| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 5.00 Miles |
800 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.00 Miles | | | |
| 800 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Stats combined for Jacks Canyon, roadside hiking, and Arizona Trail here. This will likely only be interesting to history or railroad enthusiasts…
This hike was a field investigation of an 1887 Flagstaff newspaper article that mentioned the Arizona Mineral Belt Railroad had another 35 miles of grade completed in addition to their 35 miles of track laid, and something I had been wanting to check out for a few years.
I stopped at the NAU library archives on the way out of Flagstaff to view the 1889 railroad survey. The survey confirmed my theory that the railroad would have had to pass through Jacks Canyon west of Happy Jack on its way to the edge of the Mogollon Rim. The Arizona Mineral Belt Railroad was the one that attempted to blast a tunnel through the Mogollon Rim below General Springs.
I parked near Mule Park north of Happy Jack and went off down the forested hillside toward Jacks Canyon, excited to see what I might find. I crossed the canyon and then crossed back to the east side again, looking for any sort of historic grading or roadwork. Nothing whatsoever. The old newspaper articles were wrong, but my curiosity was satisfied. The railroad never graded this far, 10 miles south of where its tracks ended. I enjoyed the pretty canyon and pools and managed to spook a few elk though.
I meandered my way back to the highway and the car, and decided to look for evidence further north in Double Cabin Park at other survey route points. Nothing.
Last stop was the AZ Trail south of Upper Lake Mary, which follows the Mineral Belt route where tracks were actually laid. A prescribed burn in the recent past burned up most of the ties that remained from 1887 that I had seen the last time I was here, sadly. I followed the route for a mile or so before approaching darkness turned me around.
Fun afternoon chasing history, but no exciting discoveries. |
| _____________________
| "…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
