A slice of history

[RedRoxx44]

Thought I would from time to time give a blip of interesting info from my reading materials. I hope others will join in from their research and libraries. This is from "Gila---the Life and Death of an American River" by Greg McNamee.

From writings of a John S Griffin traveling along the river near Gila Bend and the Painted Rocks area in 1848---

"Nov 17th and 18th. The river here ( near Dateland) is some 60 or 80 yards wide----on an average 3 feet deep and rapid. We have seen more water fowl in the last two days, than we have yet met on the River---ducks, brant geese and swan. The cotton wood shows the effect of frost very little. The mountains still continue on our right and left , and if anything more jagged and foreboding in appearance than any we have yet passed."


Oh, for a time machine----

[azbackpackr]

I have that book at home, have read it. Very interesting! I suggest, to further your reading, a rather dry but nevertheless interesting book about that region: Yuman Tribes of the Gila River, by Leslie Spier: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... ikearizona

Also: The Gila River of the Southwest, by Edwin Corle (which you probably have seen before, but I'll include for the benefit of the group) http://www.amazon.com/Gila-River-Southw ... ikearizona

If you want to kayak the lower Gila, it is possible during certain irrigation seasons, when a lot of water is dumped in, you can start in the Mohawk Valley or Dome Valley. At least, that is what I'm told by friends. Or after a flood season, when it has slowed down a little. I have kayaked the last half mile of it, to the confluence, and thence down the Colorado, and passing under the bridges, and past the historic part of Yuma, and taking out at West Wetlands Park. Sounds long, but actually takes only a couple of hours. This latter trip can be done almost any time. The hard part is locating the put-in! I can't describe that, just know how to find it out on the levee roads. You could put in on the Gila at the last bridge, perhaps. That would be on Laguna Dam Road. Sometimes it is pretty low, though. It is DIRTY, too, it is all irrigation runoff. But there are a LOT of birds and animals along there. My friend saw the elusive Arizona Clapper Rail. Hope this is not "TMI." ;)

[jochal]

I just read this a few weeks ago. Its quite the eye-opener on that ditch between Tucson and Phoenix, and very readable.

[mudlugs]

pivotal moments.

"The weather was unusually hot for May[1877] and the long ride across Sulphur Springs Valley and the ascent of Mule Pass was hard on both men and animals. Arrival at the spring was eagerly anticipated, but the moisture they found at Iron Spring, the first water seep in Mule Canyon, was brackish and disagreeable. Lateness of day, however, precluded a search for a better water source and they made camp. With Rucker's consent, Dunn would scout the upper reaches of the gulch in the morning for both water and Indian signs.
At dawn the scout headed up the south side of the gulch, leaving the troop encamped. Near the base of a rocky crag -- Castle Rock of today -- Dunn located fresh water. He scanned ground, ridges, and slopes for telltale signs of Apaches before filling the canteens, and then headed back to camp by way of the north side of the canyon. Near Iron Monster, a massive limonite outcrop, his practiced eyes detected a float of fibrous gray-white cerussite, a lead carbonate mineral often associated with silver. He sorted through the talus, pocketed the best samples and proceeded to camp to inform Rucker that there were no Indian signs and there was fresh water a half mile up the canyon. Nor did he withhold showing the mineral specimens to the young lieutenant. Camp was immediately broken and the command moved to the spring at the base of Castle Rock." Bisbee, Queen of the Copper Camps by Lynn Bailey.