizona, then and now

Globe, Arizona

Globe, Arizona, was founded in the mid 1870s as a mining town. It supposedly got its name from a globe-shaped piece of silver found there.

Silver was first discovered by prospectors in 1875 on the nearby San Carlos Apache Reservation. The vein was not a very good one, but then copper was found and the rest, as they say, is history. There are four copper mines and associated facilities in the Globe area today. Back then, the Old Dominion Copper Mine was one of the richest in the world. It closed in 1931, but you can learn more about it at the Old Dominion Historic Mine Park.

Globe was a rough and tumble frontier town during its early years. It had the usual lynchings, gunfights and stagecoach robberies, and was raided by its Apache neighbors.

Old Globe is located on a hill, with the new city stretching out before it. The historic district is on the National Register of Historic Places. Many historic buildings remain standing, including the Woolworth’s building, which was the last Woolworths west of the Mississippi River to close. The city’s high school, built in 1010, is the oldest high school in the state that it still being used by its original occupant. Another cool building is the Art Deco Globe Theatre with copper columns; the theatre has been restored following a fire in 2006.

Globe is the capital of Gila County.  Surrounded by mountains and Tonto National Forest, it is located on Highway 60 less than 90 miles west of Phoenix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Globe, Arizona, park features mining heritage, fitness trails

Raw copper ore

The old Dominion Historic Mine Park serves two purposes. One is to educate the public about the importance of mining in the Globe, Arizona, area. The other is to provide a series of fitness trails through the old mine site.

From 1880 to 1931, the Old Dominion Mine was a powerhouse in Globe’s copper mining industry, producing more than 765 million pounds of copper.

You’ll find pieces of old mining equipment scattered around the mine site. At the entrance, you’ll see a copper-studded boulder as well as a display of various types of rocks, each identified with a placard on the chain link fence.

Mining equipment on display

The park has trails for all levels of fitness. Non-motorized bicycles are allowed as well as wheelchairs and strollers.  The trails are not paved, just gravel and dirt. They are named for original mine claim owners at this location.

If you’re visiting on a hot summer day, be sure to have water with you. As you walk the trails, be on the lookout for rattlesnakes; I heard one in the bushes when we were there, but did not see it.

The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. Operated by the City of Globe, there are restrooms at the entrance; picnic facilities are available.

The park is located on Highway 60 in Globe. Turn on Murray Street by DeMarco’s Pizza and go up the hill.

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Tubac, Arizona, building centers around art

Tubac Art Center

Tubac, Arizona, may have only about 2,000 residents, but it’s got a burgeoning art colony with more than 100 galleries, studios and boutiques. It’s no surprise, therefore, that it has its own art center.

The Tubac Art Center is operated by the Santa Cruz Valley Artists Association, which was founded with 80 members in the 1960s. Today, it has more than 850 members, only about a third who are from Tubac.

The center offers changing exhibits by both local and nationally known artists. It has room for art classes, workshops and other special events. A spring exhibit features work by local high school students.

The center is located in an adobe building at 9 Plaza Road. It is open daily. Admission is free.