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Short on Trail, Long on History by markthurman53 History Safford Freeman was born in Georgia on Dec 13 1893. Freeman moved to Tucson in 1926 and in 1930 applied for a homestead. He was granted 640 acres covering an area both east and west of the present-day Spanish Trail. He built a 24 x 20 Adobe house where he and his wife Viola (1896) and their 3 children lived (Off and on, also had a house in Tucson). In 1952 Freeman sold 502 acres to the US department of interior and this land is now part of Saguaro National Park. Safford retired from the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1959 and died in 1968. His wife died in 1991. Some of his relatives still live in Tucson. Freeman Road is named after him. This is a really short summary of Safford Freeman, for a more complete story along with photos check out the internet. Hike This trail starts on the road to Javelina Picnic Ground on the hill overlooking and just before the picnic area. From the road, the trail heads down a slight ridge and continues for about 0.2 miles. The trail splits at this point, follow the arrow and head right. Continue down this trail, taking time to read the informative signs that are geared for both adults and children. At about 0.4 miles the remains of the Safford Freeman House can be seen. Only a slightly raised dirt mound over the foundation is all that remains. The trail continues down to an unnamed wash (I call Freeman Wash) and continues upstream along this wash for about 0.2 miles before exiting the wash and heading uphill to complete the loop. The trail has markers with arrows along the way so pay attention to these particularly in the wash. This unnamed wash drains the very west end of Tanque Verde Ridge and heads west toward Old Spanish Trail. I recommend reading up on the history of Safford Freeman on the internet before doing this trail. I spent more time reading the information about the Freeman family on the internet than it took to walk this trail. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
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