The Arizona copper camp., 1920-08-21
Especial to Copper Camp

| lodu III highway COHSIEuCllOu ny DO-
| ing the first county in Arizona to vote
bonds for the construction of perma-
nent hard-surfaced roads, Gila county
has been following a progressive and
consistent program of highway devel-
opment for the last five years and as
a result has today as fine system
of county and state roads as to be
| found anywhere in Arizona.
Three things are responsible for the
| splendid success fyof. the good roads
program in Gila county:
1. Careful maintenance.
2. Proper supervision.
8. Splendid cooperation.
The Gila county supervisors think
enough of their roads and enough of
the taxpayers money which built
them to keep them in good shape.
They realize further that in order
to build good roads and keep them
good it is necessary to have county
engineer on the job who understands
his business.
More important still, they have
deemed it to their advantage to CO.
operate with the state highway de-
partment and with the road authori-
ties of neighboring counties, with the
result that the Globe-Miami district is
the focus from which radiate five i'm
portant arteries of travel.
AS the first step in the develop
ment of it's program Gila county laid
a cement concrete paving between
Globe and Miami, and a pavement of
similar construction between Winkel-
man and Hayden. That was some
five yeras ago, and although both
stretches have been subject to ex-
tremely heavy traffic, they are in ex-
cellent condition today and many
more years must elapse before it will
be necessary to re-surface them.
One of the most splendid mountain
highways in the state IS the Ell Capt.
tan highway leading from Globe to
Winkelman in the southern end Of the
county and connecting at that point
with an equally splendid mountain
highway built by the county of Pinal
Ind making direct good road cOnnec-
tions with Tucson and Phoenix The
Ell Captain road is as fine an example
of mountain road building as could be
found anywhere. The location follows
the SUBMITS of the spurs of the pine
clad Pinal mountains for many miles,
then drops to the side walls of the
Gila canyon where considerable ex-
pense was entailed in the construc-
ton Of series of thorough cuts, one
of which is shown in the group of
pictures herewith.
Gila county is Vitally interested in
state highway work on the new line
from Miami to Superior, and the high
way east from Globe to the county
line for with the completion of this
construction work it will mean the
placing of the Globe Miami district on
through state highway from Phoe-
nix to the New Mexico line. Both
roads are being built out of Gila coun-
try's portion of the states IS per cent
road tax fund.
The Miami-Superior road represents
some of the heaviest construction in
the state. Some idea of this can be
CLEANED from the accompanying photo
of the half-moon tunnel which engi-
neers are hewing out beneath the jut-
ting rock formation in order to carry
the road aroand the precipitous sides
ofthe canyon. With two big state
camps located on this work, there is
every assurance that the route will
be open by the first of the year.
The state highway from Globe to
the eastern. county line is practically
completed and the state forces are
being transferred to Graham county
to improve twelve-mile stretch lying
between the San. Carlos bridge and
the bridge across the Gila. The latter
structure was partially destroyed by
flood and is now. being repaired by
the Midland Bridge company, which
is putting in four steel spans of 1876
foot length. From this point on it is
the intention to improve the road into
Geronimo, thence to Solomonville and
| Stafford and connecting with the high
way in Greenlee county which leads
to Clifton and Franklin on the state
| line.
This main east and west line
through Gila county has been made
possible by the splendid business
judgment and broadshindedness of
the Gila county supervisors, for when
it was seen that Graham and Pinal
| oF cfyo