Veit Springs History

[paulhubbard]

I was looking at HPP's [NICE!] pics of Veit Springs area. Then I got to looking at the other photosets there and I got the feeling of dejavu all over again. "I know I've been there..." ( I grew up in Flagstaff)

Then I remembered - Back in the 70's the road was still open and we used to take our 4wd's back there. I've not been back since probably 1980, we waked back there once right after the road was closed (Snow Bowl road was still dirt). It was called "Veit's Ranch" back then. The caved in in cabin was there in pretty much the same condition as it is now, but there was also a standing cabin that I believe the Boy Scouts were attempting to rebuild. Maybe that was the Jenks cabin? The walls were in fairly good shape, but the roof and floor was collapsed and there was graffiti all over it. Apparently it was never rebuilt. There was also a really nice pond fed by the springs that was never dry in the many times I had been there. Just to the east of the cisterns, near the rock wall, there were 3 of those "L" shaped water control valves (that still turned!). We assumed they were used to control the flow from the springs into the pond. I Wonder of those are still there, or if the flow was turned off and the valves buried?

I think the pictographs are "suspect" because I remember climbing all over those walls and never saw them to the best of my recollection. I may have some old pictures of the cabins and springs from the 70's, I'll post them if I can find them.

-Paul

[azbackpackr]

That pictograph does look suspiciously fake. PageRob, where are you?

[hippiepunkpirate]

There was also a really nice pond fed by the springs that was never dry in the many times I had been there.

Paul, if you are referring to the tank on the topo maps, I have only seen it dry (always been in June and July). Glad you like my shots!

[paulhubbard]

HPP, no I'm speaking from memory. There was a pond just yards southwest of the cisterns. We used to go there a lot in the fall, climb to the top of the cliffs and gawk at the aspens turning colors.

[fotogirl53]

The pictographs are hard to spot and are small--they are on the cliff above the "cave" spring. I had been to Veit Springs several times before someone pointed them out to me. They appear authentic, in my humble opinion. The petroglyphs at that site also appear genuine. Apparently there are more glyphs, but I haven't found them yet.